In an image released by the Daniel Langlois Foundation, Daniel Langlois, 66, and Dominique Marchand, 58, are featured. The director of public prosecutions in Dominica has officially announced the charging of two individuals, Jonathan Lehrer and Robert Thomas Snider, both Americans, in connection with the killings. The charges were filed on Wednesday. The provided photograph is undated.
Two individuals have been formally accused in connection with the tragic demise of Quebec-born film entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his partner in the Caribbean nation of Dominica, as confirmed by the country's director of public prosecutions, Sherma Dalrymple, during a news briefing on Thursday.
Dalrymple revealed that Jonathan Lehrer and Robert Thomas Snider were charged on Wednesday with the murders of Langlois and his partner, Dominique Marchand. Although the accused appeared in court, they have not yet entered a plea, and a preliminary inquiry is scheduled for March 15.
The lifeless bodies of Langlois, aged 66, and Marchand, aged 58, were discovered last Friday inside a burnt-out car near the upscale resort they owned in Dominica, a small volcanic island situated between Guadeloupe and Martinique.
At the news conference, Police spokesman Jeoffrey James disclosed that three arrests were made after officers visited a property near what investigators believe to be "a secondary crime scene." Subsequently, a fourth person was taken into custody. The status of potential charges for the other two individuals arrested remains unclear, but James affirmed that the investigation is ongoing.
Court records indicate a longstanding dispute between Lehrer and Langlois concerning using a public road that crossed Lehrer's property, leading to the Quebec couple's luxury ecotourism resort, then under construction.
Lehrer, identified as a property owner and chocolate producer, reportedly obstructed Morne Rouge Public Road in October 2018, using a trench and boulders to block access. Langlois took legal action, seeking a permanent injunction to open the road. The initial injunction was granted in 2018, and in 2019, an Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court judge mandated the road's reopening for Langlois' employees and guests.
Langlois, a respected businessman and founder of Softimage, a company integral to 3D technology in films like "Jurassic Park," "Titanic," and "Lord of the Rings," later established a foundation supporting arts and technology. He was actively involved in charitable efforts aiding Dominica's recovery from national disasters.
In 2022, Langlois and Marchand inaugurated Coulibri Ridge, a luxury hotel in Dominica branded as an "eco-retreat."
During Lehrer and Snider's arraignment on Wednesday, local reports indicated that outraged residents gathered outside the courthouse in Roseau, praising Langlois for his contributions and generosity towards the community. Questions arose about the impact of his loss on their collective future.
On Thursday, friends and community members in Dominica assembled for a memorial sunset paddle and a candlelight vigil. Participants on kayaks raised their paddles in unison, with flowers symbolically cast into the water during the tribute. A live-streamed event on social media included a minute of silence at sunset.
Simon Walsh, a couple's friend, characterized the gathering in a Facebook post as a "tribute" and a "positive moment," acknowledging the couple's affection for Dominica and the nearby village of Soufriere, where their resort was located.
This report by The Canadian Press was initially published on December 7, 2023.
