Kris Maharaj, a British citizen wrongfully convicted of murder, has died in a Florida prison at the age of 85. Despite a judge’s 2019 ruling affirming his innocence, Maharaj remained imprisoned due to a US Court of Appeals decision and a refusal by the Supreme Court to review his case.
Maharaj, born in Trinidad and residing in England before his arrest, was convicted in 1986 for the murders of Derrick and Duane Moo Young. He was sentenced to death, but in 2002, the sentence was overturned and replaced with life imprisonment following efforts by the human rights organization Reprieve.
His case, often likened to a plotline from Netflix’s *Narcos*, was linked to the Medellin drug cartel, which admitted to the murders. The victims were identified as money launderers for Pablo Escobar’s cartel, and Jhon Jairo Velasquez Vasquez, an assassin for Escobar, later claimed Maharaj was framed.
Maharaj’s wife, Marita Maharaj, expressed her devastation over her husband’s death and her wish to clear his name. She stated, “I promised Kris in 1976 that we would be together until death us do part, and I am devastated that he died alone in that horrible place. I want him brought back to the UK for burial, as the last place he would want to be is where he was falsely charged with murder. Then I will devote the rest of the time that God allows me to clearing his name so I can go to meet him in heaven with a clear conscience that I have done my best for him.”
Clive Stafford Smith, Maharaj’s lawyer and Reprieve founder, remarked on the impact on Marita, describing her as a “unique spouse” who supported Maharaj for 38 years. Stafford Smith pledged to continue the fight for Maharaj’s exoneration.
