According to John Joël Joseph, Joseph Félix Badio led the convoy of Colombian mercenaries

Former senator John Joël Joseph told the federal court in Miami on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, that Joseph Félix Badio was at the head of the convoy of Colombian mercenaries who took part in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, according to reporting by The Haitian Times journalist Luckson St-Vil, carried in a video by Monnelys TV Network.

Also according to this testimony, Badio contacted several people on the morning of 7 July 2021, including a journalist close to him and an official of a human rights organisation, to tell them the president had been killed. These are the claims of a prosecution witness and have not been established by the court.

The trial of Christian Emmanuel Sanon

The hearing is part of the trial of Haitian-American pastor Christian Emmanuel Sanon, which opened with jury selection on Monday, 28 September 2026, before federal judge Jacqueline Becerra. He faces eight counts, including conspiracy to kill or kidnap a person outside the United States. He has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent. His case was severed in March for health reasons; four other defendants were found guilty by a Miami jury in May 2026.

John Joël Joseph pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison in the United States on 19 December 2023. He is testifying for the prosecution in the hope of a reduced sentence, a point Christian Sanon's defence raises to challenge the credibility of cooperating witnesses.

Badio charged in Miami

At the first trial, in April, John Joël Joseph had already placed Joseph Félix Badio in the convoy of Colombian commandos, Haitian police officers, James Solages and Joseph Vincent that moved at night towards the presidential residence in Pèlerin 5. He named James Solages at the time as the one giving the orders, according to the Miami Herald and Haïti Liberté.

A former Justice Ministry official, Joseph Félix Badio was arrested in Haiti in October 2023. He was handed over to US authorities on 20 September 2026 along with 17 Colombians, and appeared the next day before a federal court in Miami. He is charged with conspiracy; according to the indictment, he posed as a US drug agent. He is presumed innocent, and no trial date has been made public for him.

President Jovenel Moïse was killed on the night of 7 July 2021 at his private residence in Pèlerin, where his wife, Martine Moïse, was seriously wounded.