Two men were found guilty on Tuesday of a double murder that rocked the small Caribbean island of Dominica more than three years ago. Businessman Jonathan Lehrer and his employee, mechanic Robert Snyder Jr., were convicted of killing Canadian special effects guru Daniel Langlois and his partner, Dominique Marchand.
“After all this time it still makes me sad to think of their passing and the way that they left this earth, because they really didn’t deserve that,” local businesswoman Ayeola George tells Rolling Stone through tears. “These are two people who for decades gave so much to Dominicans and introduced our island to people who got to love it almost as much as they did. So I am very happy with the results. It doesn’t bring them back, but at least we can say that justice has been served and they will do their time. I want them to rot in jail.”
Prosecutors exited the courthouse to chants of “good job!” as supporters thronged the small courthouse. They were led by Ann-Marie Delsol, former cook for the murdered couple, who previously told Rolling Stone, “It is very painful for us because we’ve lost two great people. That’s the first time we are ever having a crime like this in Dominica.”
Langlois and Marchand moved to Dominica in the late-Nineties to fulfill their dream of building an eco resort that would give back to the island, a gorgeous natural haven studded with hot and cold springs and ample flora, fauna, and wildlife. Langlois had made millions pioneering the technology that made films like Jurassic Park possible before pivoting to philanthropy. According to prosecutors, the couple locked horns with Lehrer in recent years; Lehrer is an American businessman who moved his family to the island to run an ancient chocolate plantation. Lawyers allege the two were fighting over access to a public road, a claim that representatives for the Lehrer family strongly oppose.
“I never even lost a half a wink of sleep,” Lehrer previously told Rolling Stone through his representatives. “I believe that Langlois’ strategy was to just overwhelm me with paperwork. I don’t think he realized that I had the wherewithal to put a proper defense together. And it did take a little time, but [it wasn’t] a big deal.”
Nevertheless, Langlois and Marchand were found dead in their burned out car in November of 2023 not far from their resort, Coulibri Ridge. Their deaths hit the island hard; not only were they a beloved couple, they also frequently gave back to the island, rebuilding a school and a jetty after Hurricane Maria decimated the island in 2017. “He wanted to deliver for humanity,” Simon Walsh, a friend of Langlois, told Rolling Stone in 2023.
Upon exiting the courthouse Tuesday, Senior Counsel Keith Scotland told media: “The prosecution has a duty to do. The duty is to protect the rule of law in Dominica. … We called 46 witnesses in this case, from France to Germany to Barbados to Jamaica to Saint Lucia. This was a very difficult case because it was based on circumstantial evidence. … We put the pieces together. … We as the prosecution are like the archers. We let go of the bow, we have done our part, we let the verdict lie where it stands. … We did our best for Daniel and Dominique.”
The trial kicked off on July 1, with the prosecution declining to seek the death penalty due to a legal arrangement needed to bring witnesses overseas. A representative for Lehrer’s family did not immediately respond to a request for comment.