Friday, October 24, 2008

Jurors handed Mohamed Kamaludeen a life sentence without the possibility of parole Thursday after hearing testimony from Judy Calder’s family and a Canadian inspector investigating a 1993 stabbing that Kamaludeen was allegedly involved in.

Kamaludeen was convicted Wednesday of murdering professor Judy Calder on Aug. 18, 2007 and soliciting for her murder in 2006.

Kamaludeen is also wanted in Canda for the stabbing death of a garage owner in Canada for a ring, necklace and cash. The Canadian Inspector said Kamaludeen coerced a 17-year-old boy into murdering the man and that he told the box to cut the ring off his hand.

Judge Patrick Flanagan set the sentencing for Kamaludeen’s solicitation of murder charge and the two enhancements on his murder charge for Dec. 10.

Kim Calder, Judy Calder’s daughter, said the sentencing “in a sense makes us better able to go on.”

She told the jury during sentencing Kamaludeen took advantage of her mother’s trust. Sniffles reverberated through the audience and jury as Kim Calder continued to speak, her voice trembling when recalling her mother.

“She believed in people,” she said. “He used this very kindness to take advantage of her.”

“It’s nice not to have something hanging over our heads, like the trial,” Carolyn Conger, Calder’s sister, said.

Congertold jurors she had to receive a pacemaker shortly after the loss of Judy.

“This time has been so devastating, the stress so great, my heart has actually stopped working,” she said.

Kamaludeen said he forced the British embassy, which handles citizens of Kamaludeen’s native Guyana to extradite him to the U.S. for the trial. He maintained that he did not kill Calder. While addressing the jury, he kept his eyes locked on an empty witness box.

Detective David Fogarty said Kamaludeen lied to the jury. Kamaludeen planned to travel to Brazil and then walk to his home country of Guyana, he said. Kamaludeen tried to flee when he realized authorities wanted to capture him for extradition, he said.
nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/10/24/kamaludeen-to-serve-life-without-parole