Moïse Assassination Trial: Jury Reaches Verdict — All Four Defendants Convicted on Most Counts

The jury in the Jovenel Moïse assassination trial returned a verdict on May 8, 2026, at the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami, convicting all four defendants on most counts after approximately two days of deliberations (deliberations began May 6 after closing arguments May 4–5). The four defendants — Arcángel Pretel Ortiz (Colombian-born, former FBI informant; co-owner of CTU Security), Antonio Intriago (Venezuelan-American; co-owner CTU Security; alleged primary financier), Walter Veintemilla (Ecuadorian-American; provided financing), and James Solages (Haitian-American; was captured at the scene in Haiti in 2021) — were convicted on five counts including conspiracy to kill/kidnap a foreign official, providing material support, and violating the US Neutrality Act. All four face potential life sentences. Sentencing was scheduled for late summer 2026 before Judge Jacqueline Becerra. The verdict represents the first major judicial reckoning for the July 7, 2021 assassination that directly triggered Haiti's governance collapse and cascading gang takeover of Port-au-Prince. However, questions about higher-level masterminds — widely believed to include Haitian political and business figures not yet brought to trial — remain unresolved. Haitian civil society organizations monitoring the trial emphasized that full accountability requires prosecuting those who ordered the killing, not only the direct operatives. The trial drew extensive Haitian diaspora interest across South Florida.