Jamaican Dancehall Star Vybz Kartel Says He’s ‘Victorious’ After His Murder Conviction Is Overturned In London Court + Jamaican Appeals Court To Decide If He’ll Get Another Trial

Jamaican Dancehall Star Vybz Kartel Says He’s ‘Victorious’ After His Murder Conviction Is Overturned In London Court + Jamaican Appeals Court To Decide If He’ll Get Another Trial

Vybz Kartel is celebrating a major win.

The Jamaican dancehall star’s murder conviction was officially overturned in London on Thursday (March 14), with the court citing juror misconduct.

Kartel, born Adidja Azim Palmer, has been in jail since 2011, when his friend Clive “Lizard” Williams’ vanished. Despite Williams’ body never being found, Kartel underwent trial for over two months (one of the longest in Jamaican history), where he was one of four people found guilty in 2014. He was sentenced to life behind bars with a minimum of 35 years. He later appealed and the sentence minimum was lowered to 32 1/2 years.

Kartel and the other convicted individuals filed their last permitted appeal in London’s Privy Council last month. Their attorneys accused the trial judge of not properly ruling on claims that a juror offered other jurors 500,000 (about $3,200) if Kartel and the defendants were acquitted.

They argued in their appeal that the judge did not remove the juror in question, a move that was “fatal to the safety of the convictions.”

The Privy Council remanded the case to the Court of Appeal in Jamaica, which would determine if the defendants would get another trial.

Kartel took to Instagram on Thursday to celebrate his conviction being overturned and wrote alongside a headline of the news, “Victorious!!!! @isatbuchanan Anytime now! #bbc #quashed #bussoff #238 #privycouncil”

What are your thoughts on the conviction being overturned? Comment and let us know.