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

[Cedars]

Things keep turning up.

Bois Cotlette signed a contract with the Dominica government in 2016 that enabled them to sell golden passports to investors, in exchange for undertaking their proposed major development.

This is where the proposal to create 90 rooms I linked above, comes from.

"Ground breaking for Bois Cotlette is expected in March 2017 and operations, June of 2019. Bois Cotlette is expected to directly and indirectly create ninety jobs through the process of construction and on completion of the project. "

Contracts Signed for Three Hotel Projects under CBI - GIS Dominica

Government Information Service of Dominica

www.news.gov.dm

Apparently, none of that happened. Hard to believe the delays had anything to do with the dispute about the road. If JL was planning on building 90 hotel rooms, no one would notice the traffic going to the 14 rooms at Coulibri Ridge.

I'm questioning the motive laid out in the initial story.

JMO

 

[Cedars]

I'm wondering: did JL block the road because he didn't want traffic going through his estate...or did he maybe block the road because he hated Langlois and Marchard for some reason, and was just using the road as an excuse to thwart them.

JMO

 

[Cedars]

This is a link to the Wayback machine capture of the Dominica gov't page of approved real estate development investments for those seeking a Golden Passport, dated Oct 3, 2023 (slow to load)

Approved Real Estate Projects | Dominica CBIU

Learn more about the approved real estate projects under the Citizenship by Investment Programme for the Commonwealth of Dominica.

web.archive.org

There are only 10 projects eligible, including Bois Cotlette.

Those looking to buy a passport could simply pay the government $100k, or put $200k into one of these 10 companies. If they invest in the real estate, there is the potential that their investment will grow in value when they sell it.

Since the chocolate estate has been trying to sell Dominica Golden Passports since 2016, I've been looking into how that program was, just 2 months ago, covered by international news media as potentially corrupt:
Oct 12
"Analysis of government budget data suggests as many as 19,000 individuals may have obtained citizenship between 2016 and 2022. Most passports were sold after 2015, when the EU introduced visa-fee travel for Dominican citizens, sparking a jump in sales from hundreds a year to thousands....Dominican passports are popular with Chinese, Russian and Iranian nationals, who often face restrictions when crossing borders, registering businesses or opening bank accounts in western countries."

Dominica may have sold thousands more ‘golden passports’ than it disclosed, analysis suggests

Investigation raises questions about transparency and governance of $1bn citizenship by investment scheme

www.theguardian.com

ETA: read the article by clicking the "I'll do it later" button, where the page asks for money.

Oct 16 local media story:
"when you see the numbers and the money that should be coming in with the passports and the reality on the ground, it doesn’t add up...First, the number of people that
get the passports, what is done with the money, how much money there is."

https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/investigative-journalist-says-dominicas-government-refused-to-answer-questions-on-cbi-program/

So, anyone in the world could buy a $200,000 share in Bois Cotlette and therefore get a passport that allows visa-free entry into the EU, etc. How many people bought shares in Bois Cotlette? What has happened to the money? People can get their money back after 3 years, can Bois Cotlette pay them back?

It seems to me JL had much more serious issues going on than a road through his property. And why was the CEO of a New Jersey company potentially directly involved in the murders? Could it really have been over this measly road issue?

JMO

 

[Cedars]

John Lehrer is a referred to as a chocolate mogul in news articles. The location at Bois Cotlette doe not appear to be that expansive and the website mostly goes over tourism chocolate experience tours. Is there more to his chocolate business than this estate in Dominica?

IMO, that's not the news media, that's the tabloid media. They also spell the name of the property wrong, calling it Bois Collette.

US chocolate maker and wife arrested in Dominica after 'hitman ambush'

The neighbors of the couple, Jonathan Lehrer, 57, (pictured) and his wife, who own and operate chocolate makers Bois Collette Inc, are being questioned by police.

www.dailymail.co.uk

JMO

 

[Cedars]

I notice the Toronto Star (which is usually behind a paywall for me), have supplied a tiny more info about the accused:
-Jonathan Scott Lehrer, 57
-Robert Snyder Jr. from St. Petersburg, Fla.,

Two U.S. men charged in death of Quebec entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and wife Dominique Marchand

U.S. businessman Jonathan Lehrer and Robert Snyder appeared before the Roseau Magistrate Court today to be formally charged with murder.

www.thestar.com

I also noticed a story about the victim's resort:
"Coulibri Ridge sits in a valley that’s been inhabited for thousands of years, first home to the Arawak people then in colonial times a lime plantation. Eventually, a small collection of cottages was built here and served as a rustic resort.

