Haiti President Assassination: Former Colombian Soldier Pleads Guilty To Killing Jovenel Moise

The assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moise plunged the Caribbean country into chaos and one of the people responsible for it, former Colombian soldier and mercenary Mario Palacios, has just pleaded guilty over the killing.

Palacios, who was already a mercenary at the time of the assassination, pleaded guilty in a US court on Friday over his alleged role during the 2021 assassination that plunged the country into a political and economic crisis. He originally pleaded not guilty but has now changed his plea.

According to DW, the now 45-year-old former Colombian soldier was part of a group of Colombian mercenaries who broke into then-Haiti President Jovenel Moise's private residence before killing him. Around 20 other people were involved in the group that attacked the assassinated president's home, and even more were acting in the background.

However, US prosecutors stated that Palacios only played a minor role in the Haiti president assassination conspiracy and actually had no decision-making power within the group. He is now only the fifth of 11 defendants to plead guilty in the case that has shaken an entire country at its core.

Colombian Mercenary Struck a Plea Deal Over Haiti President Assassination Plot

He pleaded guilty to three charges in the US and is cooperating with the investigation. His charges include conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and struck a plea deal with the US Department of Justice. He may receive life in prison when he's sentenced on March 1, but that may be unlikely due to him striking the plea deal.

"He didn't know what he was going to get into. He wasn't part of the plan," his attorney told reporters outside a Miami courthouse. "He didn't recruit anybody. He didn't make any decision-making authority in regard to the conspiracy. I think the government understands."

As prosecutors have revealed, the people who are truly behind the plot only initially planned to kidnap the Haitian president. However, according to the Associated Press, they later decided to kill him, with some of the plotters hoping to win contracts under Moïse's successor.

Over 40 suspects have also been arrested in Haiti, including 18 former Colombian soldiers accused of taking part in the plot. Several high-ranking Haitian police officers who are also allegedly part of the assassination plot have also been arrested. However, some of the cases have been transferred to the US as four of the five Haitian judges assigned to the case have stepped down for various reasons, including fear of being killed.

Colombian Mercenary Pleading Guilty Came Weeks After Haiti Senator Was Sentenced to Life in Prison

Unlike judges in Haiti, the US has not been afraid to dole out harsh punishments for the people behind the Haiti president's assassination plot. This included former Haiti Senator John Joel Joseph, who was the third person to be sentenced in connection to the plot.

According to VOA News, he is a well-known politician and opponent of the slain president's Tet Kale party. After the assassination, he fled to Jamaica where he was arrested and then extradited to the US. He was responsible for providing material support to the Colombian mercenaries in the assassination.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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