Vybz Kartel and co-accused walk free: No Retrial for high-profile 2011 murder case

In a landmark decision, the Jamaican Court of Appeal has ruled that dancehall entertainer Vybz Kartel, and his three co-accused will not be retried for the 2011 killing of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams.

The decision, delivered by President of the Court of Appeal Justice, Marva McDonald-Bishop on Wednesday, follows an exhaustive review of 12 critical factors impacting the case.

Among the factors that were taken into account by the judge were:

• The gravity of the offences.
• The prosecution case was not undermined in any substantive way by evidence improperly admitted or otherwise rendered suspect.
• There was no undue or immoderate pre-trial publicity which could have inhibited prospective jurors in considering dispassionately and uninhibitedly all relevant matters in issue at trial.
• There were no prospective Crown witnesses who were dead or dying or believed to be unavailable at retrial, causing a loss of potentially material evidence and a denial of a fair trial.
• No ordeal or suffering would be imposed on an accused at retrial.

McDonald-Bishop concluded that while offences of such gravity are serious, there were “powerful” reasons why there should not be a new trial here.

Vybz Kartel, real name Adidja Palmer, and co-accused Andre St John, Kahira Jones as well as Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell had been found guilty of Williams’ death in 2014. But in March 2024, their convictions were quashed by Jamaica’s UK Privy Council over concerns surrounding the handling of a juror issue in the trial.

It is understood that the deteriorating health of Vybz Kartel was another major factor in the decision not to proceed with a retrial. The Court of Appeal upheld the applications and quashed the convictions unanimously, so the men are now acquitted of all charges.

While the full written judgment is not yet available, McDonald-Bishop provided a summary to reporters on Tuesday afternoon to help the public understand the court’s reasoning.

In September, Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Claudette Thompson said she would be prepared to proceed with a new trial this month if one was ordered. However, that will no longer be happening, and the way has been cleared for the accused killer to walk free in a matter of weeks.