Jamaican Dancehall Artist Vybz Kartel Found Guilty of Murder

By: - March 13th, 2014

Above: Vybz Kartel

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel and three other men have been convicted of murder following a long trial.

Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, was found guilty of murder by a 10-1 vote of the jury.

The group of four defendants was convicted for the deadly beating of Clive “Lizard Williams” at Kartel’s residence in 2011. A fifth co-defendant was cleared of the charges.

The verdict came after one of the jurors in the case was arrested after allegedly trying to bribe the jury’s foreman.

The popular Kartel was a polarizing figure in Jamaica, and retained the support of many of his fans throughout the trial, including a relatively large group chanting for his freedom outside of the courthouse and a continued presence on Twitter.

It was the second major murder trial involving Kartel in the last year or so; in 2013, he was found not guilty in the murder of a Jamaican businessman, Barrington Burton.

Kartel’s sentencing is set for later this month.

Jamaica

Haiti's Lamothe, in Chile, Urges Deeper Integration With Latin America

Above: Haiti Prime Minister (right) in Santiago (Photo: OPM Haiti) By Alexander Britell Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe visited Santiago, Chile, this week, attending the inauguration of President Michelle Bachelet and urging deeper ties with the Latin American region. In a phone interview with Caribbean Journal, Lamothe said the relationship between Haiti and Latin America […]

Jamaica

The Rebirth of Montserrat

Above: MDC CEO Ivan Browne at Caribbean Journal’s headquarters in Miami (CJ Photo) By Alexander Britell MIAMI — The Eastern Caribbean island of Montserrat is eyeing a renaissance. Almost 19 years after the volcano that devastated half the island and destroyed its capital city, Plymouth, the British Overseas Territory has big plans: a new capital, […]

Jamaica

Talks on CARICOM-Canada Trade Pact to Conclude "No Later Than June"

Above: St Vincent (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Negotiations on the long-awaited CARICOM-Canada Trade and Development Agreement are expected to conclude “no later than June 2014,” CARICOM’s Heads of Government said in a joint communique issued on Wednesday. The region’s leaders received a report on the status of the negotiations during their meeting […]

Grenada Ministry of Health Forms Task Force on Chikungunya, Dengue

Above: Grenada By the Caribbean Journal staff The virus has not come to Grenada, but Grenada’s Ministry of Health has formed a new mult-stakeholder task force on the health threats posed by the Chikungunya and dengue viruses in the Caribbean. Grenada Health Minister Dr Clarice Modeste-Curwen said the task force would “consider ways to prevent […]

Caribbean Countries Make Push at Cruise Shipping Miami Conference

 Above: dancers from the United States Virgin Islands at Cruise Shipping Miami (all photos by CJ) By the Caribbean Journal staff MIAMI — Countries from across the wider Caribbean region descended upon Miami Beach, Fla. this week for the annual Cruise Shipping Miami conference. Above: US Virgin Islands dancers at Cruise Shipping Miami From small-port […]

Barbados Seeks Help From Spain on Heritage Tourism

 Above: Grenada By the Caribbean Journal staff The virus has not come to Grenada, but Grenada’s Ministry of Health has formed a new mult-stakeholder task force on the health threats posed by the Chikungunya and dengue viruses in the Caribbean. Grenada Health Minister Dr Clarice Modeste-Curwen said the task force would “consider ways to prevent […]

CARICOM to Focus on Development of "Single ICT Space"

Above: CARICOM headquarters in Guyana By the Caribbean Journal staff The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) said this week that it would focus for the next two years on unveiling its proposed “Single Information Communication Technology ICT Space” in the region. The “single ICT space” would serve as what CARICOM called the “digital layer” of the single […]