Jovenel Moïse's daughter describes hiding with brother and dog as gunmen assassinated her father

The daughter of assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse testified Wednesday that she and her younger brother, Jovenel Moïse Jr., hid in a bathroom with their dog as gunmen stormed the family's home, killing their father and severely wounding their mother.

Jomarlie Moïse took the stand on the third day of the federal trial of Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a 67-year-old Haitian American pastor accused of helping orchestrate the 2021 plot that led to the president's assassination. Sanon has pleaded not guilty.

Jomarile Moïse's testimony of the night her father was assassinated in 2021 

Jomarlie Moïse, now 29, told jurors she was at her parents' home near Port-au-Prince on the night of July 6, 2021.

She said she was still awake when she began hearing what she thought were fireworks, but quickly realized it was gunfire when bullets began hitting the house.

Moïse testified that she left her bedroom, met her brother outside their rooms, and went with him and the family dog, Delilah, into his room. Their mother, former Haitian First Lady Martine Moïse, told them to go into the bathroom because it had no windows.

The two sat in front of the bathtub holding Delilah, petting her and holding her mouth closed so she would not make noise.

After the shooting stopped, Moïse said she and her brother waited before going to check on their parents. When she went upstairs, she said she never entered the bedroom, but saw her mother leaning against a chair, bleeding.

She said a Haitian police officer told her that her father was dead. Her mother was soon taken to a hospital in Haiti before being airlifted to South Florida for treatment that same afternoon.

Martine Moïse returned to the stand for day 2 of cross-examination by the defense attorneys 

Earlier Wednesday, Martine Moïse returned to the witness stand to finish cross-examination by Sanon's defense attorneys.

The former first lady testified that as the attack unfolded, her husband called several people he trusted, including then-Haitian National Police Chief Léon Charles. She said her husband also called two other men she identified as Dimitri and Seville, telling her they were on their way.

"Every minute that went by, I was waiting for someone to come," she said on the witness stand. She testified that none of them came.

Defense attorneys questioned Moïse extensively about the political turmoil surrounding her husband, stating that he had many enemies and that multiple people wanted him dead while many others wanted to be president.

She described Haiti at the time as a country in chaos. She stated her belief that multiple people took part in the planned attack, saying, "It was not the work of one person but of several people".

Defense attorneys also questioned Moïse about cash reportedly discovered inside her home after the assassination. She testified that she knew nothing about it except that her husband sometimes used cash for information.

A surgeon who treated Martine Moïse also testified Wednesday 

Jurors also heard from Dr. Steven Kalandiak, an orthopedic surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital who treated Martine Moïse.

Kalandiak testified that Moïse's most severe injury was to her elbow. He described three treatment options, noting that Moïse ultimately chose to have the elbow fused, leaving her unable to bend it. Coming in and out of the courtroom, it was easy to see her elbow did not move.

Kalandiak testified that surgeons cleaned the wound, which contained wood fragments he kept as evidence, and repaired bones in her forearm. She underwent another operation in May 2022 to remove additional bone interfering with her arm rotation, though her hand remains functional.

Emotional testimony from the Haitian doctor who performed Moïse's autopsy 

The courtroom grew visibly emotional later in the day when Jean Raymond Demorcy, director of forensic medicine at Haiti's General Hospital in Port-au-Prince, testified about the autopsy he performed on Jovenel Moïse.

Jurors were shown multiple X-rays and autopsy photographs detailing the president's gunshot wounds. Dozens of observers packed the courtroom, with some lowering their heads, covering their faces, and wiping away tears as the images were displayed.

"Sad, so sad," said Marie Belizaire, who attended the trial. "Something you can't look at. Why they killed somebody, a good president".

An FBI special agent also began testifying Wednesday about the federal investigation. Agent Jose Loureiro told jurors he traveled to Haiti on July 13, 2021, six days after the assassination, and remained there for more than two weeks.

Federal prosecutors say Sanon participated in a conspiracy to remove Jovenel Moïse from power, hoping to become Haiti's next president, with South Florida playing a central role in planning and financing the plot. Sanon has denied the charges.

Sanon faces multiple charges connected to the assassination, including conspiracy to kidnap or kill a person outside the United States. If convicted, he faces life in federal prison. His two sons have been present in court over the past two days, sitting behind him without interacting.

The trial at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in downtown Miami is expected to last several weeks.