Cuba Archive - Case 6813

Case ID: 6813

Title: N/A

First name: Ronni

Last name: Moffitt

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Date of Birth: Day:10 / Month:1 / Year:1851

Civil Status: Married

Date of death/disappearance: Day:21 / Month:9 / Year:1976

Citizenship: United States

Last known address: Maryland, USA

Last known city: N/A

Last known province-TOD: N/A

Last known province current: N/A

Last known country: United States

Location death-address: Sheridan Circle, Massachusetts and Florida Avenues (Sheridan Circle)

Location of death - city: Washington, D.C.

Location of death province - at TOD: N/A

Location of death province - current: N/A

Location of death - country: United States

Trial held?: No

Docket Number: N/A

Sentence details: N/A

Arrest or detention at time of death: No

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: N/A

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Anti-Castro Resistance / Non-state actors

Death attribution detail: Chilean Intelligence Service and Movimiento Nacionalista Cubano, based in New Jersey, USA

Associated Event: N/A

Case description:

Moffitt was an assistant to Orlando Letelier, prominent diplomat and politician from Chile living in exile in Washington, D.C., after the socialist government of Salvador Allende had been deposed in a 1973 coup d'etat. Both died after a car bomb placed under their car was detonated by remote control. Letelier died a few minutes after the bombing. Shrapnel had pierced Ronni Moffitt’s throat, and she drowned in her own blood a half-hour later at the hospital. The driver, Ronni´s husband, Michael Moffitt, was also traveling in the car and survived largely unscathed.
The bombing operation was carried out by the Chilean Intelligence Service (DINA), led by Col. Manuel Contreras, that recruited a U.S. citizen, Michael Townley, to build the bomb and anti-Castro Cuban exiles from a New Jersey militant group to wire the bomb. In the U.S., Townley confessed and went to prison, the brothers Ignacio and Guillermo Novo were sentenced to life in prison and Dionisio Suárez to 8 years of prison. Contreras was indicted by a U.S. grand jury, but Chile refused to extradite him. He was sentenced to 8 years after the end of the Pinochet regime and later pointed the finger at his superiors, claiming that all relevant orders came from Pinochet.
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Moffitt era asistente de Orlando Letelier, prominente diplomático y político de Chile que vivía exiliado en Washington, D.C., luego de que el gobierno socialista de Salvador Allende fuera depuesto en un golpe de estado en 1973. Ambos murieron después de que una bomba colocada debajo de su coche fuera detonada por control remoto. Letelier murió pocos minutos después del atentado. La metralla había atravesado la garganta de Moffitt y ella se ahogó en su propia sangre media hora más tarde en el hospital. El conductor, el marido de Ronni, Michael Moffitt, también viajaba en el coche y sobrevivió prácticamente ileso.
La operación  fue realizada por el Servicio de Inteligencia de Chile (DINA), encabezado por el coronel Manuel Contreras, que reclutó a un ciudadano estadounidense, Michael Townley, para construir la bomba y exiliados cubanos anticastristas de un grupo militante de Nueva Jersey para colocarla en el coche. En Estados Unidos, Townley confesó y fue a prisión, los hermanos Ignacio y Guillermo Novo fueron condenados a cadena perpetua y Dionisio Suárez a 8 años de prisión. Contreras fue acusado por un gran jurado estadounidense, pero Chile se negó a extraditarlo. Fue sentenciado a 8 años después del fin del régimen de Pinochet y luego señaló con el dedo a sus superiores, alegando que todas las órdenes relevantes provenían de Pinochet.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Reported: Highly likely / Highly reliable source(s)

Cause of Death: - Politically-motivated killing by non-state agent(s)

Occupations: - Office and Administrative Support Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Civilian casualty / Bystander

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: - Case 1762: Orlando Letelier

Case Record - Ronni Moffitt