Miami, Dec 20 (EFE). – Former Haitian senator Joseph Jo\u00ebl 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 Mo\u00efse, committed on July 7, 2021.<\/p>
John was sentenced during a brief hearing presided over by Federal Judge Jos\u00e9 Mart\u00ednez 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.<\/p>
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.<\/p>
\u201cI 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.<\/p>
“I\u2019m sorry for this heinous crime that should not have happened,” added John, who\u2019s defense said didn’t deserve more than 30 years in prison.<\/p>
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.<\/p>
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 Mo\u00efse and replace him with someone who would serve the conspirators’ political goals and financial interests.<\/p>
On July 6, 2021, the conspirators gathered at a house near President Mo\u00efse’s residence, where firearms and equipment were distributed and it was announced that the mission was to kill President Mo\u00efse.<\/p>
Late the next day, a heavily armed group entered President Mo\u00efse’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.<\/p>
Authorities said the original plan was to capture Mo\u00efse, 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<\/p>
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