Sanon's Miami trial is set to start in the Moïse assassination case.

A trial start and a not-guilty plea are process. They are not a verdict. Jury selection in his Miami federal case was set to begin Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, on charges connected to the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. Convictions of other defendants in the broader case are not findings against Sanon.

Jury selection was set to begin Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Miami in the case of Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 67, a Haitian American Florida pastor and dual citizen. He has pleaded not guilty. He faces eight charges connected to the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, including conspiracy to kidnap or kill a person outside the United States. He could face life in prison if convicted. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra denied a defense request to delay the trial that was tied to an expanded indictment. A denied delay, a plea of not guilty, and the start of jury selection are process. They are not a verdict. Sanon is presumed innocent.

Sanon had previously been scheduled to be tried with four others who were convicted earlier in 2026. His case was separated and delayed for health reasons. Prosecutors say he helped raise money for the conspiracy and arranged travel to Haiti and lodging, and that South Florida was a planning and financing hub. More than 40 people have been charged in the United States. A dozen have been convicted, including five who are serving life sentences. Those convictions are judgments against other defendants. They are not a finding against Sanon.

President Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, near Port-au-Prince when about two dozen foreign mercenaries, mostly Colombian, attacked his home. His wife, Martine Moïse, was wounded. The court event in this account is the Sept. 28 start of jury selection in Sanon's case. Charges, a not-guilty plea, and the opening of trial do not decide whether he is guilty.