Francis Nyaruri – Status: No Case Initiated
June 4, 2025
Gerry Ortega – Status: Solved
June 4, 2025
Haitian journalist Garry Tesse was on his way to work at a local radio station in the southern city of Les Cayes when he disappeared shortly after exiting a taxi. His naked and disfigured corpse was found six days later, face down on the seashore close to downtown. One of his eyes was gouged out, his tongue was cut off, and his body was partially burned.
Journalist Information:
Name: Garry Tesse
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Nationality: Haitian
Last company worked for: Radio Lebanon FM Station
Family: Garry left behind his widowed wife, who was also threatened due to his profession.
Incident Information:
Date of incident – 24 October 2022
Location of incident -Les Cayes, Haiti
Offense victim of: Assassination
Weapons included – Torture
Garry Tesse’s mutilated remains were found six days later, face down on the seashore close to downtown. Photographs of his body, reviewed by CPJ, showed signs of severe torture: burn marks, a cut-out tongue, and a missing eye and testicles.
Suspect(s) Information:
Perpetrator Identified: Yes
Name: Ronald Richemond
Proof of Targeting the Journalist: Tesse’s widow and colleagues told CPJ that they also began to receive threats when they took to the radio to denounce Richmond. At least one person showed up outside Tesse’s house, firing weapons in the air. “I didn’t dare to leave the house for days,” said his widow, who wasn’t able to identify the source of the gunshots.
Reason for Killing: Before his death, Tesse had received overtures from Richmond to tone down his public criticism of the prosecutor in return for money, according to his lawyer. “He sent people to try to negotiate a bribe, to shut him up,” Anthony Cyrion, the attorney for Tesse’s family, told CPJ.
Progress of the Case: Hyppolite says Richmond also tried to silence him with bribes. Hyppolite went into hiding but was arrested in late 2022 as a suspect in the murder of his friend. “They tried to negotiate with me, too, that’s why I was arrested. I said I won’t negotiate with a vagabond like him,” Hyppolite told CPJ. The Tesse family refused to back down and, in June 2023, went in before the judge handling the investigation, Robert Jourdain, to accuse Richemond of ordering the murder.