Haiti's former first lady emotionally testifies in her husband's assassination trial in Miami

The widow of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse tearfully took the stand Tuesday in a Miami federal courtroom, giving jurors a firsthand account of the terrifying night her husband was killed inside their home in Petionville, Haiti. The trial is for four South Florida men accused of helping plan the assassination.

The day began with opening statements by the prosecutor and three of the four defense attorneys. Prosecutors allege the defendants were the masterminds behind the attempted kidnapping and murder of Haiti's president, a plan they say was organized in South Florida.

The former first lady testified about her late husband and what happened during the attack, where she was also shot

Martine Moïse, the former first lady of Haiti, who was shot twice during the attack, was a star witness. She testified in French Creole with the help of an interpreter. Before testifying about the attack, she introduced herself to the jury and spoke emotionally about her late husband, whom she affectionately calls 'Jo'.

"I am Martine Moïse," she said. "I told Jo I promised Jo I'd never cry again. I've been waiting for so long. Please forgive me if I am crying."

She testified that she and Jovenel Moïse had been married nearly 25 years at the time of his death and had built their life together in Haiti after meeting at the University of Quisqueya in Port-au-Prince. She has a degree in English and Spanish with the goal of working as an interpreter, but she never did. Instead, she described working alongside her husband at her mother's farm planting plantains before he entered politics.

Martine Moïse also gave jurors background on her husband's presidency, which began in February 2017. She testified that he faced strong political opposition and said there had been efforts to remove him from power, including what she described as a failed coup attempt in early 2021.

She then walked prosecutors through the layout of the couple's home and the layers of security that were supposed to be protecting the president on the night of July 6 into July 7, 2021. According to her testimony, there were multiple security teams assigned to the residence, including officers stationed at the entrance and others positioned nearby.

Martine Moïse said she went to bed around 10 p.m. on July 6, while her husband remained awake working. Just after 1 a.m., she said, she woke up to the sound of gunfire.

"There was a lot of gunfire at 1 a.m.," she testified. "I was afraid. I was shocked. I've never heard so many gunshots."

She told jurors her husband was also awakened and said to her, "Honey, we are dead." Martine Moïse testified that she dropped to her hands and knees and crawled to check on their children, trying to avoid being hit by a stray bullet as shots rang through the house. She said she found her daughter and son together in a bedroom with a family dog and told them to hide in the bathroom because it had no windows.

"I told them I cannot stay with them," she testified. "In this situation, I couldn't leave their father."

She said she then crawled back upstairs to be with her husband. By then, she testified, he had made calls for help to three members of his security detail and believed they were coming to rescue them. Martine Moïse said the couple tried to shield themselves in the bedroom, using the bed for protection. She testified that her husband told her to do whatever she could to get underneath the bed. She said she managed to get her head and right shoulder under it as the shooting continued.

Her testimony will continue tomorrow with the court recessing for the day before she can go into details of the attack 

Before she could fully detail the moments when the gunmen entered and opened fire, the court recessed for the day. Martine Moïse, who was also shot and seriously wounded but survived, was expected to continue her testimony when the trial resumes Wednesday morning.

The four co-defendants on trial are Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages. Federal prosecutors allege they helped organize and finance the plot from South Florida. All have pleaded not guilty. The trial is scheduled to continue on Wednesday at 9 a.m.