(Jamaica Gleaner) – The murder trial involving dancehall entertainer Adijah Palmer, who is popularly known as Vybz Kartel, and five others linked to the death of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams has been pushed back to November.
The new trial date of November 18 to December 6 was set when the matter came before Supreme Court judge, Marjorie Cole-Smith yesterday morning.
Attorney-at-Law, Valerie Neita Robertson, is no longer Palmer’s legal representative in the matter.
He’s now being represented by Tom Tavares-Finson.
Kartel is charged jointly with Andre St John, Kahira Jones, Shane Williams, Calvin Haye and fellow entertainer Shawn Campbell, more popularly known as ‘Shawn Storm’. Campbell was not brought to court.
Justice Cole-Smith has ordered that Campbell be brought back to court on June 7, along with the other accused. A bail application is also expected to be filed for Campbell at that time.
Tavares-Finson has asked for certain disclosures to be made regarding a bail application filed in chambers for Kartel earlier this year.
Kartel has been in custody since September 2011.
It is alleged that Williams was killed at Kartel’s home in Havendale, St Andrew, on August 16, 2011.
Williams and another man were reportedly taken to the entertainer’s house to account for a lost firearm.
Williams’ body has not been found.
Meanwhile, a second murder trial involving Kartel again failed to get underway in the Home Circuit court yesterday.
The trial could not proceed because of the unavailability of witnesses.
The court was told that the witness is refusing to cooperate with the prosecution.
The trial was then rescheduled to June 10. Kartel, Lenburgh McDonald and Nigel Thompson are on trial in relation to the killing of St Catherine businessman Barrington ‘Bossy’ Burton.
The prosecution says it intends to take steps to have the trial take place without the witness and to have the statement of the witness entered into evidence. Kartel and his co-accused were charged in October 2011.