Haitian National Who Overstayed His Visa Is Charged With Murdering His Estranged Wife Outside a Pennsylvania Walmart
Destino Jean Louis, 23, was arrested by U.S. Marshals on immigration charges and then charged by Montgomery County prosecutors. They say he waited masked for Latosha Ann Cooper, 45, after her shift. He is held without bail.
A Haitian national who had overstayed his visa has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of his estranged wife outside her workplace, Fox News reports.
The arrest. The U.S. Marshals Service in Philadelphia says it arrested Destino Jean Louis, 23, at 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, on the 6600 block of North 18th Street for immigration violations. The Marshals say he came in under a relief program for Haitian nationals that has since ended. The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office then charged him with murder while he was in federal custody.
The killing. Police say Latosha Ann Cooper, 45, a Walmart employee, was shot on Oct. 21 as she left her night shift. According to court documents, a masked Jean Louis waited near a bush, ran at her as she left the store and shot her. District Attorney Kevin Steele said the same.
The marriage. The two married in March. Investigators told Fox29 that immigration officials found the marriage was not legitimate and was entered into for immigration purposes. In July, Cooper withdrew her petition to sponsor his visa, documents show.
The pattern. Court filings say Jean Louis, a former employee of the same Walmart who was fired for immigration reasons, had physically assaulted Cooper before and repeatedly contacted store staff for her schedule. Phone records show multiple trips between his Philadelphia home and the Cheltenham store in the weeks before the shooting.
The charges. First-degree murder, third-degree murder, illegal alien use of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license and possession of an instrument with intent to commit a crime. He is held without bail at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
Note for readers: Jean Louis is charged, not convicted. The account comes from court documents, a Marshals post and the district attorney, as relayed by Fox and Fox29. Fox says it contacted the district attorney's office for more information.