(Trinidad Guardian) Former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC, is mourning the loss of his brother Kris, who died in the United States yesterday while serving a life sentence for a double murder he always maintained he did not commit.
In a press release issued yesterday, Maharaj said, “The death of my brother, Kris, is not only a sad loss to me but a sad loss to my entire family.” Maharaj noted that his brother, who was 85 years old at the time of his death at a hospital, always maintained his innocence.
He claimed that he formed the same belief based on information his brother gave him when he was charged almost four decades ago and when he (Maharaj) subsequently visited him in prison.
“I witnessed the trial in Miami, and I realised that all the requisite evidence that should have been led before the jury was not produced to the court,” he said.
Maharaj said his brother spent 37 years trying to assert his innocence. The former AG noted that his brother was successful in getting the death sentence commuted to life imprisonment. He pointed out that although a US judge had ruled that he had evidence to prove his innocence, the US Court of Appeal declined to quash his conviction and order a retrial based on such.
“It is unfortunate that those who were responsible for his first trial did not take steps to have all the relevant evidence put before the jury,” he said. “That error led to him not being able to get a second chance at a retrial to produce all of the evidence,” he added.
Maharaj’s brother migrated to the United Kingdom in 1960 and established several successful businesses. Before being implicated in the crime, he owned a small fleet of Rolls Royce vehicles and thoroughbred racehorses, including some that reportedly beat horses owned by Queen Elizabeth II in races.
He was arrested and charged with the murders of Jamaican businessman Derrick Moo Young, 53, and his 23-year-old son Duane. Moo Young, a former business associate, and his son were shot dead in a room at the DuPont Plaza Hotel in Miami, Florida, in December 1986.
His fingerprints were allegedly found in the room. He denied any wrongdoing, as he claimed that earlier that day he was lured to the room for a meeting but left as no one came. During his trial, none of his six alibi witnesses were called to testify to his claim that he was not present when the father and son were killed.
Prosecutors also failed to inform the court that a key witness who claimed to have witnessed him shooting the duo failed a polygraph test. In 2002, his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
In 2019, Federal Magistrate Judge Alicia Otazo-Reyes ruled that no reasonable juror would have convicted him if they had heard the evidence of his innocence. Despite the legal victory, the US Appeal Court rejected his bid to overturn his conviction. In November 2014, former US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Henry Cuervo testified before a court that an ex-hitman connected to Columbia drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, of the Medellin Cartel, claimed that his former boss had ordered the hit on the Moo Youngs.
It was alleged that Kris was set up by a former friend who worked for Escobar. In an interview with UK-based Sky News, Kris’ wife Marita said she will continue to try to clear his name.
“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,” she said. “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,” she added.
