2 charged in Dominica killings of Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand

Two men were charged with the murder of Quebec entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his partner, Dominique Marchand, in a court in Roseau, Dominica Wednesday morning.

Jonathan Lehrer and Robert Snyder briefly appeared in the courtroom, both in handcuffs. Snyder appeared to have severe burns on his arm and leg. Neither entered a plea.

The bodies of Langlois and Marchand were found in a burnt-out car last Friday in Dominica, the Caribbean island nation where the couple had lived since 1997.

Lehrer, originally from New Jersey, owns property next to the luxury eco-resort run by Langlois and Marchand, which opened in 2022 after years of planning and construction. Langlois took Lehrer to court in 2018 over a dispute over a public road that passes through Lehrer's estate.

Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand had lived in Dominica since 1997. (Coulibri Ridge resort)

Local sources told Radio-Canada that someone ambushed and killed Langlois and Marchand and then set their car on fire. The sources said the assailant was injured when starting the fire, and that this helped police track down a suspect and make arrests.

Four people have been arrested by police in Dominica so far in connection with the killings, but it's not clear whether the other two will be charged. The next court appearance is set for March 2024.

Langlois, a computer animation pioneer, became a global success story with his company, Softimage, which produced 3D animation software that was used in movies such as Jurassic Park.