Joseph John bags life sentence over Haiti president's murder

A US court sentenced a former Haitian senator Joseph John to life in prison on Tuesday for his role in the 2021 assassination of the Caribbean country’s president, Jovenel Moise.

Before the verdict was read in a federal court in Miami, Joseph John, 52, pleaded for mercy while wearing a brown prison uniform, handcuffed, and with shackles around his ankles.

John claimed he never intended to murder Moise but rather to bring him before Haitian courts for alleged mismanagement of the country.

The plot became out of control when other conspirators decided to assassinate the president, according to John, who believes that backing out at that point would have resulted in his death.

“Your honor, have mercy on me,” he implored the judge, speaking in French. “I’m sorry for this heinous crime that should not have happened.” According to court documents, the former senator previously admitted to providing vehicles and other resources to support the plot, as well as meeting with several other conspirators in both Haiti and Florida.

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John was the third person charged in Moise’s death in July 2021 at his home near Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

Because the plot was partially organized in Florida, which has a sizable Haitian diaspora, the United States has jurisdiction in the case. Rodolphe Jaar, a businessman with dual Haitian and Chilean citizenship, and retired Colombian military officer German Rivera were sentenced to life in prison earlier this year for their roles in Moise’s assassination.

Moise, 53, was gunned down at his private residence on July 7, 2021, by a hired group of about 20 military-trained Colombians. His security detail did not come to his aid to protect him.

Since Moise’s death, Haiti has descended into greater chaos. There was no election, and he did not succeed.

Gangs control roughly 80% of Port-au-Prince, and violent crimes such as kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery, and carjackings are on the rise in the impoverished country.

In response to this security and humanitarian crisis, the United Nations Security Council agreed in October to send a multinational mission led by Kenya to Haiti to assist the national police force. The mission is set to launch in early 2024.