Canadian animation pioneer Daniel Langlois and his girlfriend Dominique Marchand have lived in the Caribbean paradise for twenty years and last year finally realized their dream of opening their own eco-resort.
But last Friday their bodies were found in a burnt-out car, burned beyond recognition not far from their home on the island of Dominica.
American Jonathan Lehrer, 58, owner of a neighboring cocoa plantation, has been charged with the murder, along with alleged Florida hitman Robert Snider.
Detectives believe a long-standing ownership feud between North American neighbors over a public road may have led to the killings.
The brutal murder of the beloved couple has rocked the small island community – and created an image of Lehrer as a wealthy, well-connected landowner who “felt he was a law unto himself.”
Locals claim Lehrer threatened hikers, tourists and farmers in the area who he said were trespassing on his property.
It is also alleged that Lehrer's position as a government-sanctioned immigration agent – who arranged passports for wealthy foreigners – gave him protected status.
Canadian animation pioneer Daniel Langlois and his longtime partner Dominique Marchand were found dead in their burnt-out car days after going missing
New Jersey native Jonathan Lehrer, 58 ((right) has been charged with the murders, along with alleged accomplice Robert Snider, of Florida (left)
Shortly after news of the killings broke, locals on the island began pointing fingers at Lehrer, of New Jersey, who owns and operates the Bois Cotlette estate, one of the oldest former plantations on the island.
Jacqueline Dupigny, a local resident of Dominica, told DailyMail.com that Lehrer was known to come out with his dogs whenever he sensed someone entering his property – a claim echoed in many Trip Advisor reviews of the estate.
She wrote on Facebook: 'Why did this have to happen, especially when the suspect REPEATEDLY threatened hikers, taxi drivers, tourists, villagers, farmers and landowners in the area. A real tragedy that will result in even more loss of income for the people of Dominica.”
Many locals claimed that Lehrer's position as a government-sanctioned agent in the island's program to recruit foreign investors in exchange for a passport earned him special treatment from authorities.
The government of Dominica says on its website that Lehrer is one of several agents who “provide professional advice and assistance in preparing and submitting your application for citizenship by investing in Dominica.”
The burned vehicle. Langlois and Marchand were 'ambushed' by a hitman who killed them and then set their car on fire, according to police
Dominica lawyer Gabriel Christian told DailyMail.com that Lehrer “felt like he was a law unto himself.”
Christian added, “Mr. Langlois and Ms. Marchand did not appear to be adequately protected, despite their efforts to take the matter to court.
“(Lehrer) was one of the passport peddlers… Look who our CBI agents are. Bois Cotlette is still on the government website.'
Lehrer and Langlois had been locked in a nasty battle since at least 2014 over the use of the Morne Rouge Public Road, which passes through both the chocolatier's Bois Collette Inc estate and Langlois' luxurious Coulibri Ridge resort.
The battle reached the island nation's highest court in 2018, when Langlois sued the American, accusing Lehrer of “causing interference with the unfettered and free use of public roads” for at least the past four years.
In 2019 court documents seen by DailyMail.com, Langlois said Lehrer once “blocked the road by placing boulders across the road, digging a ditch across the said road, erecting metal pipes and removing equipment and supplies on the road, allowing the plaintiffs and their employees access to their property.'
A protest on the disputed road between the two estates can be seen in this 2019 image
Locals have accused Lehrer of being an aggressive landowner who took advantage of his ties to the government
According to a 2018 local report, a protest took place on the road after “a landowner from Bois Cutlette” blocked it. Dominica News Online said: “The residents, most of whom are employees at Petite Coulibri, have failed to get to work safely and have decided to protest against the landowner's action.”
Dominica's highest court ruled in 2019 that the road was public and free to be used by Langlois' guests, but the feud between the two wealthy North Americans – and Lehrer's efforts to stop people from using the disputed street – ended not there.
Reviews from locals and Trip Advisor describe Lehrer as an aggressive landowner who would not allow locals or anyone else to use the public road that ran through his property without an agreement.
Many reviewers of the estate claim that they were intimidated and abused by Lehrer when they tried to go to the old plantation without an appointment or were simply walking in the area.
Many reviewers of the estate claim that they were intimidated and abused by Lehrer when they tried to go to the old plantation without an appointment or were simply walking in the area.
Lehrer responded to all the negative reviews about his business, slamming the posters in paragraphs and often accusing them of entering his property without permission.
“It's very easy to spot an intruder… It looks something like this,” Lehrer wrote to a reviewer who said they were accused of trespassing while walking in the area.
'If you're staying at your friend's budget house for a week, get curious about Bois Cotlette, would rather charge for free than pay. Shame on you and your friend,” Lehrer added.
Lehrer went after another reviewer who claimed to have been intimidated, with the American even appearing to issue a delayed threat.
“In the future, you should consider not committing violations,” Lehrer wrote. 'Perhaps more alarming is the fact that someone who is more responsible when they enter the building and find it closed, leaves. It's a good thing you left when you saw us coming, otherwise you would have had a lot more to say in your review.'
Dominica police told DailyMail.com on Thursday that they are investigating claims that Lehrer was aggressive and intimidated local residents, but can only confirm at this time that they have received a report about the land dispute between the North American neighbors.
Quebecers were committed to their sustainable project in Dominica
On November 3, the government of Dominica presented Langlois with a 'Meritorious Service Award for his contributions to sustainable development and research projects'
Police say Lehrer was behind the “ambush” killing of Langlois and his wife by a hit man who killed them and then set their car on fire, police said.
Langlois was known as the founder of Softimage, which created 3D animation software for films such as Jurassic Park, Men in Black and Star Wars.
He and Marchand spent two decades planning their eco-resort, which they finally opened last year after massive delays due to a hurricane that virtually destroyed the island.
Dominica residents praise Langlois for helping rebuild the island and providing good jobs to locals after the natural disaster.
On November 3, the government of Dominica presented Langlois with a “Meritorious Service Award for his contributions to sustainable development and research projects,” as reported by Dominica News Online.
Dupigny told DailyMail.com that the Canadian couple were loved on the island and would be greatly missed.
She said, “The sweetest foreigners who set foot on this island. They were exemplary stewards of the land around them and they treated them with such respect to their staff.”
The entrepreneur sold his software company to Microsoft for $200 million in 1994 and subsequently founded the Daniel Langlois Foundation for the Art, Sciences and Technology.
Since selling the company, Langlois and his partner have been committed to philanthropy, sustainability projects and to the island.
DailyMail.com has contacted Dominica Police for comment on this story.