"It was while staying at this resort that French Canadian Daniel Langlois fell in love with this ridge atop the sea. He purchased the land with dreams of building a grand resort, and in 2005, he finally broke ground."

Dominica’s Stunning New Resort Proves That Sustainable Luxury Can Thrive

Coulibri Ridge in Dominica is more sustainable than any other high-end resort in the Caribbean and beyond. Here's what you need to know.

matadornetwork.com

So, there was an old plantation using that road, plus a hotel, plus Daniel Langlois was undertaking redevelopment, long before JL (or whoever supplied the cash) bought the Bois Cotlette plantation around 2011. The whole 'private road' story never held water, IMO, and was purely an invention out of spite and to hinder Langlois.

JMO

 

[TailSpin]

I'm not clear on what evidence law enforcement has against Snyder and Lehrer. Has Snyder confessed and implicated Lehrer as the one who ordered the hit? I read that Snyder was picked up close to the burning car with burns on his hands but even that tidbit seems odd as the car wasn't found until several days after the incident occurred. Why would Snyder still be nearby?

 

[Cedars]

I'm not clear on what evidence law enforcement has against Snyder and Lehrer. Has Snyder confessed and implicated Lehrer as the one who ordered the hit? I read that Snyder was picked up close to the burning car with burns on his hands but even that tidbit seems odd as the car wasn't found until several days after the incident occurred. Why would Snyder still be nearby?

All that Canadian Press (pretty authoritative IMO) are saying now is: "Police spokesman Jeoffrey James told reporters today that officers made three arrests after they visited a property close to what investigators believe is a secondary crime scene. A fourth person was later taken into custody."

Two charged with murder of Canadian entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and partner in Dominica

Documents show that Langlois and one of the accused were neighbours and were at one point engaged in a legal dispute over use of a public road

nationalpost.com

The reference to 'secondary crime scene', to me, probably means where the car was found. It is being called 'secondary' because they do not believe it was where the murders occurred.

This makes sense to me. What would Langlois and Marchand have been doing, driving in the jungle?

The 'property close', IMO, was probably Bois Cotlette. That might have been the 'primary crime scene', and perhaps they found evidence of a shooting (which has been rumoured).

The speculation that Snyder was a hit man could be incorrect - maybe he just disposed of the car and bodies.

However, unlike in the US, arrest warrants aren't made public in Dominica (or Canada), so info won't be revealed through official channels until, perhaps, the preliminary inquiry (not sure whether all the evidence will be made public, but the charges will).

JMO

 

[Snoopster]

I don't know what to think.
First off, I want to thank @Cedars for such excellent research on the citizenship program. It seems ripe for abuse.

Regarding the motive for the murder, I don't think we will really know until we understand how JL made/makes his money and what his relationship with Snyder is. We already know that JL took pretty strong measures against Langlois. We also know he treated just about anyone that happened up that road with abuse. Is he just a privacy freak or is he hiding something? Was he concerned that locals would find out that he wasn't actually developing the property/business even though he continued to sell golden passports?

I had seen comments by locals on social media that expressed concern that JL was tight with senior government officials and they were worried that he might be allowed to leave the country and not face a full, proper investigation and legal trial. I hope this doesn't come true.

To @TailSpin 's point, we don't know what evidence there actually is. It does seem highly suspect that RS had severe burns, shortly after the burned out vehicle was found. That seems like too much of a coincidence to me.

Again, what is the relationship between JL and RS?? Is RS a resident of Dominica? Did he regularly visit JL?

 

[Cedars]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed for no link>
Thanks.

Another odd thing is on the website for the estate, the page about investing in the property:

"Security
Bois Cotlette has always been, and is today, fully self-sufficient in all three food, power, and water. If the outside world has a major disruption, whether it be political, economic, prolonged natural disaster, or for a variety of other reasons shuts down tomorrow, 150 savvy investors will always have a safe haven and the ability to live peacefully at Bois Cotlette."

IMO, this is very weird. I checked the Wayback machine, it dates back to when the webpage was created in 2016.

There's nothing on the webpage showing any sketches or plans for the development, that would house these 150 savvy people during this apocalypse. (Plus, would there really be enough chocolate for all of them?)

