TORONTO – A 25-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for the violent murder of 62-year-old Anthony Koko Chang.
Maurice Chang is the victim’s son. He fought back tears Wednesday when he recalled finding his father lying in a pool of blood the morning of September 12, 2013.
“I think the most difficult thing is that he might have been still alive while I was making my breakfast but I don’t know,” he said Wednesday outside the University Avenue courthouse.
The night his father was murdered, Maurice Chang spent the night at his family’s home on Francine Drive. When he found his father’s body in front of the Scarborough home he tried unsuccessfully to revive the 62-year-old.
Anthony Koko Chang died after a brutal attack with a knife and a brick.
“He was stabbed over 30 times, hit multiple times with a brick and then strangled after he passed away,” Maurice Chang said.
Get breaking National news
Police arrested 25-year-old Kimnarine Maharaj on September 14, 2013 but it wasn’t until the preliminary inquiry started last week that Maharaj pleaded guilty to 2nd degree murder.
At the sentencing hearing, the crown prosecutor said Chang helped solve his own murder thanks to his meticulous note taking. Two days before he was killed, he was involved in a collision with Maharaj on Mount Pleasant Road. Chang told him he could pay him cash for damages to his scooter because Maharaj was driving a work vehicle.
- Woman in Canada less than 2 months found dead inside suitcase in Newfoundland
- Ball hockey referee left with fractured skull, jaw after removing player from game
- Car theft finally decelerating in Canada after surge — a ‘positive sign’
- Quebec government quietly loosened its approach to drug possession over a year ago
Chang’s notes detailed calls between the two men, witnesses who saw the crash, and where there was security video of the collision.
“An innocent 62-year-old hardworking family man killed over a dispute over a motor scooter worth no more than $950,” Justice John McMahon said as he summarized the murder.
Chang’s daughter, who didn’t want her name used, left court overcome with grief Wednesday. She said her father, a practicing Buddhist, would never have fought over money.
“My father was a very understanding and compassionate man, he would never have imposed anything on anybody,” she said.
Chang worked as an interpreter for Immigration Canada at the airport and volunteered in his spare time.
“He was almost just too innocent and saw everyone as a nice and caring person like himself,” Maurice Chang said.
Maharaj was sentenced to life in prison with no parole for at least 12 years Wednesday. His first child, whom he’s never held, was in court during his sentencing.
“I think the most tragic thing is the killer has one year old child. This guy killed my father one week before his own child was born and that’s scary,” Maurice Chang.
Maharaj will be eligible for parole in 2025.
Comments