Popular Broadcaster Gunned Down in Haiti
Gunmen shot and killed a Baptist minister who was Haiti's most popular radio personality on Monday, the radio station's owner said. The Rev. Jean Moles Lovinsky Berthomieux, better known to listeners in the poor Caribbean country as "Pastor Moles," was shot several times as he was leaving his Port-au-Prince home for Radio Caraibes FM, where his religious program, "The Morning Manna," was Haiti's top-rated show. His wife, Verna Berthomieux, who is three months pregnant, climbed to the roof of her house to evade the gunmen who shot her husband, said Patrick Moussignac, owner of Radio Caraibes FM. The gunmen escaped. Police said they were investigating the case. The killing occurred at a time when Haiti is facing a new wave of violence as rebellious former soldiers who helped oust Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February challenge the interim government. Authorities said there was no immediate indication the killing was politically motivated. Berthomieux's driver was arrested but not charged. [more ]