British millionaire who spent 38 years in prison for Pablo Escobar’s crime dies

Krishna Maharaj, a British businessman of Indian origin, spent 38 years in prison in the United States for a double homicide in Miami in 1986. Although he maintained his innocence, he was sentenced to death and then, after an appeal, to life imprisonment. The crime, however, would have been orchestrated by the famous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and his Medellín cartel.

Crime and punishment

In October 1986, the bodies of Derrick Moo Young and his son Duane were found in a room at the DuPont Plaza Hotel in Miami, victims of gunshots. Maharaj, who had a business dispute with Moo Young, was arrested and charged with the murders. Despite having a solid alibi and witnesses who placed him miles away from the crime scene, a key prosecution witness implicated him in the case.

One year later, Maharaj was sentenced to death, although the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2002.thanks to the work of his lawyer Clive Stafford Smith.

Inconsistencies and new evidence

Over the years, several inconsistencies emerged in the case. The key witness changed his statement on multiple occasions and failed a lie detector test. In addition, the judge who presided over the original trial was arrested for corruption. However, seven different courts upheld the conviction.

In 2014, Stafford Smith presented new evidence linking the murder to the Medellín cartel. According to their investigation, the Moo Youngs were involved in money laundering for Pablo Escobar and were killed for stealing money from the criminal group. Testimonies, including one from Jhon Jairo Velásquez, alias Popeye, confirmed this theory, but were not enough to free Maharaj.

The relationship with Pablo Escobar

According to the findings, the victims, Derrick Moo Young and his son, They were involved in money laundering for the cartel, which would have motivated their murder on the direct orders of Escobar.

The connection to Escobar arose when it was discovered that, on the day of the crime, people associated with the Medellín cartel were staying at the hotel where the murders occurred. Years later, one of Escobar’s most notorious hitmen, Popeye, confessed that the Moo Youngs were eliminated for stealing money from the group. The revelation suggested that Maharaj had been framed to divert the attention of authorities, perpetuating a wrongful conviction that kept him in prison for decades.

A tragic ending

In 2019, a court acknowledged that there was evidence proving Maharaj’s innocence, but it was not enough to overturn his conviction. The millionaire died in prison in August 2024, at the age of 85, without having been able to regain his freedom.

This case is considered one of the greatest judicial errors in history and his lawyer regrets not having been able to secure his release.