Vybz Kartel, a.k.a. Adidja Palmer, has been convicted of murder. A jury yesterday (March 13) found the Jamaican dancehall singer guilty in the 2011 killing of Clive “Lizard” Williams, according to Billboard. Deliberations lasted fewer than two hours after a 65-day trial was the longest criminal proceeding ever for Jamaica’s circuit court system.
A sentence is due March 27, and Kartel’s attorneys have signaled they’ll appeal the verdict. The jury also found three other men guilty and one not guilty in the case. According to the Jamaica Observer, the murder allegedly took place over a missing gun owned by Kartel.
The conviction comes less than a year after Kartel was acquitted of murder in another 2011 death. The singer and rapper has spent roughly three years in jail.
Kartel is one of the most popular Jamaican dancehall artists, and he has had success stateside, as well. He appeared on Major Lazer’s Beyoncé-sampled “Pon de Floor.” His list of collaborators also includes Jay Z, Rihanna, Missy Elliott, Lil Wayne and Eminem.
Also Read
Compact Discs: Sound of the Future
In 2006, SPIN called Kartel “the man who represents like a posse,” his “Emergency” featured on a 2005 SPIN Essential Mix. And his bittersweet, Dre Skull-produced 2009 romantic ballad “Yuh Love” remains a fine introduction, if now only more deeply poignant.
