MIAMI– A former Colombian soldier pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, which plunged the Caribbean country into violence and political unrest.
Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios, 45, pleaded guilty to three charges, including conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States, during a brief hearing before federal Judge José E. Martínez. Sitting next to his attorney, Alfredo Izaguirre, Palacios responded, “Yes, your honor,” in Spanish when the judge asked if he was pleading guilty.
Palacios is the fifth of 11 defendants in Miami to plead guilty to the murder in 2021. As part of a deal with prosecutors, he agreed to cooperate with the investigation and plead guilty. He could face life in prison when sentenced March 1, but under the deal, prosecutors admitted he played a minor role in the plot.
“He didn't know what he was getting into. He was not part of the plan,” Izaguirre told reporters after the hearing. “He didn't recruit anyone. He had no decision-making power whatsoever regarding the conspiracy. I think the government understands.”
According to prosecutors, the conspirators initially planned to kidnap the Haitian president but later decided to kill him. They say the conspirators had hoped to win contracts under Moïse's successor. About two dozen former Colombian soldiers and several Haitian American citizens took part in the plot, authorities say.
Moïse was shot twelve times on July 7, 2021, in his private home near the Haitian capital Port-Au-Prince. He was 53 years old. His wife, Martine Moïse, was injured in the attack.
Three suspects have already been sentenced to life in this case. A fourth, dual Haitian-American citizen Joseph Vincent, pleaded guilty this month and is awaiting sentencing in February.
The trial is scheduled for May 2024, although the date has been postponed several times.
Palacios was detained in Jamaica in October 2021 and was flown to the US on a flight from Jamaica to Colombia during a stopover in Panama. Federal officials say they interviewed him while he was still in hiding in Jamaica.
Haitian authorities have arrested more than 40 suspects, including 18 former Colombian soldiers accused of taking part in the plot, and several high-ranking Haitian police officers. At least five judges have been appointed to the case in the Caribbean country and four of them have stepped down for various reasons, including fear of being killed.
In the two years since Moïse's killing, Haiti has suffered a wave of gang violence, prompting the prime minister to request the immediate deployment of a foreign force. The UN Security Council voted in October to send a multinational force led by Kenya to help combat gangs.
However, implementation has been delayed. Kenyan officials told the AP that the first group of about 300 officers is expected in February, while authorities are still awaiting the verdict in a case aimed at blocking the deployment. A decision is expected in January.