British businessman serving a life sentence for deaths gets new chance to prove his innocence after claims that Pablo Escobar’s cartel was responsible

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Briton Krishna Maharaj being denied needed care in Florida prison – lawyer Read more

A British businessman imprisoned for 30 years for two killings at a Miami hotel will get a new chance to prove his innocence.

The attorney for 78-year-old Krishna Maharaj said Tuesday a federal judge would consider his claims that new evidence shows the killings were actually committed by members of Pablo Escobar’s Medellin cocaine cartel. Several other judges have previously upheld Maharaj’s conviction.

Maharaj is serving a life sentence for the killings of Derrick and Duane Moo Young, who were gunned down in a Miami hotel room in 1986. The 11th US circuit court of appeals recently granted Maharaj the right to pursue his innocence claims anew based on recently discovered evidence showing the Medellin cartel’s involvement.

Maharaj’s attorney Clive Stafford Smith says the hearing will center on this evidence.