(CMR) The Court of Appeal of Jamaica today upheld the conviction of incarcerated Jamaican entertainer, Vybz Kartel (Adidjah Palmer). The appeal decision comes exactly six years to the date that he was sentenced in 2014 for the 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams.
President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Cecil Dennis Morrison, handed down the decision by teleconference to the lawyers working on the case. The court told the lawyers that it had dismissed the entertainer's appeal.
According to a source close to Cayman Marl Road (CMR), lawyers working on the case felt they had a chance of winning the appeal on the basis of prosecutorial misconduct. They noted that the Director of Public Prosecution herself intervened in the case and encouraged the judge to allow a controversial juror to sit and deliberate in the matter.
While a body was never found, text messages obtained from the artiste’s mobile phone supposedly provided enough of a description for conviction. The text read, “Tween me an u a chop we chop up the bwoy Lizard fine fine,” wrote Vybz Kartel “Yeah man a mince meat dat … As long as u live dem can never find him.”
Prior to the appeal court’s decision at least one lawyer close to the case had noted that if they were unsuccessful, they would be taking their appeal to the Privy Council.
Fans of the entertainer were on Thursday amped up after it was revealed that Vybz Kartel and his co-accused, Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John, were to learn the outcome of their appeal.
Many fans, and some in the industry, believed that Vybz Kartel’s conviction would be overturned.
Just last night, on the Vybz Kartel official Instagram page, the entertainer shared a birthday greeting for his daughter on the social media platform.
“The apple of my eye. Happy birthday baby @adi_girlboss,” said Kartel on Instagram.
Self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Dancehall’, Spice, also commented on Vybz Kartel’s post.
“Happy birthday princess. Daddy on him way home no worry yuh head #Bestbirthday yah get,” said Spice on Instagram. Spice also included the hashtag #freeworlboss.
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