Krishna Maharaj
Encyclopedia
Krishna Maharaj is a Trinidad and Tobago
-born British
businessman and brother of Ramesh Maharaj
, former Attorney General
of Trinidad and Tobago. In 1987 he was convicted by a Florida
court for the double murders of Derrick Moo Young and his son, Duane Young, and was sentenced to death. The alleged motives for the murders was that the elder victim Derrick Moo Young had fraudulently taken money from Krishna Maharaj's relatives in Trinidad and that Maharaj wanted to confront Moo Young to demand that he repay the money. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment
in 2002. Maharaj has denied committing the murders for which he was convicted.
Maharaj arranged a false meeting with Derrick Moo Young in the DuPont Plaza Hotel. Derrick Moo Young turned up at room 1215 together with his son Duane. Once inside the room, Maharaj is said to have appeared with a gun from behind a door. An argument resulted, and the father, Derrick Moo Young, was shot to death by Maharaj. The prosecution stated that the son, Duane, was taken upstairs in the suite and shot by Maharaj.
Whilst the trial was flawed, there was compelling evidence against Maharaj including a testament from Neville Butler, an associate of Maharaj's.
In 2001, 300 British politicians, from various parties, wrote a letter to the Gov. Jeb Bush
, asking for a retrial, saying there were 'astonishing flaws' in the case against him and his original trial. He has claimed to have seven witnesses that place him 25 miles away from the crime scene at the time of the murders.
Some of the more notable signatories include:
Several government law officers (past and present) are included, as are right-wingers
and left-wingers
.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
-born British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman and brother of Ramesh Maharaj
Ramesh Maharaj
-Early life:Mr. Maharaj had over 30 years experience in the legal profession having been admitted to practice at the English Bar in 1967. He had been in private practice as Senior Partner in the chambers of Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Company. He had also been admitted to practice as an attorney...
, former Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of Trinidad and Tobago. In 1987 he was convicted by a Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
court for the double murders of Derrick Moo Young and his son, Duane Young, and was sentenced to death. The alleged motives for the murders was that the elder victim Derrick Moo Young had fraudulently taken money from Krishna Maharaj's relatives in Trinidad and that Maharaj wanted to confront Moo Young to demand that he repay the money. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
in 2002. Maharaj has denied committing the murders for which he was convicted.
Maharaj arranged a false meeting with Derrick Moo Young in the DuPont Plaza Hotel. Derrick Moo Young turned up at room 1215 together with his son Duane. Once inside the room, Maharaj is said to have appeared with a gun from behind a door. An argument resulted, and the father, Derrick Moo Young, was shot to death by Maharaj. The prosecution stated that the son, Duane, was taken upstairs in the suite and shot by Maharaj.
Whilst the trial was flawed, there was compelling evidence against Maharaj including a testament from Neville Butler, an associate of Maharaj's.
In 2001, 300 British politicians, from various parties, wrote a letter to the Gov. Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
, asking for a retrial, saying there were 'astonishing flaws' in the case against him and his original trial. He has claimed to have seven witnesses that place him 25 miles away from the crime scene at the time of the murders.
Some of the more notable signatories include:
- Martin BellMartin BellMartin Bell, OBE, is a British UNICEF Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician...
- Richard Body
- Peter BottomleyPeter BottomleySir Peter James Bottomley is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Worthing West...
- Virginia BottomleyVirginia BottomleyVirginia Bottomley, Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, PC, DL is a British Conservative Party politician. She was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons from 1984 to 2005. She was raised to the peerage in 2005...
- Sir Menzies Campbell
- Lynda Clark
- Ann ClwydAnn ClwydAnn Clwyd Roberts is a Welsh Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Cynon Valley since 1984.-Early life:Ann Clwyd is the daughter of Gwilym Henri Lewis and Elizabeth Ann Lewis...
- David CurryDavid CurryDavid Maurice Curry is a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Skipton and Ripon from 1987 to 2010.-Early life:...
- Lord Dholakia
- Simon HughesSimon HughesSimon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...
- Ken LivingstoneKen LivingstoneKenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
- Charles KennedyCharles KennedyCharles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
- Nicholas LyellNicholas LyellNicholas Walter Lyell, Baron Lyell of Markyate, PC QC was an English Conservative politician, known for much of his active political career as Sir Nicholas Lyell.-Early life:...
- Dennis SkinnerDennis SkinnerDennis Edward Skinner is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Bolsover since 1970, the Chairman of the Labour Party from 1988 to 1989, and has sat on the National Executive Committee numerous times since 1978.Born in Clay Cross, Derbyshire, Skinner is the...
- Teddy TaylorTeddy TaylorSir Edward MacMillan Taylor, usually known as Teddy Taylor , is a British Conservative Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1964 to 1979 for Glasgow Cathcart and from 1980 to 2005 for Rochford and Southend East.He was a leading member and sometime Vice-President of the Conservative...
- Lord Goldsmith - Former Attorney General of England & Wales
Several government law officers (past and present) are included, as are right-wingers
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
and left-wingers
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
.