Popular Jamaican dancehall and reggae star Vybz Kartel has been found guilty of murder in a high-profile trial.
He and three co-defendants were convicted under tight security of
killing an associate, Clive Lizard Williams, in a row over a missing
gun.
Parts of the capital Kingston were cordoned off in advance of the verdict and police patrols were stepped up.
Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, is one of the biggest names in Jamaican dancehall reggae.
The BBC's Nick Davis in Kingston says that Kartel's bleached skin -
covered by tattoos - made him stand out from the crowd - and the "World
Boss" as he called himself also often glorified violence in his music.
The 65-day trial was the longest running criminal hearing in the
history of Jamaica's circuit court system, local media reported.
Police cordoned off streets around the Supreme Court before
Thursday's session started, seeking to prevent any disruption by fans
supporting the entertainer.
Illegal guns
Shortly before the jury started to deliberate in the afternoon, about
200 people briefly broke through barricades at one intersection
shouting "Free Kartel!"
The sentencing date is scheduled for 27 March and Kartel's lawyers have indicated they will appeal against the verdict.
When Kartel was arrested in 2011, it was alleged he had been involved
in two killings, but one of those cases was thrown out last year after
key evidence went missing.
Prosecutors said that Williams was beaten to death at Kartel's home
in August 2011 after being lured there to account for two missing
illegal guns.
A body has never been found but police testified that they had
unearthed a text message from Kartel's phone saying Williams had been
chopped up to "mincemeat" so fine that his remains would never be found.
Defence lawyer Tom Tavares-Finson told jurors the prosecution's case
against Kartel was "dishonest" and "incompetent", noting that witness
statements and a compact disc with evidence saved on it had gone
missing.
The AP news agency says that in a bizarre twist to the case, a male
juror was arrested on Thursday evening on charges of attempting to bribe
the jury foreman to free Kartel, who was convicted by a 10-1 majority
verdict.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Jamaica dancehall star Vybz Kartel guilty of murder
Artikel Terkait
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