Dominica - Quebec entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and companion Dominique Marchand found dead in burning car, three suspects detained - 30 Nov 2023

[ifindedout]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/daniel-langlois-dominique-marchand-found-dead-1.7047651
Quebec new-media entrepreneur and philanthropist Daniel Langlois is believed to have been found dead in Dominica, along with his partner Dominique Marchand, according to reports from the Caribbean nation.

The couple had been missing for a few days and was found in a burned-out car according to Dominica News Online, and local sources contacted by Radio-Canada, including the resort they both managed.

"The entire community on the island is in mourning following a devastating incident on Thursday, November 30," said a spokesperson for the Coulibri Ridge resort in a statement to Radio-Canada.

[...]

Police have detained and are questioning three suspects, according to Dominica News Online.

[...]

Langlois founded the firm Softimage which produced 3D animation software that was used in movies such as Jurassic Park.

[...]

He and Marchand first came to the Caribbean island in 1997 and began working on the luxury off-the-grid Coulibri Ridge eco-resort. Two decades later, it was opened to the public in October 2022.

Daniel Langlois - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Cedars]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/daniel-langlois-dominique-marchand-found-dead-1.7047651
Quebec new-media entrepreneur and philanthropist Daniel Langlois is believed to have been found dead in Dominica, along with his partner Dominique Marchand, according to reports from the Caribbean nation.

The couple had been missing for a few days and was found in a burned-out car according to Dominica News Online, and local sources contacted by Radio-Canada, including the resort they both managed.

"The entire community on the island is in mourning following a devastating incident on Thursday, November 30," said a spokesperson for the Coulibri Ridge resort in a statement to Radio-Canada.

[...]

Police have detained and are questioning three suspects, according to Dominica News Online.

[...]

Langlois founded the firm Softimage which produced 3D animation software that was used in movies such as Jurassic Park.

[...]

He and Marchand first came to the Caribbean island in 1997 and began working on the luxury off-the-grid Coulibri Ridge eco-resort. Two decades later, it was opened to the public in October 2022.

Very sad, murdered 1 year after their resort opened...

Dominica is unaccustomed to this kind of crime (probably have few forensic resources) and have requested assistance from Canadian police. However, they've arrested 4 people, 3 non-nationals: suggesting a conspiracy.

https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/charred-remains-found-in-vehicle-believed-to-missing-resort-owners-three-in-police-custody-2/

 

[TailSpin]

Apparently, Langlois was having a dispute with a neighbor, American citizen Johnathan Lehrer, over the use of a public road on Mr. Lehrer's estate. Mr. Lehrer had blocked access to Langlois and other employees on numerous occasions. Langlois had sued him and the highest court had ruled the road to be public in 2019.

 

[ifindedout]

Apparently, Langlois was having a dispute with a neighbor, American citizen Johnathan Lehrer, over the use of a public road on Mr. Lehrer's estate. Mr. Lehrer had blocked access to Langlois and other employees on numerous occasions. Langlois had sued him and the highest court had ruled the road to be public in 2019.

Can you provide a mainstream media source for this?

 

[azure]

Can you provide a mainstream media source for this?

It's in the CBC article:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/daniel-langlois-dominique-marchand-found-dead-1.7047651

Local authorities are questioning four people of interest in relation to the deaths, including Jonathan Lehrer, owner of Bois Collette Inc., according to Radio-Canada. In 2018, Langlois took Lehrer to court because of a dispute concerning the philanthropist using the Morne Rouge Public Road, which passes through Lehrer's estate.

 

[Snoopster]

American chocolatier detained after millionaire's murder in Dominica

According to Daily Mail American Johnathon Lehrer and his wife are being questioned but have not been charged.

 

[Snoopster]

Shades of John McAfee?

 

[ifindedout]

American chocolatier detained after millionaire's murder in Dominica

According to Daily Mail American Johnathon Lehrer and his wife are being questioned but have not been charged.

In court documents from 2019 seen by DailyMail.com, Langlois accused Lehrer of causing interference with the unobstructed and free use of the public road' for at least four years.

On one occasion Lehrer reportedly 'blocked the road by placing boulders across the road, digging a trench across the said road, erecting metal pipes and placing equipment and supplies on the road denying the claimants and their employees access to their property.'

