Haitian President Moïse Assassination Trials Resume in Miami

Five years after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, dozens of people arrested in connection with the killing are still awaiting trial in Miami. U.S. prosecutors have charged more than 40 individuals with crimes related to the assassination, and a dozen have been convicted, including five who are serving life sentences. Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Florida pastor and dual Haitian-American citizen, faces eight charges connected to the assassination and has pleaded not guilty. Federal prosecutors state South Florida served as a central location for planning and financing the plot to oust Moïse.

Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, by approximately two dozen foreign mercenaries, mostly from Colombia, who attacked his home near Port-au-Prince. The scheme to kill Moïse involved paying mercenaries with money obtained from U.S. government programs intended to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to court records. The plan to oust Moïse began to take shape in April 2021, when Sanon met in South Florida with a former Haitian senator and several U.S. businessmen. The group agreed that Sanon would award contracts to Florida-based Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, known as CTU, for infrastructure projects, security forces, and military equipment.

Martine Moïse, the former first lady, described the attack while testifying earlier this year at the trial of four men convicted in the conspiracy. She stated she awoke to gunfire around 1 a.m. and heard her husband say, “Honey, we are dead.” She recounted hearing men speaking Spanish before her husband was shot multiple times. She later learned that the security officers assigned to protect their home had been paid to leave their posts.

Disagreements in reporting

The reports agree that dozens of people arrested in connection with the assassination are awaiting trial in Miami, that more than 40 people have been charged by U.S. prosecutors, and that 12 have been convicted, including five serving life sentences. They also agree that Christian Emmanuel Sanon faces eight charges and has pleaded not guilty, and that federal prosecutors identify South Florida as a central location for planning and financing the plot. The reports also agree that Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, by about two dozen foreign mercenaries, mostly from Colombia, and that the scheme involved paying mercenaries with money from U.S. COVID-19 relief programs. However, the Washington Top News report states that Wendelle Coq Thélot, a former Haitian Superior Court judge who was backed by conspirators after they realized Sanon lacked qualifications, died in January 2025 while still a fugitive. None of the other reports mention Wendelle Coq Thélot or her death.

What the coverage left out

No right-rated outlet ran this story. The Washington Top News report mentioned that Wendelle Coq Thélot, a former Haitian Superior Court judge, died in January 2025 while still a fugitive. None of the left- or centre-rated reports mentioned her or her death.