Trial on Jovenel Moïse's Assassination: Martine Moïse's Account Challenged by Defense

During the federal trial in Miami concerning the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, the defense questioned the version of events presented by his wife, Martine Moïse.

Wounded by bullets on July 7, 2021, the former First Lady had told the FBI that she had secured her children in the ground-floor bathroom, then hid with her husband under the bed, their legs protruding. During the trial, her account slightly changed: she stated that she had crawled downstairs to check on the children, found them in her son's room, before placing them in a windowless bathroom with the family dog, and then returned upstairs with her husband.

Defense attorney David Howard highlighted these inconsistencies and questioned the FBI agents who collected the initial testimony, notably Ryan Bonura, about the precise details of the attack's unfolding. Questions focused on the exact position of Martine and Jovenel Moïse under the bed, the children's movements, and the room checks by the assailants, a squad of former Colombian soldiers accompanied by Haitian police officers and two Haitian-American individuals. Bonura specified that Martine Moïse had mentioned that her Spanish-speaking attackers had «checked the toilets,» but not the bathroom where the children were.

The federal trial involves several defendants: Arcángel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, James Solages, Walter Veintemilla, and Christian Emmanuel Sanon, the latter being tried separately for health reasons. The prosecution maintains that the assassination was part of a plot orchestrated from Florida to gain power in Haiti and secure lucrative contracts, while the defense claims that Jovenel Moïse had already been killed by his own agents and government officials before the arrival of the Colombian commandos. Some defendants had previously worked as informants for U.S. law enforcement, notably Pretel for the FBI and Vincent for the DEA.

The government presented hundreds of pages of evidence, including a 900-page summary in four binders and 20 analyzed cell phones, to support the prosecution. Messages extracted from these phones were read aloud in court, while digital forensics experts detailed their analysis.

Federal Judge Jacqueline Becerra emphasized the need to expedite the presentation of evidence to maintain the jury's attention and prevent the case's complexity from hindering the trial's clarity.

The proceedings remain one of the most high-profile cases in Haiti's recent history, raising numerous questions about the veracity of testimonies, inconsistencies in Martine Moïse's statements, and the complex ties between the defendants and U.S. law enforcement. Debates continue regarding justice, transparency, and accountability in this assassination that has marked Haitian political life.

With Miami Herald