A dual Haitian-Chilean citizen who pleaded guilty to federal charges related to his involvement in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise has been sentenced to life in prison, Florida court records show.
Moïse, 53, was shot dead inside his home in the Pelerin 5 neighbourhood, in the hills above Port-au-Prince at 01:00 local time on 7 July 2021, according to police.
The president was shot 12 times and had bullet wounds to his forehead and several to his torso. His left eye had been gouged out and bones in his arm and in his ankle had been broken, according to one of the judges conducting the investigation.
He died at the scene and was found lying on the floor on his back, his shirt soaked in blood. The first lady, Martine Moïse, was also shot but survived. Judge Jose E. Martinez handed down the sentence to Rodolphe Jaar on Friday during a 10-minute hearing in Miami. The life sentences for each of three counts are to be served concurrently.
Jaar pleaded guilty in March to three counts – including conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support resulting in death, according to the plea agreement.
Martinez recommended that Jaar be designated to a federal facility in or near South Florida given his background and the offenses, according to the court docket.
In exchange for the guilty plea, Jaar had agreed to be sentenced by a judge, provide truthful testimony, produce documents and records, and appear before a grand jury and at other legal proceedings when called upon by federal prosecutors.
Jaar was one of several suspects who were at large in the months after Moise’s assassination. He was arrested in the Dominican Republic and extradited to the United States in January 2022.
Jaar provided funds used to acquire weapons, provided food and lodging to other co-conspirators, and provided funding to bribe Haitian officials responsible for Moise’s security, according to the plea agreement.
