Migrant in the US illegally accused of ambushing ex-wife at Walmart and shooting her dead

A former retail worker living illegally in the United States has been charged in the fatal shooting of a woman outside a suburban Philadelphia Walmart after a failed marriage scheme to secure his legal status unraveled, prosecutors said this week.

The suspect, Destino Jean-Louis, 23, was arrested on Friday by federal marshals outside a home in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia initially on immigration charges — a tactic investigators used to detain him rapidly before he could flee the country, according to Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark.

He was later charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder and weapon offenses in connection with the October 21 death of Latosha Ann Cooper, 45, outside the store in Cedarbrook Plaza.

According to arrest documents seen by ABC affiliate WPVI, Jean-Louis and Cooper entered into the fraudulent marriage last year to help him obtain a green card after meeting while working at the retail location in 2024. However, federal authorities rejected the arrangement after an interview determined the union was not legitimate.

“They’re married, immigration comes in, does an interview, and says, ‘Nah, this isn’t really legitimate,” Clark said. “We’re not going to approve this for immigration purposes. And then she decides not to go further in the process.”

Investigators said Jean-Louis entered the United States from Haiti in 2023 under a federal refugee program. After the program was terminated in 2025, Jean-Louis was required to self-deport, making him a visa overstay, officials said. He had also previously been terminated from his job at the store due to issues surrounding his legal status.

Police said Cooper cut off contact with Jean-Louis after his immigration application was formally denied in July, leaving him upset.

According to store employees interviewed by police, Jean-Louis had been attempting to track down Cooper’s work schedule in the days leading up to the attack. One worker told detectives that Jean-Louis admitted to physically assaulting Cooper over the situation, claiming that “in his country, such disrespect is not tolerated and that he would do it again.”

The employee told police he immediately identified Jean-Louis as a potential suspect upon learning of Cooper’s death.

Officers were dispatched to the Cheltenham Township store shortly after 11:30 p.m. last Wednesday, where they found Cooper suffering from multiple gunshot wounds next to her vehicle. She had been leaving the store with a co-worker at the end of their shift when a masked gunman approached, opened fire and fled on foot. Surveillance footage captured a figure waiting near a bush prior to the shooting, The National Desk reported.

Phone records reviewed by prosecutors allegedly indicated that Jean-Louis had visited the store several times late at night in the days prior to the killing, placing him at the scene at the time of the shooting. Investigators allegedly recovered 11 rounds of .22-caliber ammunition at the residence where he was arrested.

During questioning, Jean-Louis acknowledged contacting Cooper’s colleagues to obtain her schedule, claiming she owed him money, but denied being present during the shooting. When asked by detectives why his mobile phone was registered at the location during the homicide, he replied, “I don’t know how.”

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and Cheltenham Police requested that anyone with relevant details contact detectives.