US to extradite Haiti murder suspect

The United States has requested the extradition from Jamaica of a suspect in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, the suspect’s lawyer says.

Former Haitian senator John Joel Joseph, who the Haitian government considers a key suspect in Moise’s murder last July, was arrested in Jamaica having fled Haiti.

Joseph has agreed to the extradition, his lawyer Donahue Martin said in a telephone interview.

The United States has become increasingly involved in the investigation of Moise’s murder, with key suspects facing the prospect of a trial in US courts as a probe by the Caribbean nation’s authorities stalls.

Moise was shot dead by assassins armed with assault rifles who stormed his private residence in the hills above the capital Port-au-Prince, sparking a manhunt and investigations across several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Days after the murder, then-National Police Chief Leon Charles said Joseph was a key player in the plot, alleging he supplied weapons and planned meetings.