Eighteen people held in Haiti in connection with the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse were extradited to the United States on Sunday, September 20, and will face federal charges in South Florida.

The group includes 17 former Colombian soldiers and Joseph Félix Badio, a former Haitian Ministry of Justice employee described as a key suspect. Badio was arrested in Haiti in October 2023 after two years on the run.

Moïse was shot 12 times at his private residence in the hills above Port-au-Prince in the early hours of July 7, 2021. His wife, Martine Moïse, was wounded in the attack.

In all, 30 people have been indicted in the United States in the case. In May 2026, a federal jury convicted four men: Arcángel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages. At least five other defendants have pleaded guilty and are serving life sentences.

In Haiti, the case stalled for years amid gang violence, the resignation of judges and a court system in crisis. In October 2025, a third investigation was ordered, and Haitian justice officials asked the United States and Canada for help.

Defense lawyers say some of the Colombians were beaten, threatened with death and forced to sign documents in a language they did not understand, and that some believed they were taking part in a coup rather than a killing. Relatives have described inhumane prison conditions in Haiti; the wife of one detainee said the family was shocked by the sudden transfer.

For many Haitians, whether anyone is held to account for the killing of a sitting president remains a test of whether the country's institutions can recover.