Kartel physically on the mend, in a 'good place' mentally
Published:Thursday | August 19, 2021 | 1:08 PM
Jail has not broken Vybz Kartel's spirit.
The incarcerated DJ, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, said he has been in a good place mentally, despite having spent 10 years behind bars.
He also shared that he is now on the mend, having been ill for "a few years".
"Yeah, because I was sick for a few years, so definitely I'm recovering physically. But mentally, I've always been in a good place because I know I'm innocent, and I know I'm coming out," Kartel told Fox5 New York, in an interview from jail aired on Wednesday with the station's Lisa Evers.
A confident Kartel said he is not worried about his health "as much [and] I'm doing much better", adding that his thoughts are focused on a successful appeal. "I'm basically just thinking about going home now, because everything is drawing to a close."
Kartel shared that he is keeping active and that that has vastly impacted his mental state. "I'm mentally in a better place because I read a lot, I write a lot; you know, I watch movies, I listen to music, and I've met people here that are cool, cool people. We can talk about stuff, good friends along the way, so that's how I spend my time," he said.
In September 2017, Vybz Kartel fell ill and was taken to the University Hospital of West Indies to treat a reported kidney infection.
He returned to the hospital in March 2019. "He has a condition, and he wasn't feeling well. He was not admitted. It's not serious," Valerie Neita-Robertson, the then attorney of the dancehall artiste, told The Gleaner at the time.
In the interview with THE WEEKEND STAR later that year, Neita-Robertson confirmed that Kartel suffers from a thyroid problem. However, at the time, she said that there was no cause for concern about her client's health.
"They take him out of the prison from time to time to receive medical treatment, and he is under ongoing medical care," she told THE WEEKEND STAR.
Kartel has been in custody since September 29, 2011.
In 2014, Kartel and three of his four co-accused, Shawn Storm, Kahira Jones and Andre St John, were found guilty of the 2011 murder of Clive 'Lizard' Williams.
They were all sentenced to life in prison by retired High Court Judge Lennox Campbell, and Kartel was ordered to serve 35 years before he is eligible for parole.
Campbell, Jones and St John were ordered to serve 25 years before they become eligible for parole.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal filed by Kartel and the co-accused. However, the court admitted that Justice Campbell had made an oversight during sentencing in the original trial. The sentences were reduced based on time already served.
Kartel's original 35 years was reduced to 32 and a half years minimum before becoming eligible for parole; Campbell and Jones, 22 and half years; and St John, 27 and a half years.
The case is set to go before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council for a ruling.
The interview with Fox5 New York has two parts. Part two will be aired tonight.