Martine Moïse returns to witness stand, names former Haitian leaders in trial over president's assassination

For the second day in a row, former Haitian First Lady Martine Moïse took the stand Wednesday in the federal trial of four South Florida men accused of helping orchestrate the assassination of her husband, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

Testifying in Miami federal court, Moïse gave emotional and at times graphic testimony about the July 2021 attack inside the couple's bedroom at their home in Petionville, Haiti. She also directly accused former Haitian President Michel Martelly and former Prime Minister Ariel Henry of having connections to her husband's killing.

Moïse said she has filed a formal complaint accusing Henry in the case and claimed people now in power in Haiti are among those involved in her husband's murder. "They accuse me because the people who killed him are now in power in Haiti," Moïse testified, referring to questions about why she herself has been under investigation in Haiti in connection with the killing. 

Moïse's second day of testimony focused on the moments leading up to the assassination 

Throughout much of the day, jurors heard Moïse recount the moments leading up to the assassination. She testified that after hearing gunfire around 1 a.m., she checked on her children, telling them to hide in the bathroom before returning to the bedroom, where she saw her husband lying on the right side of the bed. She said the lights were on when the attackers burst into the room.

Moïse told jurors she was shot first, then pretended to be dead. She said she heard men speaking Spanish as they searched for something in the room before her husband was fatally shot. "I saw his face disfigured," she said, describing the moment she looked toward her husband while lying wounded on the floor. She testified that after signaling to him that she was still alive, he appeared to gather strength before he was shot again.

Moïse estimated the ordeal lasted about 45 minutes. She said attackers rummaged through the room and that later U.S. law enforcement recovered items she said had been taken, including jewelry and watches belonging to her and her husband. 

Moïse also described the severe injuries she said she suffered in the attack, telling jurors she was shot multiple times in her side, thigh, buttocks, and arm. She testified that after being flown to Miami for treatment at Jackson Memorial Hospital, she underwent several surgeries and continues to live with pain and limited use of her right arm.

Defense attorneys focused on any inconsistencies between Moïse's current testimony and her testimony in 2021 

During cross-examination, defense attorneys focused on inconsistencies between Moïse's testimony and statements they said she gave FBI agents in the days and weeks after the shooting. Among the issues raised were whether she went downstairs before returning to the bedroom, when attackers searched for documents, how many times she was shot, and whether parts of the attack unfolded in a different order than she described in court. Moïse repeatedly pushed back, saying she never reviewed FBI reports and could only testify to what she personally remembers from that night. "I know what I said. I don't know what they wrote," she said more than once during questioning.

Defense attorneys also pressed her about her claim that the attack lasted 45 minutes, whether she heard return gunfire from security, and details surrounding the couple's bedroom, the location of the children, and the actions of household staff and security officers.

The four defendants on trial are Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages. Prosecutors allege they were among the masterminds behind the plot to kill the Haitian president. A fifth co-defendant, Christian Sanon, is also charged in the broader case but is not currently on trial with the others due to health concerns.

Jovenel Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, and his wife was wounded but survived. By the end of Wednesday's testimony, Martine Moïse said she is still seeking the same thing nearly five years later: truth and justice for her husband.