Overview:
Martine Moïse, widow of Haiti’s last elected president Jovenel Moïse, testified in a U.S. federal court in Miami about the 2021 assassination that killed her husband and left her wounded. Four men are on trial in connection with a conspiracy prosecutors say was planned partly in South Florida. Her testimony recounts the violent attack on the couple’s home near Port-au-Prince and the aftermath of the killing that deepened Haiti’s political crisis.
MIAMI (AP) — The widow of Jovenel Moïse — Haiti’s last elected president — described being shot and wounded during the 2021 assassination of her husband while testifying Wednesday in the U.S. federal trial of four men charged with conspiracy in the case.
Martine Moïse returned to the stand in a Miami courtroom after testifying for about an hour the day before. She had been the prosecution’s first witness, following opening statements by attorneys on Tuesday.
During her testimony, Martine Moïse also accused former Haitian President Michel Martelly and former Prime Minister Ariel Henry of having connections to her husband’s killing, allegations that highlight the deep political tensions surrounding the assassination. She told jurors she has filed a complaint accusing Henry in the case.
“They accuse me because the people who killed him are now in power in Haiti,” Moïse said.
Jovenel Moïse was killed in the early morning hours of July 7, 2021, when about two dozen foreign mercenaries — mostly from Colombia — attacked his home near Port-au-Prince, officials said.
Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages are charged in Miami federal court with conspiring in South Florida to kidnap or kill Haiti’s former leader. Jovenel Moïse’s assassination led to unprecedented turmoil in the Caribbean nation, where gang leaders have grown increasingly violent and empowered.
Testifying Wednesday, Martine Moïse described through a Creole interpreter how she went to bed around 10 p.m. the night before the attack and awoke to the sounds of gunfire about three hours later. She said she turned to her husband in bed next to her to ask what was going on.
“Honey, we are dead,” Jovenel Moïse said, according to his wife’s testimony.
Martine Moïse said gunfire continued as she crawled downstairs to check on her two adult children. She said she then returned to her and her husband’s bedroom, where she and Jovenel Moïse got on the floor on either side of the bed and used it as protection from gunfire.
Men eventually burst into the room and opened fire with what sounded like an automatic weapon, Martine Moïse said. She was struck several times. She said she heard men speaking in Spanish before someone shot Jovenel Moïse multiple times, killing him.
After the attackers cleared out, Martine Moïse said she expected to find the dead bodies of the 30 to 50 security officers assigned to protect the house, but there were none. She said she later learned that they were paid to leave their posts.
Moïse was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and then flown to a Miami hospital for surgery. She testified that her right arm remains disabled and she still has pain.
Defense attorneys asked if Moïse was aware that she was under investigation in Haiti in connection to her husband’s death. She said the people behind her husband’s killing are now in power and that she has fled the country for her own safety. She said she has offered to answer questions remotely, but that the people who killed her husband want her to return to Haiti so they can also kill her. Moïse was previously indicted in the case, but the charge was later annulled.
The defense also asked Moïse about inconsistencies between her testimony and earlier interviews with the FBI. She insisted that her current statements were correct and couldn’t explain discrepancies in FBI reports.
Attorneys for the four men on trial have argued that the investigation initiated in Haiti was a mess and that their clients were manipulated into taking the blame for an internal coup.
According to prosecutors, South Florida was a central location for planning and financing the plot to oust Moïse and replace him with someone the conspirators chose.
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, and Veintemilla was a principal of Worldwide Capital Lending Group. Both companies were based in South Florida.
Solages was a CTU representative in Haiti who investigators say coordinated with others, including Christian Sanon, a dual Haitian-U.S. citizen whom the conspirators initially favored to replace Moïse.
Defense attorneys have said the group was working with FBI agents, U.S. Embassy officials and members of the Haitian government in what they believed was the lawful arrest of a criminal president. The defense has pointed to Joseph Félix Badio, a former Haitian government worker who was arrested in Haiti in 2023, as the mastermind behind a plan to use the president’s arrest to assassinate Moïse.
U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra has blocked out more than two months for the trial.