Why Bois Cotlette? FREEDOM! | Bois Cotlette Estate

Bois Cotlette is FREEDOM The property comes with the following. The Bois Cotlette Estate was first settled about the year 400 by Amerindians. They

www.boiscotlette.com

I guess I have 2 questions. If Bois Cotlette was being run by a paranoid nutjob, why was he receiving the government seal of approval to collect money from people wanting to buy a golden visa?

And then, given that the dispute over the road dated from about 2016-2019, what sparked the alleged murders, at this late date?

I tend to believe there is always some specific event that triggers off a murder, not just long-simmering conflict, which many people live with.

JMO

 

[Snoopster]

Thanks.

Another odd thing is on the website for the estate, the page about investing in the property:

"Security
Bois Cotlette has always been, and is today, fully self-sufficient in all three food, power, and water. If the outside world has a major disruption, whether it be political, economic, prolonged natural disaster, or for a variety of other reasons shuts down tomorrow, 150 savvy investors will always have a safe haven and the ability to live peacefully at Bois Cotlette."

IMO, this is very weird. I checked the Wayback machine, it dates back to when the webpage was created in 2016.

There's nothing on the webpage showing any sketches or plans for the development, that would house these 150 savvy people during this apocalypse. (Plus, would there really be enough chocolate for all of them?)

Why Bois Cotlette? FREEDOM! | Bois Cotlette Estate

Bois Cotlette is FREEDOM The property comes with the following. The Bois Cotlette Estate was first settled about the year 400 by Amerindians. They

www.boiscotlette.com

I guess I have 2 questions. If he was a paranoid nutjob, why was he receiving the government seal of approval to collect money from people wanting to buy a golden visa?

And then, given that the dispute over the road dated from about 2016-2019, what sparked the alleged murders, at this late date?

I tend to believe there is always some specific event that triggers off a murder, not just long-simmering conflict, which many people live with.

JMO

I'm guessing he didn't have many 'savvy investors'.

Contrast his comment about saving these 'savvy investors' with the actual world actions of Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand. Daniel was given an award of merit by the government of Dominica for his actions in response to Hurricane Maria, which hit in September 2017. His charity helped rebuild the local public school and added supplemental solar power and a community kitchen which would help the residents if another disaster hit.

 

[vls12345]

I had seen comments by locals on social media that expressed concern that JL was tight with senior government officials and they were worried that he might be allowed to leave the country and not face a full, proper investigation and legal trial. I hope this doesn't come true.

I haven't had time to delve much into this case yet but when I saw the footage of him getting out in handcuffs & smiling & waving, I was afraid of something like this -- he is fairly confident he has a way out (whether that's being tight with senior government officials or some other scenario with a similar outcome).

To (mostly) quote Shakespeare,"Something is rotten in the state of D[ominica]. That one may smile and smile and be a villain."

(Edited to clarify -- by using the Shakespeare quote, I mean the something rotten in Dominica = JL & RS.)

Imo.

 

[TailSpin]

Am I the only who looked at the videos and pictures of Snyder as he left the magistrate court cuffed to Lehrer and see nothing resembling "severe burns" on either arm?

It wouldn't surprise me that LE jumped to a conclusion due to the past disputes over the public road access and are now trying to build a case to support that theory rather than having direct evidence. I didn't see any reporting about evidence collected at the primary murder scene (assuming they were not murdered where the car was found).

Lehrer does sound like loathsome fellow but something is not quite adding up with the motive considering the issue about the public road access was several years ago.

 

[Snoopster]

Am I the only who looked at the videos and pictures of Snyder as he left the magistrate court cuffed to Lehrer and see nothing resembling "severe burns" on either arm?

It wouldn't surprise me that LE jumped to a conclusion due to the past disputes over the public road access and are now trying to build a case to support that theory rather than having direct evidence. I didn't see any reporting about evidence collected at the primary murder scene (assuming they were not murdered where the car was found).

Lehrer does sound like loathsome fellow but something is not quite adding up with the motive considering the issue about the public road access was several years ago.

It's true that the court case was several years ago but Coulibri Ridge resort only opened about a year ago. Perhaps JL didn't want to face another season of Coulibri Ridge customers driving through his property. Or perhaps the locals had turned on him as a result of local publicity around the case. Who knows what the 'final straw' was, but the road issue clearly contributed to bad blood between the parties. Based on JL's actions with other people and the extreme measures he took to block the road it seems obvious that he has a very bad temper.

