Haitian national charged with murdering estranged wife outside Walmart after green card marriage goes awry
Destino Jean Louis allegedly hid near a bush outside the Walmart where his estranged wife worked, waiting for her shift to end before the fatal shooting.
Haitian national Destino Jean Louis was charged with murder after he allegedly killed his wife outside a Pennsylvania Walmart store where she worked following the collapse of their marriage, according to court documents and a press release from the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
U.S. Marshals arrested Jean Louis on Friday morning in Philadelphia on charges related to overstaying his visa, which he had originally obtained through a now-terminated relief program for Haitian nationals. The district attorney's office then charged him in connection with the murder while he was in federal custody, authorities said.
"At 9 AM on Friday, October 23rd, Destino Jean Louis, 23, was arrested by [U.S. Marshals Service Philadelphia] on the 6600 block of N. 18th St for immigration violations. 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," U.S. Marshals Service Philadelphia wrote in a Monday post on X.
Jean Louis' victim, identified by authorities as 45-year-old Latosha Ann Cooper, was his estranged wife who he had married in March. Investigators told Fox29 that immigration officials had determined the marriage to be not legitimate and was only for immigration purposes.
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In July, Cooper withdrew her petition to sponsor Jean Louis' visa, according to documents reviewed by Fox29.
Jean Louis allegedly hid near a bush outside of the Walmart where Cooper worked, wearing a mask, and waited for her to end her night shift, according to Montgomery Country District Attorney Kevin Steele.
"When Cooper left the store, he ran towards her and fatally shot her," according to court documents.
Court filings also revealed that Jean Louis, a former employee at the same Walmart who was terminated for immigration reasons, had previously physically assaulted Cooper and repeatedly contacted store staff to request Cooper's work schedule.
Prosecutors also determined from phone records that Jean Louis had taken multiple trips between his residence in Philadelphia and the Walmart location in Cheltenham the weeks leading up to the shooting, the documents stated.
Jean Louis is being charged with 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.
Fox News Digital contacted the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office for further information.
Jean Louis is being held without bail at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, per court documents.