Haitian national charged over Walmart killing in Pennsylvania entered US through parole program, DHS says
A Haitian national, Destino Jean-Louis, has been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of a Walmart employee outside a store in Pennsylvania. The 23-year-old entered the United States in 2023 through a Biden-era parole program, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources said.
Jean-Louis was charged with murder in the Oct. 21 shooting death of 45-year-old Latosha Ann Cooper outside a Walmart in Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, according to court documents and the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
Multiple DHS sources said Jean-Louis entered the US legally on Nov. 24, 2023, through Fort Lauderdale International Airport under the Biden administration's CHNV parole program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
His legal status was revoked by DHS on June 12, 2025, the sources said.
DHS said in a statement that on Oct. 23, ICE arrested Jean-Louis in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and that he is under investigation for homicide by Montgomery County. DHS said he entered the country legally in November 2023 and was transferred to local authorities on Oct. 26.
Investigators allege Jean-Louis targeted Cooper after an immigration-related marriage arrangement between the two fell apart, according to local reports citing court documents. The two met while working at Walmart in 2024 and later married after Cooper allegedly offered to help Jean-Louis obtain a green card, the reports said.
His application was denied in July, and Cooper withdrew from the process and cut off contact with him, according to the reports.
Investigators said Jean-Louis then contacted Walmart employees seeking Cooper's work schedule and allegedly waited outside the store for her shift to end on Oct. 21.
A co-worker told police she was talking with Cooper in the parking lot when a masked man approached and shot her.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Jean-Louis allegedly hid near bushes outside the Walmart wearing a mask and waited for Cooper to finish her night shift. When Cooper left the store, he ran towards her and fatally shot her, according to court documents.
Cellphone records placed Jean-Louis at the Walmart around the time of the shooting and on several nights beforehand, investigators said.
Court documents also allege Jean-Louis, a former employee at the same Walmart, had previously assaulted Cooper and repeatedly contacted store employees seeking her work schedule. Jean-Louis denied being at the store when Cooper was killed, according to local reports.
He was charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, an illegal alien use of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license and possession of an instrument of crime, according to court documents. He is being held without bail at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
