Assassination of Jovenel Moïse: Martine Moïse Testifies in Miami, Four Accused in the Dock
years and eight months after the tragic night of July 7, 2021, Martine Moïse finally had the opportunity to speak in court.
By Jean Wesley Pierre · Port-au-Prince · · 4 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
Four years and eight months after the tragic night of July 7, 2021, Martine Moïse finally had the opportunity to speak in court. The wife of the former elected president of the first independent Black republic, assassinated at his home, delivered a moving testimony this Tuesday, March 10, 2026, before the federal court in Miami, where four men are being tried for their alleged involvement in this state crime that plunged Haiti into a deep crisis.
As soon as she took the stand, the former First Lady broke down.
“I am Martine Moïse, I am the wife of Jovenel Moïse who was assassinated in our home. I am the First Lady of Haiti. Please forgive me if I cry, I have been waiting for justice for over four years,” she declared. Simple words, laden with palpable pain, that gripped the courtroom. The jury, composed of twelve people, had to suspend the hearing earlier than expected due to the witness's emotion. The Story of a Night of Horror Martine Moïse then recounted, in detail, the night her husband was taken from life by the criminals. Shortly after one in the morning, the couple was awakened by heavy gunfire outside their residence in Pèlerin, in the heights of Pétion-Ville. Terrorized, she described crawling on the floor to reach their children's bedroom, before returning to the president. “I was very scared. I was in shock because of all the gunshots,” she confided. In their master bedroom, Jovenel Moïse advised her to hide behind the bed to avoid stray bullets. She tried to slip underneath, but the space was too narrow. “I put my head and shoulders under part of the bed while I was lying on the floor,” she described. According to her testimony, the president then contacted several security officials: Dimitri Hérard, head of presidential security, Jean Laguel Civil, a senior security official, and Léon Charles, then director general of the Haitian National Police. These calls remained without effect in the face of the impending assault. “When I looked into his eyes, I saw the same fear,” she added, describing a moment of tragic humanity amidst the chaos. Her testimony is set to continue this Wednesday, particularly regarding the circumstances in which she was wounded in the arm and elbow by the assailants, a commando composed of former Colombian military personnel recruited by a security company based in Doral, Florida. Four Accused in the Dock The defendants, Arcángel Pretel Ortiz (53, Colombian), Antonio Intriago (62, Venezuelan-American), James Solages (40, Haitian-American), and Walter Veintemilla (57, Ecuadorian-American), are being prosecuted for conspiracy to kidnap or assassinate the Haitian president. All have been detained since their arrest at the federal center in Miami. Federal prosecutor Sean McLaughlin delivered a damning indictment: according to the prosecution, the four men conspired with others to plan, finance, and execute the operation during meetings held in South Florida and Haiti. Their objective? To remove Jovenel Moïse, an elected president of the republic, to replace him with a political candidate who would have hired Intriago's security company for future government contracts. “He was brutally shot at close range by a team of Colombian mercenaries,” McLaughlin stated, denouncing the defendants' “greed, arrogance, and thirst for power.” For their part, the defense lawyers plead the innocence of their clients, whom they present as scapegoats. According to them, the president was already dead when the Colombians arrived, and their initial mission was simply to arrest him. They point the finger at former senior Haitian official Joseph Félix Badio and several Haitian National Police officers as the true architects of the assault. A Multi-faceted Case To date, five people have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to life in prison in the United States, while a sixth received nine years for providing bulletproof vests. In total, eleven people are being prosecuted on American soil, and twenty others, including seventeen Colombians and three Haitian officials, are awaiting trial in Haiti, where no conviction has yet been pronounced. Martine Moïse's testimony, which continues this Wednesday, could be crucial for the remainder of the proceedings. Beyond the four accused in the dock, it is the entire complex mechanism of a state assassination that seeks to be dismantled, amidst international ramifications, economic interests, and political gray areas. For the president's widow, this trial represents hope, but also a painful reminder: “I have been waiting for justice for over four years.” An expectation shared by an entire people, whose path to truth still seems fraught with pitfalls. Jean Wesley Pierre / Le Relief
“I am Martine Moïse, I am the wife of Jovenel Moïse who was assassinated in our home. I am the First Lady of Haiti. Please forgive me if I cry, I have been waiting for justice for over four years,” she declared. Simple words, laden with palpable pain, that gripped the courtroom. The jury, composed of twelve people, had to suspend the hearing earlier than expected due to the witness's emotion. The Story of a Night of Horror Martine Moïse then recounted, in detail, the night her husband was taken from life by the criminals. Shortly after one in the morning, the couple was awakened by heavy gunfire outside their residence in Pèlerin, in the heights of Pétion-Ville. Terrorized, she described crawling on the floor to reach their children's bedroom, before returning to the president. “I was very scared. I was in shock because of all the gunshots,” she confided. In their master bedroom, Jovenel Moïse advised her to hide behind the bed to avoid stray bullets. She tried to slip underneath, but the space was too narrow. “I put my head and shoulders under part of the bed while I was lying on the floor,” she described. According to her testimony, the president then contacted several security officials: Dimitri Hérard, head of presidential security, Jean Laguel Civil, a senior security official, and Léon Charles, then director general of the Haitian National Police. These calls remained without effect in the face of the impending assault. “When I looked into his eyes, I saw the same fear,” she added, describing a moment of tragic humanity amidst the chaos. Her testimony is set to continue this Wednesday, particularly regarding the circumstances in which she was wounded in the arm and elbow by the assailants, a commando composed of former Colombian military personnel recruited by a security company based in Doral, Florida. Four Accused in the Dock The defendants, Arcángel Pretel Ortiz (53, Colombian), Antonio Intriago (62, Venezuelan-American), James Solages (40, Haitian-American), and Walter Veintemilla (57, Ecuadorian-American), are being prosecuted for conspiracy to kidnap or assassinate the Haitian president. All have been detained since their arrest at the federal center in Miami. Federal prosecutor Sean McLaughlin delivered a damning indictment: according to the prosecution, the four men conspired with others to plan, finance, and execute the operation during meetings held in South Florida and Haiti. Their objective? To remove Jovenel Moïse, an elected president of the republic, to replace him with a political candidate who would have hired Intriago's security company for future government contracts. “He was brutally shot at close range by a team of Colombian mercenaries,” McLaughlin stated, denouncing the defendants' “greed, arrogance, and thirst for power.” For their part, the defense lawyers plead the innocence of their clients, whom they present as scapegoats. According to them, the president was already dead when the Colombians arrived, and their initial mission was simply to arrest him. They point the finger at former senior Haitian official Joseph Félix Badio and several Haitian National Police officers as the true architects of the assault. A Multi-faceted Case To date, five people have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to life in prison in the United States, while a sixth received nine years for providing bulletproof vests. In total, eleven people are being prosecuted on American soil, and twenty others, including seventeen Colombians and three Haitian officials, are awaiting trial in Haiti, where no conviction has yet been pronounced. Martine Moïse's testimony, which continues this Wednesday, could be crucial for the remainder of the proceedings. Beyond the four accused in the dock, it is the entire complex mechanism of a state assassination that seeks to be dismantled, amidst international ramifications, economic interests, and political gray areas. For the president's widow, this trial represents hope, but also a painful reminder: “I have been waiting for justice for over four years.” An expectation shared by an entire people, whose path to truth still seems fraught with pitfalls. Jean Wesley Pierre / Le Relief
