A life sentence was handed down to a 25-year-old Kimnarine Keshan Maharaj who committed a brutal murder over a vehicle repair bill.
TORONTO – A 25-year-old South Asian man has been handed a life sentence in the brutal stabbing death of another man who was killed outside of his North York home, just days after the pair were involved in a collision.
Kimnarine Keshan Maharaj had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the homicide of Anthony Koko Chang. The 62-year-old was found in a pool of his own blood outside of his home on Francine Drive, in the Leslie Street and Steeles Avenue area, in September 2013, reported CTV news.
Police say he was stabbed 31 times, and his head had been bashed repeatedly with a brick. He was also strangled. Chang was rushed to hospital but ultimately died of his injuries. On Wednesday, Maharaj was given a life sentence with no chance of parole for 12 years.
Police previously said that a disagreement over a vehicle-repair bill may have sparked the attack. Two days before the fatal stabbing, Maharaj and Chang were involved in a collision. It happened south of Chang’s home, in the Mount Pleasant Road and Roehampton Avenue area, near Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
Police say Chang’s red-and-grey scooter and a Ford pickup truck driven by Maharaj collided. Chang suffered minor injuries as a result of the collision, and his scooter sustained approximately $1,000 in damages.
The truck had a logo on its side for the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries, but Maharaj never reported the crash to the company, police said. It was also not reported to Chang’s insurance provider as a favour to Maharaj, police previously said.
“Mr. Chang’s son knew about the accident because everyone had told him to go through insurance. But he wanted to do the right thing and help this young man,” Det. Kate Beveridge told reporters last year.
Police say the pair exchanged contact information after the collision. Maharaj showed up at Chang’s home shortly before 9 a.m. on Sept. 12, 2013. The court heard that he was presented with an estimate of $945 to fix Chang’s scooter. The much-loved father was later found outside of his home by his son, Maurice Chang.
On Wednesday, Maurice Chang and the rest of his family attended Maharaj’s sentencing.
“My father was inarguably the most giving and caring person. He dedicated … with no exaggeration 365 days (of the year) to helping (others),” Maurice Chang told CTV Toronto.
He said both families have been deeply affected by the homicide.
“I think the most tragic thing is that the killer has a one-year-old child,” he said. “This guy killed my father one week before his daughter was born.”