 

[Cedars]

It's true that the court case was several years ago but Coulibri Ridge resort only opened about a year ago. Perhaps JL didn't want to face another season of Coulibri Ridge customers driving through his property. Or perhaps the locals had turned on him as a result of local publicity around the case. Who knows what the 'final straw' was, but the road issue clearly contributed to bad blood between the parties. Based on JL's actions with other people and the extreme measures he took to block the road it seems obvious that he has a very bad temper.

I think we just don't know the motive. The reason the road issue is at the forefront of this thread is not because it is the motive for the crime, but because it was public knowledge, and there was a legal document, so the Daily Mail, etc., brought it up and flogged it in their coverage.

But the police were not sitting around, drawing conclusions from what they read in the Daily Mail. They were collecting actual evidence, such as, perhaps, following back to Bois Cotlette the tracks the car made as it was driven through the jungle to the dump site. Or perhaps interviewing a badly burned Dominican man who pointed fingers at JL and Snider. Or maybe found the meeting place where there were signs of a shooting and blood, etc, and a matching weapon in JL's possession, etc.

Just because we don't know the motive yet, doesn't mean there wasn't one. Could be the road, could be something else.

Who would have predicted Murdaugh would kill his wife and son to create a diversion from his financial pressures.

Who would imagine a man would hire a hitman to get rid of his sister's ex, so his mother could have more time with her grandchildren.

But police don't prosecute based on motive, they prosecute based on evidence. Even in Dominica.

JMO

 

[Snoopster]

I think we just don't know the motive. The reason the road issue is at the forefront of this thread is not because it is the motive for the crime, but because it was public knowledge, and there was a legal document, so the Daily Mail, etc., brought it up and flogged it in their coverage.

But the police were not sitting around, drawing conclusions from what they read in the Daily Mail. They were collecting actual evidence, such as, perhaps, following back to Bois Cotlette the tracks the car made as it was driven through the jungle to the dump site. Or perhaps interviewing a badly burned Dominican man who pointed fingers at JL and Snider. Or maybe found the meeting place where there were signs of a shooting and blood, etc, and a matching weapon in JL's possession, etc.

Just because we don't know the motive yet, doesn't mean there wasn't one. Could be the road, could be something else.

Who would have predicted Murdaugh would kill his wife and son to create a diversion from his financial pressures.

Who would imagine a man would hire a hitman to get rid of his sister's ex, so his mother could have more time with her grandchildren.

But police don't prosecute based on motive, they prosecute based on evidence. Even in Dominica.

JMO

All true. I agree.
But my concern is that St Mark Parish has a grand total population of 1800 souls. They are running the investigation. I can't imagine that they are well staffed (or even staffed at all) to handle a murder investigation. I'm sure they are trying to do a good job, but that's a lot to expect of them (or any place of the same size).
No doubt the country has assigned other people to help out, but I wonder if there was a lot missed in the meantime. And the population of the entire country is only 72,400. There is no way they could afford to be set up with forensic facilities. I really hope that the Canadian government steps in to help, as requested by Dominica.

 

[otto]

Am I the only who looked at the videos and pictures of Snyder as he left the magistrate court cuffed to Lehrer and see nothing resembling "severe burns" on either arm?

It wouldn't surprise me that LE jumped to a conclusion due to the past disputes over the public road access and are now trying to build a case to support that theory rather than having direct evidence. I didn't see any reporting about evidence collected at the primary murder scene (assuming they were not murdered where the car was found).

Lehrer does sound like loathsome fellow but something is not quite adding up with the motive considering the issue about the public road access was several years ago.

Man on the left "apparently" has severe burns on his arm and leg.

"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."


Robert Snyder, left, and Jonathan Lehrer arrive at a courthouse in Roseau, Dominica, where they were charged with the murders of Daniel Langlois and his partner Dominique Marchand. (EmoNews)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/2-charged-langlois-marchand-killing-dominica-1.7050513

I needed a closer look at the area to visualize what it looked like for the victims and guests to drive through the suspect's property. Killing the owners will not stop the traffic. Someone other than the suspects will own the resort in the future and the traffic will continue.

opentopomap

 

[Snoopster]

Man on the left "apparently" has severe burns on his arm and leg.

"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."

