American-born, Dominican residents Jonathan Scott Lehrer and Robert Snider Jr. have been remanded into custody at the Dominica State Prison following a charge of murder preferred against them by the police. It is alleged that between November 29, 2023, and December 2, 2023, at Bois Cotlette in Soufriere, Lehrer and Snider Jr., did murder eco-resort owners Daniel Langlois and his wife Dominique Marchand.
The accused men who appeared before Chief Magistrate Candia Carrette-George were not required to enter a plea since murder is an indictable offense. On December 1, 2023, police discovered the charred remains of two individuals in a vehicle in the Soufriere area at about 7:00 a.m., believed to be those of French Canadians Langlois and Marchand, who had been reported as missing.
The burnt vehicle discovered also aligns with the description of the couple’s car, police sources further revealed. Unfortunately, extreme fire conditions rendered the bodies unidentifiable, compelling investigators to rely on circumstantial evidence linking them to the missing couple. During the course of the police investigation, the investigator had taken into custody, Lehrer, his wife, Snider, and a Dominican man. However, after the investigation, only Lehrer and Snider Jr. were charged.
Langlois and Lehrer were embroiled in a heated dispute revolving around the utilization of the Morne Rouge Public Road, a passage that cuts through the Bois Cotlette estate. The dispute started when Lehrer, the owner of Bois Cotlette Inc, obstructed the road by placing boulders, digging a trench, and deploying equipment, impeding Langlois’ access to their property.
This interference prompted legal action from Langlois, citing damages, loss, and tortious interference with their economic interests. They sought a permanent injunction against Lehrer and his company to prevent them from disrupting their use of the Morne Rouge Public Road.
Legal proceedings commenced with an interim injunction issued on October 30, 2018, by the High Court ordering Lehrer to unblock the road and restore it to its prior condition. Subsequent hearings in November 2018 led to further court orders, including directives involving the Attorney General. In 2019, High Court Judge Bernie Stephenson, in her ruling, affirmed the road’s public status, granting Langlois’ guests unrestricted access.
During today’s court proceedings, a large number of citizens from the Soufriere and Scoots Head community gathered outside the courthouse, rallying in solidarity to demand justice for the beloved couple.
Lehrer and Snider who are represented by attorney-at-law Wayne Norde and Lennox Lawrence will return to Court on March 15, 2024, for the start of the Preliminary Inquiry in the matter.
Police arrested an American chocolatier and his suspected accomplices in connection with the murder of a Canadian animation pioneer and his wife near their resort on the Caribbean island of Dominica last Friday.
Interesting: Homosexuality is criminal in Dominica and there is no same-sex marriage there.
It’s time to reinstate “Death by Hanging,” for cold-blooded murderers who are found guilty of such crimes. We have a “Mercy Committee,” that extols the virtues of mercy, juxtaposed with seasoned criminals who show no mercy on their victims. This is a cold and callous murder. No mercy should be spared for person/s convicted of this heinous crime.
Hang Them!
@DNO you said the libel and slander laws in the USA is different from that of Dominica. How so? America still practice the old British law which the Caribbean islands also practice. The difference may only be in the statute of limitations. But libel and slander, if it’s unlawful in any democracy the law is the same.
ADMIN: We do not claim to be experts and are merely drawing from experience and the resources we have read ,therefore, we encourage you to educate yourself on the differences and we will provide some informational links at the end of this post.
While there are defamation laws in the US, UK and Dominica there are very important differences with implications for businesses.
American law is broadly seen as more lenient in regards to what people or organizations can say publicly without facing legal liability.
This is commonly attributed to the robust protections under the 1st amendment of the US constitution. Many countries even with free speech rights do not have the same robust protections (such as in the UK).
What is notable is that there are more protections for online websites in the US.
The most important distinction (which does apply to us locally) is between “publishers” and “platforms” with platforms (such as Facebook and Twitter) being largely immune to many forms of liability particularly from defamatory statements made on their platform by others.
The actual provisions of the law will differ from country to country but these platforms do seem to enjoy similar immunity in our country.
However, DNO (and all publishers) are potentially liable for any comments we publish not just our own articles or the opinion pieces that appear on our website but also the individual comments that appear under our own posts.
This is one of the reasons we must moderate comments and delete defamatory statements.
This blog discusses the publisher vs platform distinction in clear language: https://reason.com/volokh/2020/05/28/47-u-s-c-%C2%A7-230-and-the-publisher-distributor-platform-distinction/
‘Comparative Analysis of Defamation Laws in US and UK’: https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1810906.pdf
If a black man had committed that gruesome murder in the United States of America, the death penalty would be engraved on his forehead. Think for minute, if these guys treated their own race in that horrifying manner, just imagine how much they would exploit and take advantage of the blacks around them. May the full extent of law be applied.
