British Pensioner Claims Wrongful Conviction in Murders Tied to Pablo Escobar
- Kris Maharaj, an 85-year-old British man, has been imprisoned for 38 years for allegedly killing a father and son involved in the theft of laundered money from drug lord Pablo Escobar.
- Maharaj claims he was framed and that his conviction was orchestrated by a friend.
- His case raises questions about justice and the impact of crime connections in legal matters.
New evidence in the Muriel McKay murder investigation could potentially exonerate Kris, a British pensioner who has spent 38 years in prison, claiming he was wrongfully convicted for murders linked to Pablo Escobar’s hitmen. Lawyer Clive Stafford Smith argues that Kris was framed by a friend, Adam Hosein, who allegedly committed the murders in a Miami hotel room in 1986. Stafford Smith expressed outrage at the possibility that Hosein evaded justice for both the murders in Britain and the U.S., leading to Kris's wrongful imprisonment. Hosein, who has since died, was known to have operated front companies for Escobar during the height of Miami's cocaine wars. The 1986 murders of Derrick Moo Young and his son Duane in the DuPont Plaza Hotel are central to the case. George Abchal, a former associate of Hosein, revealed that he had been with Hosein shortly before the murders, suggesting a deeper connection to the crime. Following Kris's arrest, Hosein allegedly took control of their money laundering operations in Panama. Kris, who spent 15 years on Death Row, was spared execution thanks to Stafford Smith's advocacy. The lawyer uncovered six witnesses in Colombia who testified that Escobar ordered the killings due to financial disputes with the Moo Youngs. Despite over 100 UK MPs advocating for Kris's release, U.S. courts have consistently denied his appeals. Kris's wife, Marita, expressed her distrust of Hosein, recalling a threatening remark made by him shortly before the murders.