A 23-year-old Haitian national charged with murdering a Walmart employee outside a Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, store entered the United States legally through a Biden administration migrant parole program before his status was revoked last year, Department of Homeland Security officials say.
Destino Jean-Louis is accused of fatally shooting 45-year-old Latosha Ann Cooper outside the Montgomery County Walmart on Oct. 21. He has been charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, illegal alien use of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, and possession of an instrument of crime, according to court documents and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. He is being held without bail at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
DHS sources told Fox News that Jean-Louis entered the country on Nov. 24, 2023, through Fort Lauderdale International Airport under the CHNV parole program, which the Biden administration created for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. His legal status was revoked by DHS on June 12, 2025.
ICE arrested Jean-Louis in Philadelphia on Oct. 23, and he was handed over to local authorities on Oct. 26, DHS said.
“On October 23, ICE arrested Destino Jean-Louis, a criminal illegal alien from Haiti, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jean-Louis is currently under investigation for homicide by Montgomery County,” DHS said in a statement.
“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” the agency added.
A marriage, a green card application and a denial
According to court documents cited by local outlets FOX 29 and 6ABC Philadelphia, investigators believe Jean-Louis targeted Cooper after an immigration-related marriage arrangement between the two collapsed. The pair met while both worked at the Walmart in 2024 and later married after Cooper allegedly offered to help Jean-Louis obtain a green card, 6ABC reported.
His application was denied in July. Cooper then withdrew from the process and cut off contact with him, according to the station.
Investigators allege Jean-Louis subsequently contacted Walmart employees to find out when Cooper was working and waited outside the store for her shift to end on the night of Oct. 21. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Jean-Louis hid near bushes outside the store wearing a mask.
“When Cooper left the store, he ran towards her and fatally shot her,” court documents state.
A co-worker told police she was speaking with Cooper in the parking lot when a masked man approached and opened fire, 6ABC reported. Cellphone records placed Jean-Louis at the Walmart around the time of the shooting and on several nights before it, according to investigators.
Court documents also allege Jean-Louis, who had previously worked at the same store, had assaulted Cooper before and had repeatedly asked store employees for her schedule. Jean-Louis has denied being at the store when Cooper was killed, according to 6ABC.
A spokesperson for Walmart and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office could not immediately be reached for comment.
