ICE Agent Asked Ex-Wife to Lie After Video Shows Crew Handcuffing Slain Immigrant's Corpse

An ICE agent who fatally shot a 26-year-old Colombian man in Biddeford, Maine, later asked his ex-wife to lie about his character, a request she refused after video footage contradicted the agency's initial account of the killing.

The news emerged Thursday as Ashley Brouillette told the Portland Press Herald that her former husband, David Brouillette, called her following the Monday shooting and defended his actions while seeking her cover.

For context, the news came after widespread outrage over the death of Joan Sebastian Guerrero, who was shot by federal immigration officers while driving to work.

Guerrero, a married father with a young daughter, was named almost 12 hours after his death, and witness video showed agents dragging his body from the vehicle and placing handcuffs on it, footage that undercut ICE's claim that he had 'weaponised' his car.

Ex-wife says ICE agent asked her to lie about shooting

Ashley Brouillette told the Press Herald that David called her on Wednesday and admitted he was the shooter. 'He was asking me to lie for him and to cover for his character,' she said. 'I told him that I was not going to lie for him.'

She said he then tried to justify the shooting by claiming Guerrero attempted to hit him with his car, despite video evidence showing agents walking alongside the slowly moving vehicle with no indication of such an attack.

'In his head it's justified. He's unusually calm about it,' Ashley said, adding that she had previously reported concerns about his mental health to his military superiors.

She also alleged he was abusive during their two-year marriage, which began when she was 18. Since his name surfaced online, she said she has received threatening calls targeting her and her family.

Nothing is confirmed yet so everything should be taken with a grain of salt, though court records and interviews with relatives paint a troubling picture. David Brouillette, 37, is a US Army veteran who deployed to Afghanistan and has received Veterans Affairs disability benefits.

Close relatives told the Associated Press he was diagnosed as a child with severe bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder, and had attempted suicide twice at age 12.

ICE agent's mental health history raises questions

Brouillette's work history reads like a series of short stints. After leaving the Army in 2015 as a sergeant, he worked a year as a corrections officer, then eight months as a human services enforcement agent for Maine's health department.

He later drove trucks before resigning in January 2025 citing health reasons, and served two brief periods as a volunteer firefighter in Manchester, the second ending when he was removed after confrontations with leadership, including a shouting match and refusal to follow orders.

An ICE spokesperson said the officer 'in question has nearly a decade of federal law enforcement experience with required training' but declined to confirm or deny attempts to identify him, citing safety concerns. 'Doxxing our officers puts their lives and their families in serious danger,' the agency said, blaming 'sanctuary politicians' and 'violent agitators' for the threats.

The shooting prompted a temporary pause on most ICE traffic stops nationwide, a move reversed in less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump ordered it overturned on Truth Social, aligning with border czar Tom Homan's push to resume arrests.

IBTimes UK cannot independently verify these claims, so take everything lightly.

Still, the dissonance is wild, an agency insisting its officer acted to protect public safety while video shows handcuffs going on a corpse, and a man whose own relatives say should never have been armed.