Indian-Origin Man Wrongly Jailed For 38 Years For Murders Dies In US Prison

Kris Maharaj, a British citizen of Indian origin, has died in a US prison hospital after spending 38 years behind bars for a crime he never committed. He was 85. 

Mr Maharaj was wrongly convicted in 1986 for the murders of Derrick and Duane Moo Young. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002. 

He was declared innocent in 2019, but remained imprisoned due to a US Court of Appeals ruling that the evidence of his innocence was not sufficient for his release.

Marita Maharaj, his wife, expressed profound sadness over his death, saying, "I promised Kris in 1976 that we would be together until death do us part, and I am devastated that he died alone in that horrible place," as per Sky News.

She plans to bring his body to the UK for burial. "The last place he would want to be is where he was falsely charged with murder," she said, and vowed to continue fighting to clear his name so she could "meet him in heaven with a clear conscience that I have done my best for him."

Clive Stafford Smith, Mr Maharaj's pro-bono attorney, confirmed his death and promised to continue the fight to clear his name, stating, "We will certainly fulfil her wish and his, that is to continue to exonerate him for this crime that he patently did not commit."

The Murder Case Against Kris Maharaj

Before his arrest, Kris Maharaj lived a life of luxury in England, owning racehorses and Rolls-Royces as a successful businessman. 

However, his life took a dramatic turn in December 1986 when Mr Maharaj was accused of orchestrating a meeting with Derrick Moo Young, a Chinese Jamaican businessman, at the DuPont Plaza Hotel in Miami.

According to the prosecution, Mr Maharaj arranged this meeting to confront Moo Young over alleged fraudulent activities involving money taken from his relatives. The prosecution claimed that Mr Maharaj, armed with a gun, shot Mr Moo Young and his son, Duane, in a hotel room. Mr Maharaj was convicted in 1987 of first-degree murder and kidnapping, and sentenced to death. 

Human rights organisation 'Reprieve' described Mr Maharaj's case as an "epic miscarriage of justice," citing several issues. Mr Maharaj's alibi witnesses, who could prove he was 25 miles away from the crime scene, were not presented during his trial.

The prosecution's key witness changed their testimony multiple times. Post-trial evidence suggested that the Moo Youngs might have been involved in money laundering and had links to drug traffickers, suggesting the murders might have been orchestrated by Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel, not Kris Maharaj. 

Despite various appeals and legal battles, including a 2019 court finding of his proven innocence, Mr Maharaj was not released and remained in prison in the US until his death on August 5, 2024.