Vybz Kartel, the prominent Jamaican dancehall artist, has been released from prison following an appeal of his 2014 murder conviction. Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, had been serving a life sentence for the 2011 murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. The conviction was overturned in March 2024 due to juror misconduct in the original trial, according to BBC Newsbeat. This week, Kartel was freed from custody after appellate judges in Jamaica decided against a retrial.

In the 2014 trial, it was alleged that Clive Williams and Lamar Chow were given two unlicensed firearms by Kartel for safekeeping. When they failed to return the weapons as agreed, prosecutors claimed they were summoned to Kartel’s house in August 2011, where they were attacked. Chow testified that the last thing he saw was Williams lying motionless on the ground. Williams’ body was never found, and the house burned down days later.

Kartel, along with co-accused Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John, consistently maintained their innocence but were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Kartel was told he would serve a minimum of 35 years before being eligible for parole. After exhausting appeals in Jamaican courts, Kartel’s legal team took the case to the Privy Council in London, Jamaica’s highest court of appeal.

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The defense argued that a juror in the original trial had attempted to bribe other jurors and should have been dismissed. The Privy Council agreed, stating that the juror’s presence compromised the fairness of the trial and made the conviction unsafe. The judges described this as “fatal to the safety of the convictions” and an infringement on the defendants’ right to a fair trial.

Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop, one of the three judges at Jamaica’s Court of Appeal, noted the severity of the offense but cited the passage of time, lack of access to witnesses and evidence, and the substantial cost of a retrial as reasons against it. She also highlighted Kartel’s declining health, suggesting that a new trial could adversely affect his well-being. Consequently, the court concluded that the interests of justice did not necessitate a retrial, formally acquitting Kartel and his co-defendants.

The release was met with heavy security at the courthouse in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, and the hearing was closely monitored across the nation. This decision marks a significant turn in a high-profile case that has captivated public attention for years.