4 years after Haiti's president was killed, the investigation drags on
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Not one suspect imprisoned in Haiti has faced trial after being charged in the killing of President Jovenel Moïse, who was gunned down at his home in the nation's capital nearly four years ago.
Gang violence, death threats and a crumbling judicial system have stalled an ongoing investigation defined by outbursts and tense exchanges between suspects and judges.
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Fox News
24 minutes ago
- Fox News
Luxury real estate brothers hit with new charges in federal sex trafficking case
New accusations against the three brothers accused of orchestrating a decade-long scheme to sex traffic women were revealed this week as authorities look to further cement their case against the high-profile defendants. Real estate moguls Tal Alexander and Oren Alexander, along with their brother, Alon, are facing charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, inducement to travel to engage in unlawful sexual activity and three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, according to a federal superseding indictment. Tal Alexander faces additional sex trafficking and inducement counts, with Alon and Oren Alexander facing an additional charge of aggravated sex abuse, according to court documents. The charges stem from allegations from at least six new victims – including one minor. The brothers pleaded not guilty to all counts, bringing the total to 10 charges against them. "The federal charges in the indictment against Alon, Oren, and Tal Alexander are serious because they involve sex trafficking and aggravated sexual abuse," Kelly Hyman, a trial attorney and host of the true-crime podcast "Unresolved: The Diddy Cases," told Fox News Digital. "Since the charges are brought at the federal level, there can be more severe penalties compared to state level crimes." Federal prosecutors allege the three men lured dozens of victims to be sexually assaulted by promising luxury travel and other expensive accommodations, conspiring for more than a decade and leveraging their real estate industry status to attract women from 2009 to 2021. The brothers allegedly would organize elaborate vacations for their victims, subsequently assaulting the women while traveling. "In sex trafficking cases, deception, drugs, and false pretenses, like promises of luxury travel, could be considered important facts if it goes to the force, fraud or coercion of the sex trafficking," Hyman said. "And thus could have legal weight to prove a case as the prosecution has the burden to prove the charges against a defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. It is ultimately up to the jury as they are the trier of facts, and the jury will decide what weight to give these facts based on the evidence presented." According to the indictment, the brothers would incapacitate the women before they were sexually assaulted and raped – sometimes alongside multiple men – with some of the attacks happening within hours of meeting the victims. "Often, the Alexander brothers drugged their victims before assaulting them, preventing them from fighting back or escaping," the indictment reads. The three men allegedly operated the scheme from New York City and Miami, Florida, centering the assaults around where their homes and businesses were located. Prosecutors allege that immediately following the attacks, the brothers would "sometimes [offer] the victims material items, including travel, concert tickets, and other luxury experiences." "When prosecuting a sex trafficking case in federal court, prosecutors must demonstrate that 'force, threats of force, fraud or coercion' were used to compel the victim to engage in a sex act," Hyman told Fox News Digital. "However, if the victim is a minor, this specific proof is not required. The prosecution must still prove a defendant knowingly recruited the minor for a commercial sex act, but not particularly through force, fraud or coercion." Alon Alexander's attorney, Howard Srebnick, pointed to his client's willingness to sit for a polygraph test and the subsequent results. "Alon pled not guilty to all counts, including the newly-added count ten accusing him of drugging a woman to have sex with her," Srebnick said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "On January 13, 2025, a retired FBI polygraph examiner tested Alon while in jail. Alon was asked if he ever had sex with any woman he knew had been covertly given drugs, which Alon denied. The polygraph examiner opined that Alon passed the lie detector test, finding 'no significant reactions indicative of deception' by Alon." One of Tal's attorneys, Deanna Paul, referred to previous statements his defense team had provided to Fox News Digital. In March his lawyers said the superseding indictment "changes nothing." "It's a reheated version of the same case—and still does not include conduct that amounts to federal sex trafficking," Paul and Milton Williams said at the time. "The government is trying to stretch a statute beyond recognition to fit a narrative, not a crime." Oren Alexander's attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. They are currently being held at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center as they await trial. If convicted of the federal charges, the brothers could face the possibility of 15 years to life in prison.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
2 dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in Gatineau
Two people died from carbon monoxide poisoning on Saturday in Gatineau, Que., the local fire department tells Radio-Canada. A spokesperson said firefighters arrived at a house on Wildfrid-Lavigne Boulevard in the city's Aylmer section just after 7 p.m. on Saturday, where they discovered two people who were unresponsive. They were declared dead at the scene. The cause of the carbon monoxide leak is not yet known. The investigation has been transferred to the Gatineau police. Wildfrid-Lavigne Boulevard is around 10 kilometres west of Parliament Hill. More to come.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Tourist reportedly suspected of murdering her family in Iceland is arrested
A French tourist in her 60s has been arrested in Iceland suspected of murdering her daughter and husband while the three were vacationing in the country, Icelandic media reported. The husband and daughter were found dead at an upscale hotel in Iceland's capital Reykjavik on Saturday morning, while the woman was found alive with stab injuries, Icelandic broadcaster RUV reported late Saturday. The two deceased also had "injuries, including stab injuries, but there will be a further investigation that will reveal what kind of injuries are involved," Reykjavik police officer Aevar Palmi Palmason told RUV. RUV reported that the bodies were found on the fourth floor of the Edition Hotel and the group was due to leave Saturday. Icelandic police were unavailable to comment Sunday on the investigation, and have yet to confirm that the suspect was related to the victims. Icelandic media have provided no details about the tourists' identities. Police have only confirmed in a statement that the Reykjavik district court on Saturday remanded the woman in custody until June 20, "in connection with (a police) investigation into the deaths of two French tourists at a hotel in the city center." "The woman who is detained was traveling with those who died when the case arose," the statement said. In a previous statement, police said two foreign tourists were found dead in the hotel at about 8:00 a.m. o'clock, and a third person, also a tourist, was also at the scene and was injured. "Many details are unclear as the investigation is in its early stages," police said. Murders and deadly violence are rare in Iceland, with the country regularly ranked at the top of the Global Peace Index thanks to its low crime rates, though gang crime has been on the rise in recent years. According to Statista, Iceland has one of the lowest murder rates in Europe -- only two persons were killed on the island in 2021. In 2017, the normally peaceful Iceland was shocked when a 20-year-old woman was found murdered on the beach.
