Moïse Assassination Trial: Prosecution and Defense Deliver Closing Arguments in Miami Federal Court

Closing arguments were delivered on May 4–5, 2026 in the federal trial of four defendants charged in connection with the July 7, 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, held in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami. The four defendants are: Arcangel Pretel Ortiz (Colombian mercenary), Antonio Intriago (Florida-based Venezuelan-American businessman who allegedly financed the operation), Walter Veintemilla (co-conspirator), and James Solages (Haitian-American security contractor who participated in the attack). The trial opened on March 10, 2026, making it one of the most significant prosecutions related to the Moïse assassination since the killing triggered Haiti's political collapse and subsequent gang takeover. Prosecutors sought to establish that the defendants recruited, financed, and materially supported the team of 28 gunmen — mostly Colombian mercenaries — who stormed Moïse's private residence in the Pelerin 5 neighborhood of Pétion-Ville and killed him in his bedroom. The central unresolved question of 'who ordered the assassination' — involving higher-level political and business figures — was not directly at issue in this trial, which focused on the direct conspirators and enablers. Defense attorneys argued insufficient evidence linked their clients to the actual crime. The jury began deliberations on May 6, 2026. The trial is closely watched by Haitian civil society and the diaspora as the first formal judicial reckoning for the assassination that triggered Haiti's cascading governance collapse.