Vybz
Kartel, Jamaican Dancehall Star, Charged with Murder
Scott Gries
Vybz
Kartel
UPDATE:
Kartel was not booked for court today, as previously
announced, because the police say he was charged so late
yesterday they couldn't list him. He will be listed for
tomorrow.
UPDATE: LIME has just announced the cancelling of 'Teacha's
Pet' with immediate effect.
Following an arrest on Friday Sept. 29, Jamaica's Major
Investigation Taskforce (MIT) last night charged
controversial dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel (born
Adidja Palmer) with murder, conspiracy to murder and
illegal possession of a firearm. MIT detectives made the
charges against Kartel last night, following an
interrogation of the artist yesterday afternoon in the
presence of his attorneys. He is scheduled to appear in
Kingston's Half-Way Tree Resident Magistrate's Court
today.
Police charge that on Monday, July 11, 2011, Kartel along
with other men conspired to murder Barrington 'Bossie'
Burton, a 27-year-old businessman and music promoter based
in the Kingston suburb of Portmore. Burton was murdered
while standing with friends along Walkers Avenue in the
Gregory Park area of Portmore. Born in Kingston, Kartel
also known as Adi or Di Teacha was raised in Portmore;
prior to his ascent to island wide stardom in 2003, Kartel
enjoyed immense popularity and wielded tremendous influence
in Portmore, initially as a party promoter.
Kartel was arrested by members of the Flying Squad division
of the Jamaica Constabulary Force on Friday, September 30
and charged with possession of a small quantity of
marijuana confiscated in a Kingston hotel room where he was
staying during the filming of his reality dating show
"Teacha's Pet," which debuted on Jamaica's CVM TV network
on September 23rd. The premise of "Teacha's Pet" finds 20
women living in a Kingston house vying for the artist's
affection; the show's lascivious content elicited
condemnation of its sponsor, telecommunications company
LIME. Those criticisms were heightened with Kartel's arrest
last week; in light of yesterday's charges, LIME has yet to
issue a statement about the show's future.
After being escorted from the unidentified hotel on Friday,
Kartel was handcuffed and escorted by police to several
premises he regularly frequents, while searches were
conducted by a team from the Caribbean Search Center. The
entourage first visited Kingston's upscale Norbrook
community where the DJ resides, then went to a property on
Swallowfield Avenue in Kingston's Havendale area. That
residence was the scene of a fire several weeks ago; a
scorched computer hard-drive and several boxes were
removed. The entourage then drove to Portmore to a home
purportedly owned by Kartel's mother, where a number of
items were similarly confiscated.
Kartel was detained for the weekend allegedly in relation
to a partially burned, decomposing body found inside the
Swallowfield Avenue home. Although the artist has been
arrested several times by Jamaican authorities (he was
detained for two weeks in July 2010) this is the first time
he has been charged with a crime.
Arguably Jamaica's most popular dancehall artist, Kartel is
also its most controversial. Repeatedly criticized for the
poor example he sets for the island's youth--his primary
fan base--through his X-rated song lyrics and bleached
skin, Kartel is also commended for the entrepreneurial
spirit he brought to dancehall. His various business
endeavors, which previously included Vybz Rum and Daggering
Condoms, have employed roughly 40 people.
http://www.billboard.com/news/vybz-kartel-jamaican-dancehall-star-charged-1005383832.story#/news/vybz-kartel-jamaican-dancehall-star-charged-1005383832.story