Vybz Kartel First Murder Trial Squashed

The murder conviction of the dancehall star Vybz Kartel and three co-defendants was squashed on Thursday by the highest court of appeal for Jamaica and other Commonwealth countries.

Vybz Kartel whose name is also Adidja Palmer, had previously been convicted and given a life sentence after his associate Clive Lizards went missing and whose body was never found. The sentence was later reduced to 32 and a half years.

On Thursday, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London overturned the conviction because of allegations of jury misconduct in the 2014 trial. The defendants lawyers argued the trial judge wrongly handled allegations that one juror offered $3,200 to fellow jurors to return not guilty verdicts. Jurors ultimately convicted Mr. Palmer, Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and André St. John of murder.

The privy council sent the case back to the court of appeal in Jamaica to decide whether Vybz Kartel and his co-defendants should stand trial again.

Vybz Kartel has been in prison  since 2011.