Last elected president of Haiti. A failed banana farmer, Moïse won the presidency in 2016 with the support of less than 10% of registered voters; turnout was 18%, the lowest ever. He was assassinated on July 7th 2021, shot 12 times in his bedroom by a team of 17 Colombian mercenaries who stormed his residence shortly after midnight. His wife was wounded; his two children hid in the bathroom. The mercenaries were contracted by CTU, a security firm based in South Florida co-owned by Antonio Intriago and Arcangel Pretel. Three of the Colombians died in a gun battle with police after the killing; the rest surrendered.
Haiti's last elected official (not Moïse himself) left his post in January 2023, plunging the country deeper into political crisis.
The case has moved along two tracks. In Haiti, dozens of suspects were jailed pending trial, but several key figures escaped when gangs attacked prisons. No trial date has been set. In Miami, 11 defendants face federal charges of plotting Moïse's kidnap and assassination as part of a coup to install a new government, with the conspirators allegedly planning to profit from development contracts. Six have pleaded guilty—five to conspiracy to kill—and received life sentences. The trial of the remaining five began on March 10th 2026.
The Miami case is complicated by the deep involvement of American government informants: Mr Pretel was in FBI pay, and at least two other defendants were former Drug Enforcement Administration informants. Defence lawyers argue that so many informants make it hard to believe the American government knew nothing of the plot and did nothing to alert Moïse, who was an American ally. Most evidence and legal filings remain sealed.
Be independent. Insult a rich relative today.