A Haitian national already wanted for overstaying his visa has been charged with murder in the shooting death of his estranged wife outside a Walmart store in Cheltenham, Montgomery County, according to court documents and a press release from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
Destino Jean Louis, 23, was arrested Friday, October 23rd, at 9 a.m. on the 6600 block of N. 18th St. in Philadelphia by the U.S. Marshals Service, which had been pursuing him for immigration violations. He had overstayed a visa originally issued under a now-terminated relief program for Haitian nationals. While he was in federal custody, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office charged him in connection with the October 21st fatal shooting of 45-year-old Latosha Ann Cooper, a Walmart employee who had just finished her shift.
“Louis, a Haitian national who overstayed his visa, was the prime suspect in the October 21st fatal shooting of a 45 year-old Walmart employee who had just left her shift,” the U.S. Marshals Service Philadelphia wrote in a Monday post on X.
Cooper was Jean Louis’ estranged wife; the two had married in March. Investigators told Fox29 that immigration officials had concluded the marriage was not legitimate and had been entered into solely for immigration purposes. In July, Cooper withdrew her petition to sponsor Jean Louis’ visa, according to documents reviewed by Fox29.
According to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, Jean Louis hid near a bush outside the Walmart where Cooper worked, wearing a mask, and waited for her night shift to end. “When Cooper left the store, he ran towards her and fatally shot her,” court documents state.
Court filings show Jean Louis had previously worked at the same Walmart before being terminated for immigration reasons. He had also physically assaulted Cooper in the past and had repeatedly contacted store staff seeking her work schedule, the filings say. Phone records reviewed by prosecutors showed Jean Louis made multiple trips between his Philadelphia residence and the Cheltenham Walmart in the weeks before the shooting.
Jean Louis faces charges of murder in the first degree, murder in the third degree, illegal alien use of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, and possession of an instrument with intent to commit a crime, according to court documents. He is being held without bail at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
Fox News Digital contacted the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office for further information.
Add comment