A local report from 2018 says a protest was staged on the road after 'a land owner from Bois Cutlette' blocked it.

Dominica News Online said: 'The residents, most of whom are employees at Petite Coulibri, have been unable to pass safely to get to work, and decided to protest the action of the land owner.'

 

[musicaljoke]

Sounds like Lehrer is some kind of a nutbar. Blocking people from accessing their property is pretty aggressive stuff.

 

[Snoopster]

American chocolatier detained after millionaire's murder in Dominica

 

[Snoopster]

Google-translated extract from Journal de Montreal:

Dominica newspapers also report that the Quebec couple were shot dead before their vehicle was lit. Everything indicates that they were caught in an ambush set by a hitman.

But he suffered significant burns during his crime, so the police were able to arrest him very close to the scene. During the interrogation, the hitman would have spoken enough for the investigators to go back to those who gave the contract, namely Jonathan and Victoria Lehrer. They are also the parents of four children scattered throughout the United States.

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2...--jonathan-nest-pas-un-meurtrier-dit-son-pere

Not the brightest hitman in the world. Thank goodness.

 

[TenaciousTBacon]

How incredibly sad. A neighborhood access dispute isn't expected to escalate to double murder. The murdered couple seem to be doing good in the world, opening an eco- resort and employing many locals.

 

[TailSpin]

It takes an entitled SOB to murder someone over the use of a public road in a vast estate. If LE have the alleged murderer in custody and he's already pointing the finger at Lehrer, he's in trouble as he's the only one with a motive so far.

 

[PrairieWind]

It takes an entitled SOB to murder someone over the use of a public road in a vast estate. If LE have the alleged murderer in custody and he's already pointing the finger at Lehrer, he's in trouble as he's the only one with a motive so far.

It is stunning isn't it? It tells you what value some people put on other people's lives.

 

[Cedars]

It takes an entitled SOB to murder someone over the use of a public road in a vast estate. If LE have the alleged murderer in custody and he's already pointing the finger at Lehrer, he's in trouble as he's the only one with a motive so far.

Looking at google maps, the road goes right through the old plantation buildings on the chocolate estate.

However, it's the fault of the owners or their lawyers, if they believed when they bought it that it was the end of the road. They should have done more research to ensure there was no property beyond their's. They snoozed, they lost.

JMO

 

[TailSpin]

Looking at google maps, the road goes right through the old plantation buildings on the chocolate estate.

However, it's the fault of the owners or their lawyers, if they believed when they bought it that it was the end of the road. They should have done more research to ensure there was no property beyond their's. They snoozed, they lost.

JMO
View attachment 466091

Yes prior to the new Coulibri Ridge resort there was very little down that road other than Morne Rouge at the end of the road. Honestly now that the resort is up and running, having the owners murdered isn't going to close down the resort traffic long term as they will get new owners.

 

[Dhighsmith]

Shades of John McAfee?

Thinking the exact same thing.

 

[Dhighsmith]

It takes an entitled SOB to murder someone over the use of a public road in a vast estate. If LE have the alleged murderer in custody and he's already pointing the finger at Lehrer, he's in trouble as he's the only one with a motive so far.

It’s sometimes rooted in the sense of entitlement.

 

[Snoopster]

It’s sometimes rooted in the sense of entitlement.

If you look at reviews of Bois Cotlette Plantation on a certain popular travel site, you will see that some people complained that they were verbally accosted if they showed up there without an advance reservation. The replies to those critical reviews by Jonathan Lehrer, the owner, are fairly telling. IMO.

 

[Snoopster]

Here is the Supreme Court judgement relating to the dispute:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

It sounds like JL was told he was not allowed to block the road anymore. He apparently offered to build a diversion road, but then said he would not allow Daniel Langlois' engineer on the property to check it to ensure it was sound. He really comes off as a jerk.

If you look at the buildings on his property and how the small road runs immediately between his various buildings I can see that that would be disappointing to have that through-traffic, but, hey, he knew the road continued on when he bought the property. And it's clear he didn't work well with the locals.

Contrast that to Daniel and Dominique and they were loved by the community. Dominique apparently founded the Dominica Humane Society 20 years ago. They worked hard on creating and eco-friendly resort and apparently very nice to their employees.