KINGSTON, Jamaica — Fans of entertainer Vybz Kartel revelled in a party atmosphere in downtown Kingston on Wednesday after the dancehall superstar and his co-accused were freed of murder after 13 years in prison.

The Court of Appeal ruled against retrying Kartel, real name Adidja Palmer; Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell; Kahira Jones; and Andre St John for the September 2011 murder of their associate Clive “Lizard” Williams. The case had been remitted back to the appeal court by the Privy Council which also quashed the quartet’s earlier murder conviction.
READ: Kartel freed!

Following the ruling, hundreds of Kartel fans celebrated in the streets while speakers blared many of his hit songs.

“I am feeling overwhelmed, mi nah lie, he deserves this, worse the ‘boss’ sick… Vybz Kartel made me come out here in the sun,” one woman said.

Another woman said she travelled all the way from London, England for the ruling.

“Big up Kartel, I am feeling great… It’s something big in the UK, we love him over there and we need to see him soon in concert,” the woman who identified herself as “Tash” said.

Asked whether she feels Kartel can return to the heights of dancehall after 13 years behind bars, she said: “He will have even a bigger impact after today.”

Lawyers representing Kartel and his co-accused had made an appeal to the local Court of Appeal in 2020, but their convictions were upheld.

The accused’s appeal was then taken to the United Kingdom-based Privy Council, and on March 14, 2024, their murder convictions were overturned on the grounds of juror misconduct.

The Privy Council also remitted the case back to the Jamaica Court of Appeal to decide whether there should be a retrial.