- A US citizen suspected in the murder of the Haitian president called him "crazy," a report says.
- James Solages is one of two Haitian-Americans held on suspicion of the murder of
Jovenel Moïse . - Profiles in his name say he runs a Haiti-focused charity and a Florida-based engineering company.
One of the two US citizens accused in the killing of President Jovenel Moïse said that the leader was "crazy," his uncle told Haitian-focused Brooklyn newspaper The Haitian Times.
35-year-old James Solages, a Haitian-American who lived in South Florida, is among 17 people being held in Port-au-Prince on suspicion of Moïse's murder, according to the Associated Press (AP).
His uncle, Schubert Dorisme, told The Haitian Times: "He used to tell me that 'this Jovenel guy is crazy.'" Solages had recently become an American citizen, the paper said, citing Dorisme.
Dorisme spoke warmly of Solages and that the reports of his arrest shocked him. "There is no way that thing would happen," he said, according to Local10 news.
Dorisme told The Haitian Times: "I don't think he's capable to do this thing, I think somebody used him."
According to Dorisme, Solages harbored his own political ambitions, wanting to become mayor of Jacmel, a town he set up a charity for.
On the "About Us" page of the charity FWA SA A JACMEL AVAN - which has since been taken down - Solages is described as "a politician promoting his country." The charity's stated goal is to benefit underprivileged children in the town. Florida records show the charity being registered in 2019.
The profile also describes Solages as having served as the chief bodyguard at the Canadian Embassy in
Florida state licensing documents name a James J. Solages as having had firearms and security officer licenses, both recently expired. Dorisme told reporters that Solages doesn't have military training, according to Local 10.
A Jacmel local told The Haitian Times that he recognized Solages as a former bodyguard of Dimitri Vorbe, a political rival of Moïse. Insider has been unable to confirm this.
Dorisme, his uncle, said Solages was not fond of Vorbe, the paper reported.
A Twitter account in the name of James J. Solages lists his charity in its biography, and features numerous posts in Creole featuring young people, as well as a man who resembles Solages.
-James J. Solages (@James83422525) January 31, 2020
A LinkedIn page in the same name - and using the same profile picture - lists Solages as CEO of EJS Maintenance & Repair, a Florida-based building engineering company.
It lists "diplomatic security" as a skill, and lists him as the president of the Jacmel charity.
Police in Haiti have released no evidence from their murder case to support the arrests, The Guardian reported.
Both Solages, 35 and fellow Haitian-American Joseph Vincent, 55, were pictured sitting on the floor on Thursday alongside four other suspects during a police press conference. Vincent appeared to be restrained with a cable tie.