Charges Filed Against Former Walmart Employee for Murder

Prosecutors have charged a former Walmart employee from Haiti, Destino Jean Louis, with murder after he allegedly shot his estranged wife, Latosha Ann Cooper, as she exited work at a Pennsylvania store.

Jean Louis, 23, is accused of killing the 45-year-old Cooper in the parking lot of the Cheltenham Walmart on October 21. He faces charges for first- and third-degree murder, as well as firearms offenses.

The couple had previously been involved in a romantic relationship, obtaining a marriage license on March 31, 2025, and marrying shortly after. However, investigators spoke with relatives and former coworkers who suggested that the marriage was primarily a means for Jean Louis to gain legal status in the United States. He arrived in the country from Haiti in 2023 under a humanitarian program that has since ended, according to court documents.

At some point, Cooper ceased contact with Jean Louis. By July 2026, she had retracted a petition that would have allowed him to remain in the country as her spouse.

The shooting reportedly occurred around 11:30 p.m. According to a criminal complaint, a coworker stated that she and Cooper were talking in the parking lot when a masked man approached and shot Cooper. The coworker recounted hearing two or three gunshots before running back to the store for help and calling 911. When police arrived, they found Cooper with a fatal gunshot wound to the head, while the shooter had fled on foot toward Philadelphia.

Surveillance footage indicated that the masked man had been waiting near a bush, watching the Walmart entrance before Cooper came out. An autopsy confirmed that she died from multiple gunshot wounds.

One Walmart employee reported that Jean Louis had previously confessed to physically assaulting Cooper, arguing that he felt disrespected by her. When confronted about the assault, he allegedly stated that such behavior would not be tolerated in his country and implied he would do it again.

Furthermore, employees revealed that Jean Louis had been inquiring about Cooper’s work schedule, which he later admitted to detectives during his arrest.

Cellphone records indicated multiple trips between Jean Louis’ home in Philadelphia and the Walmart in the weeks leading up to the shooting and placed his phone near the store at the time of the incident.

Jean Louis was arrested by U.S. marshals on October 23 at a Philadelphia residence for immigration violations, with the Marshals Service noting that he had overstayed his visa and was the primary suspect in Cooper’s death. During a search of the property, authorities found a bag containing 11 rounds of .22-caliber ammunition, the same caliber used in the shooting.

Jean Louis denied any involvement in Cooper’s murder, claiming he was at home in Philadelphia when the shooting occurred and asserting that he had never possessed a firearm. He is currently being held without bail at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.