- American chocolate tycoon Jonathan Lehrer is charged with MURDER alongside ‘hitman’ he ‘hired to kill Canadian software developer Daniel Langlois and his partner’ in Dominica
According to officials, a US chocolate maker has been charged with the murder of a billionaire Canadian entrepreneur and his partner, who were ambushed in the Caribbean by a hitman.
Daniel Langlois, 66, and Dominique Marchand, both from Quebec, were discovered dead inside a burnt truck near their Dominica eco-resort on Friday.
Langlois is best known as the creator of 3D animation software for films such as Jurassic Park, Men in Black, and Star Wars.
Jonathan Lehrer, 57, has been charged with the murder of the Canadian couple, along with the alleged hitman, Robert Snider, a non-national. Lehrer and his wife run the chocolate maker estate Bois Collette Inc, which is located near to Langlois’ Coulibri Ridge resort.
According to investigators, Langlois and Marchand were ‘ambushed’ by a hit man who killed them and then set their car on fire. The entrepreneur was assassinated over a road dispute with Lehrer.
Langlois and Lehrer had a disagreement about the use of the Morne Rouge Public Road, which runs across the chocolatier’s domain.
The fight reached the island’s highest court, which ruled in 2019 that the route was public and that Langlois’ visitors could freely use it.
Langlois accused Lehrer of causing interference with the unhindered and unfettered use of the public road’ for at least four years, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com in 2019.
Lehrer allegedly ‘blocked the road by laying stones over the road, digging a trench across the said road, installing metal pipes, and placing equipment and supplies on the road, depriving the claimants and their personnel access to their property’ on one occasion.
According to a 2018 local newspaper, a protest was held on the route after ‘a land owner from Bois Cutlette’ blocked it.
According to Dominica News Online, “the residents, the majority of whom are employees at Petite Coulibri, have been unable to pass safely to get to work, and have decided to protest the landowner’s action.”
Lehrer and Snider are due to appear today in Roseau Magistrate Court.
The Daniel Langlois Foundation stated on Monday that Langlois and Marchand died ‘under sad circumstances’.
‘Crimes like this not only affect foreign relations, but this crime in particular has sent shock waves throughout the island and left the employees, families, and communities of the victims in mourning,’ said National Security Minister Rayburn Blackmor.
In an interview with the Journal de Montreal (JDM), chocolate tycoon Lehrer’s father, Robert, denied the possibility that his son was responsible.
‘Jonathan is a successful entrepreneur, not a murderer. We’re really close, and he’s not a violent man. ‘I can’t believe it,’ he admitted.
‘We are aware of allegations of the arrest of a US citizen in Dominica,’ a representative for the US Department of State told the BBC.
‘We have no additional comment at this time due to privacy concerns.’
According to Dominica News Online, police detained four people for questioning: Lehrer, his wife, Snider, and a Dominican guy.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed the deaths of two Canadian citizens on the island but did not identify them.
‘Canadian officials continue to closely monitor the situation, engage with local authorities, and provide consular assistance. ‘No further information may be released due to privacy concerns,’ the office stated.
The tremendous fire in the car rendered identifying the victims impossible, according to Dominica police, who are relying on “circumstantial evidence” to link them to the missing pair.
Langlois was a dual Canadian-Dominican citizen. He was beloved in both countries, with many honoring him on social media following reports of his death.
Canada’s minister of Canadian Heritage, Pascale St-Onge wrote: ‘Daniel Langlois, a visionary in digital technologies and cinema, has left us. His legacy reflects his innovative spirit. My thoughts are with his loved ones.’
