Men accused of conspiring to kill Haiti's president in 2021 found guilty by Miami jury

The jury in the trial against four men accused of conspiring to kill Haitian President Jovenel Moïse found them guilty on Friday.

Moïse was assassinated inside his bedroom in 2021. His wife, Martine Moïse, was nearby and was also shot multiple times.

On trial together were Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages and all of the men now face life in prison at their sentencing.

The men were never accused of the actual assassination, but rather putting the plot together that led to the killing and did so here in South Florida.

The men faced four separate conspiracy charges, including one that claimed their actions led directly to the murder.

One of the men, Antonio Intriago, never even traveled to Haiti. But he's the owner of the Doral company the prosecutors said transported weapons, ammunition and bulletproof vests that was part of the conspiracy.

After the verdict was announced, attorneys said the fight was not over.

"We thought the government's case was insufficient," attorney David Howard said. "But we have to respect the system and respect the verdict. We're going to appeal."

The sentencing for the men is expected sometime later this summer, maybe in August or September.

In total, 13 men were arrested in connection with the assassination. Eight took plea deals, and one more man is still awaiting trial.

Martine Moïse provided emotional, graphic testimony

Moïse was assassinated on July 7, 2021, when approximately two dozen foreign mercenaries, who were mostly from Colombia, launched an attack on his home in Petionville, near Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, according to officials.

Moïse's wife, Martine, was also seriously injured in the attack and provided dramatic and sometimes graphic testimony during the trial.

During the testimony, she said she had went to bed around 10 p.m. on July 6 while her husband was awake and working. Just after 1 a.m. on July 7, she said she woke up to the sound of gunfire.

"I was afraid," she said. "I was shocked. I never heard so many gunshots."

She said that her husband was also awakened and said to her "Honey, we are dead."

She said she dropped to her hands and knees and began to crawl on the floor to check on their children while trying to avoid being shot.

She eventually found her children and told them to hide in a bathroom while she went back to be with her husband.

She said she found her husband lying on the bed and the lights were on when the attackers entered the room. She testified that she was shot first and pretended to be dead.

She testified that she heard men speaking Spanish while they looked for something in the room, and then fatally shot Jovenel MoIïse.

She estimated that the attack lasted about 45 minutes.