Rafael Leonidas Trujillo

Trujillo, as commander of the Dominican Army, led a coup that overthrew President Horacio V

Trujillo ordered the massacre of Haitians living in the Dominican border region. Soldiers killed an estimated 20,000 Haitians using machetes, distinguishing them by their pronunciation of the Spanish word for parsley.

Trujillo ordered the assassination of the Mirabal sisters, political activists opposing his regime. Their murders sparked international outrage and became a symbol of resistance against the dictatorship.

Trujillo was assassinated on a highway outside Santo Domingo by a group of conspirators, some of whom were former supporters. His death ended the dictatorship and led to a period of instability.