Kartel hearing begins today

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Days after receiving a worrying report about the deteriorating condition of his heart, entertainer Vybz Kartel is now hoping that his lawyers can convince the Court of Appeal to set him free.

The entertainer has been behind bars since September 29, 2011, and was set to remain there until 2043, having been convicted of murder. The dancehall star Kartel, whose given name is Adidja Palmer; Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell; Kahira Jones, and Andre St John were convicted in March 2014 for Williams’ murder and sentenced to life in prison a month later. The Court of Appeal upheld their convictions in 2020.

However, on March 14, 2024, the United Kingdom-based Privy Council, Jamaica’s final court of appeal, quashed the convictions on the grounds of juror misconduct. It sent the matter back to the Court of Appeal to determine whether entertainer Kartel and the three other men should be retried or set free. The hearing is set to start at 9:30 a.m. and is expected to last for five days.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is pushing for a retrial.

On the eve of the hearing, Kartel’s son, Likkle Vybz, said his father’s health is deteriorating.

“It is bad. His condition is not getting any better and that’s because of the condition he’s been held in and also the lack of urgency to get medical healthcare. He’s on medication but [despite that] the condition is still worsening, so that’s another big problem. And because of that, it was recommended by the doctor to go to surgery so that’s a very big deal, very big deal,” he told THE STAR.

In a medical report obtained by the news team, Kartel’s doctor stated that the artiste has “lost 20 per cent of his heart’s function” from the capacity it was at this time last year, and that puts him at greater risk for a heart attack.

The incarcerated dancehall star is suffering from an autoimmune disorder known as Graves’ disease that affects the thyroid gland.