Deceased: Krishna Maharaj
Former Florida death row prisoner died last week in a Florida prison. He maintained his innocence for over 30 years.
According to Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) records, former Florida death row prisoner Kris Maharaj died last week on August 5 while in DOC custody.
Maharaj was 85 at the time of his death. The cause of his death is unclear. State policy requires that an autopsy be performed for all deaths; however, those records would only be accessible through a public records request.
Background on Maharaj’s Case
Maharaj was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for crimes that occurred in 1986. He was originally sentenced to one sentence of death and another sentence of life imprisonment. Before his arrest, according to news reports, Maharaj was a wealthy businessman who often traveled from the UK to Florida.
After his conviction, his case garnered over 30 years of litigation. Throughout the litigation, Maharaj maintained his innocence.
On direct appeal in 1992, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed Maharaj’s convictions and sentence of death. His sentence of death became final in 1993.
Maharaj then filed a motion for postconviction relief, raising 7 claims. The circuit court summarily denied Maharaj’s claims. In 1996, the Florida Supreme Court reversed the circuit court’s Order and remanded “for a full review before a new judge.”1
On remand, the new judge “denied relief on the issues pertaining to the conviction, but granted relief on the sentencing issue because the trial judge held ex parte communications with the State and allowed the State to write the sentencing order.”2 The court granted a new penalty phase. Maharaj appealed the rulings on the guilt phase, but the Florida Supreme Court affirmed. After several years, Maharaj was resentenced from death to life in prison.
Litigation continued in state and federal courts. According to news reports, a court declared Maharaj was innocent in 2019, but he remained imprisoned due to a court ruling.
News Articles
Maharaj v. State, 684 So. 2d 726, 728 (Fla. 1996).
Maharaj v. State, 778 So. 2d 944, 947 (Fla. 2000).
So saddened to hear that he was declared innocent 5 years ago but still remained in prison! RIP Krishna Maharaj.