4 Main Suspects in the Assassination of the Haitian President Are Now in the United States for Trial
In a United States government announcement, officials stated on Tuesday that four key suspects in the killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moise had been transferred to the United States to be prosecuted.
As for Haiti, the case has come to a standstill amid death threats that have alarmed local judges and after local officials nominated a fifth judge to investigate the killing after four others were dismissed or resigned for various reasons.
Two Haitian-American men, James Solages, 37, and Joseph Vincent, 57, are now in the custody of the United States government. The two men were among the first to be arrested after the murder of Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2021, in Port-au-Prince. A third suspect was identified as Germán Rivera Garcia, 44, one of about 20 Colombian soldiers charged in the case.
Christian Emmanuel Sanon, an elderly pastor, doctor, and businessman who authorities have identified as a principal figure, has also been charged. According to his associates, his actions were orchestrated by a group of individuals who are believed to be the masterminds behind the assassination, which has plunged Haiti into political chaos and unleashed unprecedented levels of gang violence.
In light of the development, it was not immediately known whether the four suspects had legal representation who could comment on the matter. A federal court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Miami for the men in relation to the charges brought against them.
Authorities in the states say they interviewed Solages, Vincent, and Rivera while they were in Haitian custody, and they all have agreed to cooperate with investigators.
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There are currently seven suspects in the case who are in U.S. custody in connection with the investigation. Still, dozens of others continue to await their fate in Haiti’s main incarceration facility, which is severely overcrowded and often lacks needed resources for the inmates who are detained there.
