Former Haitian first lady weeps on stand in Miami, recounts moment her husband said they were going to die

Former Haitian First Lady Martine Moïse broke down in tears Tuesday while testifying about the night gunmen stormed the presidential residence in Haiti, fatally shooting her husband, President Jovenel Moïse, and leaving her severely wounded.

Taking the stand in Miami federal court as the prosecution's star witness, Moïse recounted the July 7, 2021, attack during the trial of Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian American pastor accused of participating in the assassination conspiracy.

Moïse testified that gunfire woke the couple at around 1 a.m. at their home in Pétion-Ville, Haiti. She said her husband stayed awake working at a desk before telling her, "Honey, we are dead".

Crawling on her hands and knees to reach her adult children's bedrooms, Moïse found them holding the family dog's mouth shut to keep her from barking. After instructing them to hide in a windowless bathroom, Moïse returned upstairs to be with her husband, telling her children she "couldn't leave their father".

Moïse described trying to get underneath the bed when gunfire erupted again, wounding her and killing her husband. She wept uncontrollably as prosecutors displayed photographs of the bedroom, showing her husband's body lying on top of Haiti's constitution.

She testified that the attackers spoke Spanish, using the names "Jefe" and "Pipe," as they rummaged through the room. Before leaving, someone grabbed her leg, rolled her onto her back, shone a light into her eyes, and stepped on her foot.

After the gunmen fled, groundskeepers found Moïse bleeding from her nose and mouth and used one of her husband's neckties to try to stop her bleeding. She noted that none of the 40 to 50 security officers assigned to protect the family came to help.

Moïse was treated in Haiti before being flown to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where she underwent several surgeries to reconstruct a shattered right elbow.

During cross-examination, defense attorneys questioned Moïse about her husband's political conflicts. She testified that her husband had "a lot of enemies" and clashed with wealthy Haitian business interests after moving to cancel contracts that benefited a small elite.

"One percent of the population has taken 99% of the wealth while the rest of the country lives in poverty," she testified, adding that her husband wanted to "feed the people".

Questioned about former President Michel Martelly and former Prime Minister Ariel Henry, Moïse stopped short of direct accusations. She testified she believed the investigation would lead to answers regarding Martelly, and recalled a meeting with Henry where he told her not to expect elections or justice for her husband.

Federal prosecutors allege Sanon conspired to remove Moïse from power to become president himself. Sanon, a U.S. citizen who had not lived in Haiti for at least five years, is ineligible for the presidency under Haiti's constitution. Four co-defendants were convicted earlier this year, while Sanon's trial was delayed due to health issues, including a cancer diagnosis and diabetes.

Moïse is expected to return to the stand Wednesday as cross-examination continues. Her daughter, Jomarlie Moïse, who hid during the attack, is also scheduled to testify.