New Delhi: An 85-year-old man of Indian origin died at a prison in the United States, after being wrongfully imprisonment for 38 years. He breathed his last on August 5.
The deceased, identified as Kris Maharaj, was convicted in 1986 for the murders of Derrick and Duane Moo Young, according to media reports. The reports suggested that the British citizen’s death sentence was overturned in 2002 and commuted to life imprisonment.
Prior to his arrest, Maharaj was a wealthy businessman in England as he owned race horses and Rolls-Royces.
Despite being declared innocent in 2019, the Indian-origin man languished in jail due to a US Court of Appeals ruling that the evidence of his innocence was not sufficient for his release.
Maharaj had moved to England in 1960. Things took drastic turn for him when he was arrested in Florida while on a trip with his wife to buy a retirement home.
the British citizen’s life changed dramatically when he was nabbed and convicted of the double murders. Despite his claims of innocence and his wife’s testimony, he was awarded death sentence and spent 17 years on death row before his sentence was commuted.
His wife, Marita Maharaj, expressed profound sorrow over his demise. “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,” a media outlet quoted her as saying.
His wife had expressed desire to bury his mortal remains in the UK.
Clive Stafford Smith, Maharaj’s pro-bono attorney and founder of the human rights organisation Reprieve, confirmed Maharaj’s death on X. He tweeted, “Immensely sad: 1pm ET Kris Maharaj passed away in the hospital after 38 years fighting injustice (sic).”
“It is very sad: 13808 days of suffering over with his death at 1pm ET yesterday. We are going to have to bring Kris Maharaj’s body back for burial in Dorset – working on that now. I hope there will be a good turn out celebrating his life & loyal wife Marita…,” the layer wrote in another tweet.
Marita Maharaj is now seeking to bring her husband’s body back to the UK for burial and will continue her efforts to exonerate him. His family has saught financial aid to bring his body back from the US for the burial in the UK.
“Please help: I have to repatriate #KrisMaharaj’s body to the UK so he can be decently buried in the country he loved, near Marita the wife he loved more. Please support the cost: £13,808 will be £1 for each day he suffered,” the lawyer tweeted.
Wrongly Imprisoned for 38 Yrs, Indian-Origin Man Dies in US; Family Seeks Funds for Repatriation world-news World News | Latest International News | Global World News | World News Today
