ENTERTAINER Vybz Kartel allegedly participated in the beating death of his friend Clive 'Lizard' Williams, who, according to the prosecution, was murdered over the disappearance of two guns.

The allegation was made in the Home Circuit Court last week where Calvin Hay, one of the men charged along with the entertainer, was offered bail in the sum of $1million.According to the prosecution, Williams was a part of a gang in Waterford, St Catherine that was headed by Kartel.

In August, the prosecution told the court, Williams and another man were entrusted with the care of two guns by Kartel. But when in mid-August the guns were discovered missing, the men were summoned to meet Kartel at his Havendale, St Andrew home to give an account of the guns. Kartel, according to the prosecution, was "angry" about the disappearance of the weapons.

On August 16, Williams and the other man — who is now the prosecution's main witness — were picked up in a taxi, reportedly by entertainer Shawn 'Shawn Storm' Campbell and taken to the Havendale home where Kartel and other men were waiting on him.

While en route to the house, the court was told, Williams started sending text messages to a person, expressing fear that he was going to be killed and urging the receiver of the messages to call the police.

At the home, Williams and the other man were taken into a room where Kartel, Andre St John, and Kahira Jones were waiting. According to the prosecution's case, Williams was beaten to death by the men who were armed with blocks and pickaxe sticks.

After witnessing what went down, the other man who was brought to the premises, dashed from the house in an attempt to save his own life. Kartel, the prosecutor said, called out to him, saying that it was Williams whom they wanted.

During the melee, Kartel was bitten by his own dog and had to seek medical treatment. The prosecution said it was in possession of the hospital bill and record of the treatment. Charged along with Kartel, Hay, Campbell, Jones and St John is Shane Williams.

The prosecution said, too, that it has voice recordings of Kartel and a person it believes to be Hay planning Williams' murder. However, the prosecution did not oppose bail for Hay, who is represented by Chris Tavares-Finson, because it has not confirmed that the voice on the recording was Hay's. The recording is being analysed.

The accused men will again appear in court on February 17. Last Wednesday two men who have been charged along with Kartel for the murder of labourer Barrington 'Bossie' Bryan last year were denied bail in the Gun Court Division of the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate' (RM) Court.

The men, Nigel Thompson and Lenburgh McDonald, along with Kartel, will next appear in court on February 3 when a preliminary enquiry into Bryan's murder is scheduled to begin. Bryan was shot dead along a street in Gregory Park, St Catherine in July.

Also Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, and fellow Portmore Empire member Vanessa 'Gaza Slim' Saddler are to appear in the RM court on February 1 on charges of conspiracy and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The charges stem from allegations that Vybz Kartel sent a text to Saddler, leading to her reporting to the police that she had been robbed by Clive 'Lizard' Williams, who had in fact been murdered before the reported robbery occurred. The prosecution is contending that the report was made in order to give the impression that Williams was not dead.

On a separate matter, Kartel is to return to the Resident Magistrate's Court on February 13 when he will be tried on a ganja possession charge.

by PAUL HENRY Crime/Court Desk co-ordinator henryp@jamaicaobserver.com