Reggae performer Vybz Kartel gets life sentence for murder conviction

The trial of Jamaican reggae performer Vybz Kartel has ended with a life sentence being handed down for a conviction on charges of murder. The emcee's legal team will appeal the decision, which will add another six to 12 months onto the process, but if the decision is upheld, Kartel will face at least 35 years behind bars before getting the possibility of parole.

Kartel was arrested in September of 2011 on charges of marijuana possession, but those charges were later upped to murder for the deaths of businessman Barrington Burton and Clive "Lizzard" Williams. The performer was acquitted from the murder of Burton, but remained jailed regarding the murder of Williams. The guilty verdict was handed down on March 13, as well as guilty charges for suspects Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St. John.

Kartel's legal team argues that some pf the evidence presented during the trial had been fabricated, namely texts sent from the performer's phone that brags about chopping up Williams' body, which was never found. Along those lines, Kartel also faces charges of attempting to pervert the justice system by having one of his associates testify that she had been robbed by Williams five days after the murder is alleged to have happened, in other words suggesting that the believed deceased was still alive.

Kartel may have already lost in the court of public opinion thanks to the lyrics of his songs. Even if the emcee never actually touched Williams, much less do something gruesome with his body, his lyrics suggest that he'd have no problem doing the deed. Tracks such as "Tek Buddy" imply criminal activity, and explicit sexual content has made him more notorious than renowned for his work. The nation of Guyana made him the first performer banned from radio play in the country because of his lyrics, although many suggested the decision was made based on his failure to show up for a music festival.