Vybz Kartel Freed From Prison Following Overturned Murder Conviction

Caribbeans, dancehall fans, and music lovers alike are in a celebratory mood in honor of Di Worl’ Boss. Vybz Kartel was officially freed from prison this week after serving 10 years on a murder charge. The 48-year-old artist, real name Adidja Palmer, had his murder conviction overturned this past March by the Privy Council in London. They spent the last few months deciding whether or not would be retried, as the initial conviction involved a juror who engaged in bribery. Thus, he was denied bail and kept in jail. On Wednesday (July 31), Jamaican appeal judges ruled in favor of Kartel after his defense team relentlessly appealed the initial conviction and said the juror should have been thrown off the case. They called the conviction “fatal to the safety of the convictions which followed” and “an infringement of the [defendants’] fundamental right to a fair hearing.” In other words, justice was served and the “Vybz” are high, BBC reported. [embedded content] Vybz Kartel was tried for the murder of Clive Williams, which took place in 2011. Prosecutors claimed the “Fever” artist and his associates Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St. John killed Williams for not returning firearms to their...