Defense attorney shoots down claims of Kartel’s conversion to Christianity
Defense attorney Miguel Lorne has described a letter, purported to be written by imprisoned Dancehall DJ, Vybz Kartel claiming he has given his life to Christ and will be baptized in the near future as a hoax.
Speaking with caribbeannationalweekly.com early Monday, Lorne, who represents DJ Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell, said the letter was not penned by Vybz Kartel and is nothing but a hoax.
“That letter is not authentic. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have not seen the letter but if it was true the defense team would have known about it,” Lorne said.
Vybz Kartel, real name Adidjah Palmer, is no stranger to controversy and was again under the public glare after former Youth and Culture Minister of Jamaica Lisa Hanna, called for his music recorded while he was behind bars to be banned from radio. Hanna was raked over the coals by supporters of the artiste for her stance.
Subsequent to Hanna’s call the Ministry of National Security launched a clampdown against illegal recordings in prison and seized a number of electronic devices, including smart phones, tablets and voice recorders during several raids at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Center, the St Catherine Adult Correctional Center and the New Horizon Remand Center.
Five Department of Correctional Services staff members and three inmates were also arrested and charged in connection with the seizures.
In November 2011 news spread like wildfire that Vybz Kartel ahs escaped from the New Horizon Remand Centre after engaging the police in a shoot out and commandeering a police service vehicle, but that too turned out to be a hoax.
Vybz Kartel, Shawn Storm, Kahira Jones and Andre St John, were last month granted leave to appeal their convictions for the murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams. Williams was killed and his body dismembered and never found.
The four men all received life sentences but Vybz Kartel was granted the possibility of parole after 35 years while all the other were given the possibility of parole after 25 years.
The appeal hearing is set to come up in court in September.
The letter, which has been going the rounds on social media, alleges that Vybz Kartel has converted to Christianity after the privilege of recording songs while incarcerated was taken away from him. The writer said the artiste has done some soul-searching and will denounce violence in all its forms.
