The U.S. Marshals arrested a man who they say shot and killed a Walmart employee whom he had married in order to secure his immigration status.
Destino Jean-Louis, 23, of Philadelphia, is charged in the murder of 45-year-old Latosha Ann Cooper.
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On Wednesday, Oct. 21, around 11:30 p.m., police responded to the Walmart at the Cedarbrook Plaza Shopping Center on 1000 S. Easton Road in Cheltenham’s Glenside section for a reported shooting. When they arrived, they found Cooper lying next to her car with a gunshot wound to her head. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy was performed on Cooper on Oct. 22 and officials determined she died from multiple gunshot wounds. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Investigators later obtained surveillance video showing a masked man standing near a bush towards the store’s entrance Wednesday night, shortly before the shooting. Investigators also interviewed Cooper’s coworker. She told police that she and Cooper walked out of the Walmart after their shift late Wednesday night and were talking in the parking lot when a masked man approached them. The man then pulled out a gun and opened fire, shooting Cooper, before running across Cheltenham Avenue into Philadelphia.
Police later identified the gunman as Destino Jean-Louis. Investigators said Jean-Louis used to work at the Glenside Walmart and had been in a relationship with Cooper. Records also showed Cooper and Jean-Louis were issued a marriage license on March 31, 2025.
According to investigators, Jean-Louis was a Haitian national who had married Cooper in order to secure his immigration status in the U.S.
Robert Clark of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force said authorities questioned the legitimacy of the marriage and Cooper later decided not to continue with the process.
“I believe that status was canceled because they believed that marriage was not credible and therefore I believe at that point the victim didn’t want to pursue the proceedings any longer,” Clark said.
A coworker told police Jean-Louis was fired from Walmart due to his immigration issues. The coworker said Jean-Louis eventually began to call Walmart employees and ask about Cooper’s work schedule. The coworker also said Cooper admitted to physically abusing Jean-Louis during their relationship.
On Friday, Oct. 23, the U.S. Marshals arrested Jean-Louis at a home in Philadelphia. Investigators said they found a sandwich bag with 11 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition inside while searching through the home.
At 9 AM on Friday, October 23rd, Destino Jean Louis, 23, was arrested by @USMS_Philly 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. On the evening of Oct 23, Louis was charged with murder by the @MontcopaDA. He remained in federal custody until this afternoon, when @CheltTwpPD authorities took custody of him.
— U.S. Marshals Service Philadelphia (@USMS_Philly) October 26, 2026
Police also said Jean-Louis’ cellphone records showed multiple trips between the Philadelphia home and the Glenside Walmart in the weeks leading up to Cooper’s murder. Those cellphone records place Jean-Louis in the area of the Walmart parking lot at the time of the deadly shooting, investigators said.
Jean-Louis is charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder and other related offenses. Online court records don’t list an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
