Vybz Kartel has been sentenced to LIFE in prison!!!

Last month, after three years in custody and what was reportedly the longest trial in Jamaican circuit court history, dancehall artist Vybz Kartel was convicted of the 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams. Today, in Jamaica’s Supreme Court, Kartel was sentenced to life in prison, as Billboard reports. Kartel, born Adidja Palmer, will be eligible for parole after serving 35 years of his sentence. Others found guilty of the murder were Shawn Campbell (aka Shawn Storm), Kahira Jones, and Andre St. John, all of whom received life sentences. According to Billboard, Kartel's lawyers plan to appeal the conviction, which will take 6-12 months. They maintain that evidence was fabricated and manipulated—including text messages on Kartel's phone referring to Williams' remains as "mincemeat" (his body was never found), and detailing plans to flee. The murder allegedly took place at Kartel's home during a dispute over missing firearms. Billboard reports that Kartel will face additional charges, in August, for "attempting to pervert the course of justice as related to the Williams murder case." Kartel allegedly directed conspirators to file false robbery charges against Williams after the murder took place, to suggest that Williams was still alive. The judge, Justice Lennox Campbell, is currently deciding whether Kartel can move to the Tower St. Correction Center, which has a recording studio and would allow Kartel to make music while in prison.