Death penalty on table for Haitian gang leader under DOJ indictment for US kidnapping death

A Haitian gang leader was charged with ordering gang members to kidnap an American couple from their home in Haiti, with kidnappers killing one of the victims in the process.

The DOJ indictment, which was filed under seal at a D.C. federal court in September, comes amid an escalation in homicides, kidnappings, and efforts to migrate away from Haiti.

The gang leader, who remains at large, has been charged with a death penalty-eligible offense, although the department wouldn't actually decide whether to seek the death penalty until a later stage in the litigation process.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in July that Haiti needs foreign troops to help with its gang-related crisis. Later that month, American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were kidnapped at the health clinic where Dorsainvil worked in the country. The two were later released.