Miami, Dec 20 (EFE). – Former Haitian senator Joseph Joël John was sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday by a federal court in Miami (USA) for his participation in the assassination of then president, Jovenel Moïse, committed on July 7, 2021.
John was sentenced during a brief hearing presided over by Federal Judge José Martínez after pleading guilty in October to four charges, including conspiracy to kill and kidnap a person outside the United States and providing material support and resources to carry out the plot to kill Moise.
However, during the hearing, John clarified that he was involved in the plan because the idea was to arrest and overthrow the former president, not assassinate him.
“I was never part of any plan to assassinate him,” the former senator told the magistrate, and acknowledged that everything “got out of hand” according to the Miami Herald.
“I’m sorry for this heinous crime that should not have happened,” added John, who’s defense said didn’t deserve more than 30 years in prison.
So far, four of the eleven men jailed in Miami on charges of killing Moise have pleaded guilty, and three, including John, have been sentenced to life in prison.
According to court documents, from at least February 2021 until July of that year, South Florida served as a central location for planning and financing the plot to overthrow President Moïse and replace him with someone who would serve the conspirators’ political goals and financial interests.
On July 6, 2021, the conspirators gathered at a house near President Moïse’s residence, where firearms and equipment were distributed and it was announced that the mission was to kill President Moïse.
Late the next day, a heavily armed group entered President Moïse’s home and shot him dead, an assassination that has since triggered a period of gang violence and severe political instability in the Caribbean nation.
Authorities said the original plan was to capture Moïse, force him onto a plane and take him to an undisclosed location, but that plan fell apart when the suspects couldn’t find a plane or enough weapons, according to court documents. EFE
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