Five others previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in the U.S. and are serving life sentences. A sixth person was sentenced to nine years behind bars after pleading guilty to providing body armor to the conspirators. Sanon’s trial will be scheduled later.
Seventeen Colombian soldiers and three Haitian officials face charges in Haiti. Gang violence, death threats and a crumbling judicial system have stalled the investigation.
Facts Only
Martine Moïse testified in a Miami federal court about the 2021 assassination of her husband, Jovenel Moïse.
Four men—Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages—are on trial for conspiracy in the case.
Jovenel Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, by foreign mercenaries, mostly Colombians, in an attack on his home near Port-au-Prince.
Martine Moïse was wounded in the attack and described the events, including her husband’s final words.
She accused former Haitian President Michel Martelly and former Prime Minister Ariel Henry of connections to the killing.
The four defendants are charged with conspiring in South Florida to kidnap or kill Moïse.
Defense attorneys claim the men were manipulated into participating in what they believed was a lawful operation.
Five others have pleaded guilty in the U.S. and are serving life sentences; a sixth received a nine-year sentence.
Seventeen Colombians and three Haitian officials face charges in Haiti, but the investigation has stalled due to gang violence and judicial instability.
The trial is expected to last over two months in Miami federal court.
Executive Summary
Martine Moïse, the widow of Haiti’s assassinated President Jovenel Moïse, testified in a U.S. federal court in Miami about the 2021 attack that killed her husband and left her wounded. Four men—Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages—are on trial for conspiring in South Florida to kidnap or kill Moïse. The assassination, carried out by foreign mercenaries, plunged Haiti into deeper political instability. Martine Moïse accused former Haitian leaders Michel Martelly and Ariel Henry of involvement, though no evidence was presented in court. She described the night of the attack, including her husband’s final words and her own injuries. Defense attorneys argue the men were misled into participating in what they believed was a lawful operation. The trial highlights the complex web of political and criminal actors involved in Moïse’s death, with ongoing investigations in both the U.S. and Haiti.
The case underscores the challenges of justice in Haiti, where gang violence and a weakened judicial system have stalled local proceedings. Five others have already pleaded guilty in the U.S., while 17 Colombians and three Haitian officials face charges in Haiti. The trial in Miami is expected to last over two months, with prosecutors alleging South Florida was a key hub for planning the plot.
Full Take
The strongest version of this narrative centers on a high-stakes international conspiracy with deep political roots in Haiti and operational ties to South Florida. Martine Moïse’s testimony provides a visceral account of the assassination, reinforcing the gravity of the crime and its destabilizing impact on Haiti. The prosecution’s case hinges on the defendants’ alleged roles in planning and financing the plot, while the defense counters with claims of entrapment and misdirection by powerful actors. The inclusion of accusations against former Haitian leaders adds layers of political intrigue, though these remain unproven in court.
Patterns detected: ARC-0024 Ambiguity (unsubstantiated claims against Martelly and Henry), ARC-0043 Motte-and-Bailey (defense framing as "lawful operation" vs. prosecution’s "conspiracy").
The root cause appears to be Haiti’s chronic political instability, where power struggles and foreign interference create fertile ground for violent coups. The narrative echoes historical patterns of external actors exploiting weak governance structures, with South Florida serving as a logistical hub for covert operations. The implications for human agency are stark: ordinary Haitians bear the brunt of violence and institutional collapse, while elites and foreign operatives maneuver for control. The trial may offer a measure of justice, but the broader systemic failures in Haiti remain unaddressed.
Bridge questions: What evidence would substantiate Martine Moïse’s claims against Martelly and Henry? How might the trial’s outcome influence Haiti’s political future? What role do foreign actors play in perpetuating instability in the Caribbean?
Counterstrike scan: A coordinated influence campaign would amplify unproven accusations to sow discord, exploit judicial delays to undermine trust, and frame the trial as a proxy for broader geopolitical struggles. The actual content does not fully match this pattern, as it presents multiple perspectives and acknowledges uncertainties. However, the unresolved political tensions in Haiti could be leveraged by bad actors to further destabilize the narrative.
Sentinel — Human
The article shows strong signs of human authorship, including emotional depth, specific attribution, and narrative complexity. No significant indicators of synthetic generation were detected.