launch a condiments line, and write
a book, while seeking a movie deal,
appear more and more unlikely as
he awaits a planned appeal.
Kartel's plans were put on hold last
Thursday when a jury in the Home
Circuit Court convicted him of the
murder of 27-year-old Clive 'Lizard'
Williams of Waterford, St Catherine.
Kartel, whose given name is Adidja
Palmer, and the other three men
convicted along with him, appeared
shocked and frightened when they
heard the verdict.
They stood in the dock and stared
in disbelief as the verdicts were
handed down after seeming
optimistic throughout the trial.
Kartel had previously indicated that
if he was freed, he would "make
Sumfest 2014 the biggest ever".
Having been in custody since
September 2011, the dancehall star
had indicated his conviction that he
would be freed and noted that he
was looking forward to getting back
his career on track.
"I have a number of projects that I
am anxious to get going. These
include a book and movie deal, The
Trials of Vybz Kartel, a line of
condiments called 'Worl' Boss
Pepper Sauce' and of course, music,
music, music," Kartel said in a
release while on trial.
But that will have to wait on his
sentencing and expected appeal.
Mr Justice Lennox Campbell will
sentence Kartel and his cronies on
March 27 to life imprisonment,
which is the mandatory sentence
for non-capital murder.
However, Justice Campbell will
indicate how many years they
should serve before they are
eligible to apply for parole.
If the judge makes no order as to
the time to be served, then they
can apply for parole after seven
years.
"In this case, the judge will take the
opportunity to state how many
years the men must serve in light of
the notoriety of the case and the
nature of the offence," says
attorney-at-law Christopher
Townsend.
"A judge, in passing sentence in a
murder case, will have to take
certain factors into consideration,"
attorney-at-law Dwight Reece
explained.
Mitigating Factors
The judge will have to consider the
mitigating factors in favour of the
convict, the nature of the offence,
including the gruesomeness of the
crime, the effect it has on the
victim's family, as well as society,"
said Reece.
"The sentence will also be a
deterrent to those who may
contemplate committing similar
crimes, and rehabilitation of the
prisoner will be another factor the
judge will have to consider," added
Reece.
But what is the possible sentence
the men will face? This was one of
the questions some of the
spectators in the large crowd which
flocked the streets leading to the
courthouse asked when they heard
that Kartel was found guilty.
On being questioned about the
issue, some lawyers said the men
could each face 20 years given the
nature of the offence. "The
recommendation is entirely at the
judge's discretion," one lawyer
remarked.
Kartel was convicted along with
fellow entertainer Shawn Campbell
also called 'Shawn Storm', Kahira
Jones and André St John, also
called 'Mad Sus'.
The fifth accused, Shane Williams,
forced a smile when he heard that
he was freed. During his unsworn
statement, Williams had asked,
"Why am I here?"
He was identified by the
prosecution's main witness by a
voice note on a video as being one
of the men at Kartel's house when
Lizard was beaten to death on
August 16, 2011.
Attorney-at-law Everton Dewar had
argued that the evidence was not
sufficient to convict his client
because people sounded alike and
in his statement to the police and in
his testimony in court, the witness
did not say he saw Williams at the
house.
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