An American chocolatier is facing charges after a Canadian animator and his partner were found dead in a burned car near their Caribbean resort, authorities say.
Dominica authorities said the incinerated remains of Daniel Langlois, a 3D animator whose company worked on Jurassic Park and Titanic, and his partner, Dominique Marchand, were found last Friday in a burned car days after they were reported missing. They were found about a mile away from the resort they managed together, the Coulibri Ridge Eco Resort, and are believed to have been murdered between Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
Jonathan Lehrer, who owns the chocolate company Bois Cotlette Estate, was taken into custody on Wednesday in Dominica in connection with the murders, police inspector Fixton Henderson said. Robert Snider, an American who had been staying on Lehrer’s property, was also charged in the murders, Henderson told NBC News. Lehrer’s wife and a Dominican man were also arrested in connection with the case but were not charged, Henderson said.
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Lehrer and Snyder are currently in custody at the Dominica State Prison after a brief court appearance on Wednesday.
“We fully understand the public interest which has been generated in respect of this matter. However, we will remain within the confines of the law and err on the side of caution by not disclosing any intrinsic and evidential details of the charges before the court,” Sherma Dalrymple, director of public prosecutions in Dominica, said in a press conference this week. “We, however, are permitted to tell you the public that we will strongly do our prosecutorial duties and will work tirelessly to ensure that justice is served in this matter.”
Authorities say the grisly slaying may be connected to the years-long feud between Langlois, 66, and Lehrer, 57, who owns a 53-acre chocolate and coffee plantation next door to the animator’s luxury resort.
Court documents reveal that in 2018, Langlois took Lehrer to court over their dispute about a public road that cuts through Bois Cotlette’s estate. The dispute began after Lehrer allegedly blocked off public access to the road with boulders, a trench, and metal pipes. Langlois cited that the lack of access to the Morne Rouge Public Road resulted in the loss of economic interests. In 2019, a High Court affirmed that the road is public and that Lehrer had no right to block Langlois’ guests’ right of way. The judge also ordered the two men to enter into mediation, though it is not clear if that occurred.
