In a gripping testimony at a federal trial in Miami, Martine Moïse, the widow of Haiti's last elected president Jovenel Moïse, recounted the harrowing details of the 2021 assassination that left her wounded and her husband dead. The trial involves four men charged with conspiracy in the plot to kidnap or kill the former Haitian leader.
Martine Moïse's Emotional Courtroom Account
Martine Moïse returned to the stand on Wednesday, following her initial testimony the day before as the prosecution's first witness. Through a Creole interpreter, she described the night of July 7, 2021, when she went to bed around 10 p.m. and awoke about three hours later to the sounds of gunfire. She turned to her husband in bed, asking what was happening, to which he replied, "Honey, we are dead."
The Attack and Aftermath
As gunfire continued, Martine Moïse crawled downstairs to check on her two adult children before returning to the bedroom. She and Jovenel Moïse took cover on either side of the bed, using it as protection. Men eventually burst into the room, firing what sounded like an automatic weapon. Martine Moïse was struck several times and heard men speaking in Spanish before someone shot Jovenel Moïse multiple times, killing him.
After the attackers left, she expected to find the bodies of the 30 to 50 security officers assigned to protect the house but discovered none, later learning they were paid to leave their posts. Martine Moïse was taken to a nearby hospital and then flown to Miami for surgery. She testified that her right arm remains disabled and she still experiences pain.
Defense Challenges and Prosecution Claims
Defense attorneys questioned Martine Moïse about inconsistencies between her testimony and earlier FBI interviews, but she insisted her current statements were correct. They also asked if she was aware of being investigated in Haiti in connection to her husband's death. She responded that those behind the killing are now in power, forcing her to flee the country for safety. She offered to answer questions remotely but claimed the perpetrators want her to return to Haiti to kill her.
Attorneys for the four defendants—Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages—argued that the Haitian investigation was flawed and their clients were manipulated into taking blame for an internal coup. Prosecutors, however, assert that South Florida was a central hub for planning and financing the plot to oust Moïse and replace him with a conspirator-chosen successor.
Background on Defendants and Legal Proceedings
All four defendants face possible life sentences and have pleaded not guilty. Ortiz and Intriago were principals of Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, collectively known as CTU, while Veintemilla was a principal of Worldwide Capital Lending Group, both based in South Florida. Solages, a CTU representative in Haiti, coordinated with others, including Christian Sanon, a dual Haitian-U.S. citizen initially favored to replace Moïse.
Defense attorneys claimed the group was working with FBI agents, U.S. Embassy officials, and Haitian government members in what they believed was the lawful arrest of a criminal president. They pointed to Joseph Félix Badio, a former Haitian government worker arrested in 2023, as the mastermind behind a plan to use the president's arrest to assassinate Moïse.
Broader Impact and Ongoing Cases
The assassination of Jovenel Moïse plunged Haiti into unprecedented turmoil, with gang violence escalating and a crumbling judicial system stalling investigations. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra has allocated over two months for the trial. Previously, five others pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in the U.S. and are serving life sentences, while a sixth received nine years for providing body armor to conspirators. Sanon's trial will be scheduled later.
In Haiti, 17 Colombian soldiers and three Haitian officials face charges, but progress is hindered by gang violence, death threats, and systemic issues. The trial continues to highlight the complex international dimensions of this tragic event.
