Jubilant Kartel fans rejoice over court ruling

Supporters of dancehall artiste Adidja 'Vybz Kartel' Palmer erupted in dance and song when they received news that the entertainer, who had been incarcerated for 13 years, was now a free man. 

The initially small crowd that had gathered in Justice Square in downtown Kingston ballooned almost instantaneously as news that the country's second-highest court ruled that Palmer and his three co-appellants, Shawn 'Shawn Storm' Campbell, Andre St John, and Kahira Jones, should not be retried for murder spread. 

“Mi feel good seh him a come out still, a long, long time now him deh in deh now, mi want him come out and visit him family and dem sumn deh. Wi happy fi see him ya now,” Donovan Lindo, a vendor who came onto the scene, told The Gleaner. 

“Every man deserves a second chance,” another supporter declared loudly.

The jubilant mood surged after one supporter started playing popular songs from the artiste, much to the delight of his fans. 

Their excitement increased when attorney-at-law Isat Buchanan, who represented Palmer, was spotted leaving the courtroom.

The ecstatic crowd flocked to the lawyer, dubbing him “The Man”, bellowing their appreciation for working to free the “Worl Boss'. 

So momentous was the occasion for the supporters that one suggested that the entertainer seek political office in the future. 

“A Vybz Kartel wi a vote for for the next Prime Minister, memba dat, the man educated enough to run di country,” the fan stated. 

Meanwhile, an entertainer who gave her name only as 'Tash Ever Bless' said she travelled all the way from England for the ruling. 

“It's a very big moment for dancehall and I represent Vybz Kartel and dancehall,” she said.

“Big up yuhself Vybz Kartel, life over death, Gaza mi seh, till death,” 

Palmer and his co-appellants were charged in September 2011 and convicted in March 2014 of Clive 'Lizard' Williams' murder.

They were sentenced to life in prison in April 2014. 

Following an unsuccessful challenge of the conviction in the Jamaican Court of Appeal, they went to the Privy Council, Jamaica's highest court.

The Privy Council threw out their convictions in March 2024 on the grounds of juror misconduct but remitted the matter to the Court of Appeal to determine whether there should be a retrial. 

Today, the court ruled against a retrial, freeing the men.

- Sashana Small 

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