At the end of a marathon trial, the jury found Vybz Kartel guilty of the murder of Clive "Lizard" Williams, as well as his co-accused Andre St John, Kahira Jones and Shawn "Shawn Storm" Campbell. Only Shane Williams was found not guilty. Sentencing will be announced on 27 March.
Almost a month ago, the police were blocking the streets around the courthouse, in the heart of downtown, in anticipation of the verdict. It took the court and the jury three more weeks to see this marathon trial (65 days) through to the end, a trial that had all the ingredients of the perfect legal saga: the length of the trial, the personality of the accused, the integrity of compromised evidence, the prosecution witness who withdrew... Not to mention the final dramatic twist: yesterday, a juror allegedly tried to bribe the jury foreman, offering him $500,000 to return a not-guilty verdict.
The four men were found guilty by the jury (10 votes to one). Shane Williams, suspected of having driven Lizard and the prosecution witness to Vybz Kartel's house where the murder is said to have taken place on 16 August 2011, walked free from the court, found not guilty by a unanimous jury.
The courthouse was surrounded by a police cordon facing some two hundred supporters of the deejay who had gathered for the announcement of the verdict.
Vybz Kartel's lead lawyer, Tom Tavares-Finson, said he intends to appeal the conviction.
Jailed in October 2011 as part of the investigation into the death of Barrington Burton and for possession of marijuana, Vybz Kartel was subsequently charged with the murder of Clive Lizard Williams.
Having spent two and a half years behind bars, Vybz Kartel could well remain there for many years, facing up to life imprisonment. The answer comes on 27 March.
Source: Jamaica Observer