View attachment 466775
Robert Snyder, left, and Jonathan Lehrer arrive at a courthouse in Roseau, Dominica, where they were charged with the murders of Daniel Langlois and his partner Dominique Marchand. (EmoNews)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/2-charged-langlois-marchand-killing-dominica-1.7050513

I needed a closer look at the area to visualize what it looked like for the victims and guests to drive through the suspect's property. Killing the owners will not stop the traffic. Someone other than the suspects will own the resort in the future and the traffic will continue.

opentopomap

So we can see a bandage on his right arm. Clearly he doesn't have extensive burns on his arm. Perhaps they are more extensive burns on his leg, which we can't see. But let's face it, if he had 'severe' burns he would likely still be in hospital. I'm guessing that he had obvious burns, which would definitely still be suspicious, and that media has exaggerated the extent/severity of the burns.

 

[otto]

All true. I agree.
But my concern is that St Mark Parish has a grand total population of 1800 souls. They are running the investigation. I can't imagine that they are well staffed (or even staffed at all) to handle a murder investigation. I'm sure they are trying to do a good job, but that's a lot to expect of them (or any place of the same size).
No doubt the country has assigned other people to help out, but I wonder if there was a lot missed in the meantime. And the population of the entire country is only 72,400. There is no way they could afford to be set up with forensic facilities. I really hope that the Canadian government steps in to help, as requested by Dominica.

The RCMP are collaborating with Commonwealth of Dominica police to solve the murders and prosecute the guilty party. As a Commonwealth Nation, the release of information related to the investigation might be similar to Canada and the UK. That is, evidence will be released during trial, so we have to wait.

"Police on the Caribbean island nation of Dominica say they are collaborating with the RCMP on forensic analyses of the crime scene where two Canadians were found dead last week.

The bodies of renowned Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Daniel Langlois, 66, and his partner Dominique Marchand, 58, were found on Dec. 1 in a burned-out SUV, local police say, near the southern Dominica village of Soufriere.

At a press conference Thursday, representatives of the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force said they are in discussions with the RCMP to have evidentiary samples collected from the crime scene forensically analyzed. Dominica police said that while they have the capacity to collect evidentiary samples, they are not able to conduct DNA or other forensic analyses.

Dominica police release new details in murder of Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand

Police say they are collaborating with RCMP on forensic analyses of the crime scene where two Canadians were found dead.

www.thestar.com

 

[Snoopster]

The RCMP are collaborating with Commonwealth of Dominica police to solve the murders and prosecute the guilty party. As a Commonwealth Nation, the release of information related to the investigation might be similar to Canada and the UK. That is, evidence will be released during trial, so we have to wait.

"Police on the Caribbean island nation of Dominica say they are collaborating with the RCMP on forensic analyses of the crime scene where two Canadians were found dead last week.

The bodies of renowned Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Daniel Langlois, 66, and his partner Dominique Marchand, 58, were found on Dec. 1 in a burned-out SUV, local police say, near the southern Dominica village of Soufriere.

At a press conference Thursday, representatives of the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force said they are in discussions with the RCMP to have evidentiary samples collected from the crime scene forensically analyzed. Dominica police said that while they have the capacity to collect evidentiary samples, they are not able to conduct DNA or other forensic analyses.

Dominica police release new details in murder of Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand

Police say they are collaborating with RCMP on forensic analyses of the crime scene where two Canadians were found dead.

www.thestar.com

Thanks Otto.
I missed that article. Hopefully the RCMP agree. It would be disappointing if they didn't since the victims were Canadian. (and even if they weren't I would hope they would help out these small nations from time to time.)

 

[otto]

So we can see a bandage on his right arm. Clearly he doesn't have extensive burns on his arm. Perhaps they are more extensive burns on his leg, which we can't see. But let's face it, if he had 'severe' burns he would likely still be in hospital. I'm guessing that he had obvious burns, which would definitely still be suspicious, and that media has exaggerated the extent/severity of the burns.

I thought it was a bandage at first. Not sure. We don't see a photo of the burns, but maybe there's another image in the footage. CBC isn't known for gruesome graphic photos. Snyder was slow getting out of the van, even though the man on the other end of the handcuffs was pulling.

When the CBC reporter wrote that "Snyder appeared to have severe burns on his arm and leg." I understood that as eye-witness reporting. Written by John MacFarlane · CBC News · Dec 06, 2023. What do you think? Eye-witness, or rumour?