Charged: Husband in wife's Walmart shooting

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office charged a 23-year-old man with murder in the fatal shooting of his wife outside a Cheltenham Walmart.

Authorities identified the victim as Latosha Ann Cooper, 45, who worked as a manager at the store for more than 20 years. Family members said Cooper was a mother and grandmother who celebrated her birthday two days before the incident.

Police said the shooting occurred just before 11:30 p.m. on October 21. Investigators alleged that Destino Jean-Louis stood masked near a bush with a clear view of the entrance. As Cooper exited the building with another employee, Jean-Louis ran toward her and shot her.

Court filings show the couple married in March 2025 while attempting to secure legal status for Jean-Louis. Immigration officials interviewed the pair and denied the petition, ruling the marriage was not legitimate for immigration purposes. Cooper withdrew her sponsorship petition in July 2026.

Jean-Louis was arrested by U.S. Marshals in North Philadelphia on Friday morning on a visa overstay charge. Officials stated the operation happened quickly to prevent him from leaving the country. He remained in federal custody over the weekend before Cheltenham Township Police took him into county custody.

Records indicate Jean-Louis entered the United States from Haiti under a humanitarian program that the Trump administration ended last year. He previously worked at the same Walmart but was fired due to immigration status issues. A co-worker told detectives that Jean-Louis admitted to physically assaulting Cooper for disrespecting him. Staff also said he repeatedly asked for her schedule as recently as September 30.

Phone records showed multiple trips between Jean-Louis's Philadelphia residence and the store in the weeks before the shooting. Investigators recovered a firearm from that Philadelphia home.