Absolute nonsense , DNO. I work in the criminal investigations department of a police agency in the United States and you can’t tell me my comment on a blog can affect a case. If your response is true no one in the United States would get a fair trial. Additionally, my comments clearly say the accused, this is different that saying someone is guilty. Know who you guys are speaking to and if you want to learn I can teach. I write reports that are used in court, testify in court and discuss criminal cases everyday during our briefings. you can’t teach me how to deal with legal matters. You all are just backward and cowards with a fair of Caucasians. I see people bash the little black guys all the time and you all publish it.
ADMIN: Your whole position is made on invalid assumptions.
American libel and slander law is very different than Dominican law. Your experience in a US police agency is potentially insightful for the application of law in the United States.
You would need to familiarize yourself with our local law. Not even American lawyers are qualified to speak on and practice law in Dominica due to the difference in the law systems.
This is how it typically works between most countries even between some British Commonwealth countries that share very similar systems.
You may find that our local laws against defamation are much more punitive (offers much less protection for publishers and public statements in general) in comparison to US law.
You can learn more about our law here: https://dominica.gov.dm/laws/chapters/chap7-04.pdf
boy…dno all you sot yeah…yall cannot rub two brain cells together….. and see mister is a grandstanding @ss, any lawyer will know what you explain to dat supremely intelligent, higher than vow hyper genius, his/her comprehension too high for your retarded words DNO
mister on HIGHER LEVEL, yall cannot fly that high if you try the sun will burn you and you will crash, high mister high so……
boy allu arrogant US types need to come out dere thinking you better than us cuz you learn to kiss white ppl boom boom
dat even say ALLU fraid caucasian…wi….nah man….I vex u kno…
but dat too funny man….dat lying what news allu put criticizing lickle black boy wi….but once you criticize anybody in Dominica is must be black ppl DA not white ppl country….I doh understand mista, smh
if found guilty and that’s a big if considering this is Dominica where money talks and everything else walks, his property should be confiscated by the state and him give. life in prison, or executed by hanging (preferably publicly on Bayfront) , if he is given a substantial number of years( again that’s an if) they should be exiled from our state after time served. but then again , this is Dominica, money in political hands does do alot
And you can’t express your anger because backward, oppressors of free speech, DNO is censoring what you say. People express themselves in developed societies all the time but these same people call the prime minister a dictator. All I can say,so it will be published, I wish them well in prison
ADMIN: We will publish comments that meet our comment policy.
Defamatory comments will be deleted because they are against Dominican law and threaten our ability to continue to operate period.
For example, you cannot refer to someone charged with a crime as if they were already found guilty.
It does not make your comment any less defamatory no matter how angry you are or how many people agree with you.
Potentially, no one will be able to comment on DNO if we were to post such defamatory comments.
Lastly, believe it or not, such comments can potentially affect the court case.
The last thing we want is a miscarriage of justice.
Roosevelt attracts thugs, hoodlums, mobsters and people of that ilk. These two suspects who were charged with this double homicide is incontrovertible verification.
As long as this eminently unqualified reprobate occupies the top seat of political power, Dominica’s name would continue to go down in infamy. This man allows power and money to turn him into a serial LIAR. He has had many miscarriages with the truth.
I hope this will be the final straw that breaks Roosevelt’s unenviable rule and Dominica would get a chance to restore some semblance of her once pristine image.
Dominicans! you are your own worst enemies. How do you expect to experience a positive change of living with a most negative, uncaring, ultra-selfish, shady character in charge of the country’s finances and resources?
Dominicans, reset your thinking. What you have in place for a government is not working in your best interest.
Great work, Officers! Thank you.
Disgusting
Fresh Wight meat for the boys tonight
Lets stop promoting buggery will you.
Why is this man Jonathan a CBI Agent?
Can anyone explain? he was not part of any developmental project under the CBI so what was he doing with the money from the passport sales? I remember one person on the Committee asking that he be removed as a CBI Agent but nothing was done. Invest Dominica must be investigated because serious conflict of interest is going on and no one is being held accountable.
Firstly, He has NOT been a CBI agent for quite some time now. His agreement has been rescinded by the government of Dominica for some years now. Secondly, Invest Dominica Authority doesn’t determine who is allowed to be a CBI agent or an approved project. The CBI Unit, in conjunction with the Government of Dominica is who determines that. What is the legal conflict of interest? Please inform.
Congratulations to the CDPF for their swift action in what seems to be the solving of a most brutal murder; hope they got their I’s dotted and their T’s crossed; a rush to justice would not cut it. There are so many jokers in the pack that it’s difficult to depend on their investigative skills to present a proper case before the court; I hope the DPP does’nt nole pros this one so as to allow their passport selling criminal vendor to get away scot- free.
The guy face alone tells a lot. that’s the stare of a devil. Something has to give. These are the kinds of scumbs of the earth that we have selling our citizenship and politicians and thier enablers want us keep quiet. It is time the get our institutions back. This cannot be allowed to continue. You attract your kind!!!!
Deepest sympathy to friends and families of the victims.
These “alleged” murderers created their own “Death in Paradise” episode. Hope our “Detective Inspector Richard Poole” can prove their guilt without a doubt or loopholes so no lawyer can argue otherwise.
Unless the FBI, CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) and possibly the Scott land yards get involved in this investigation justice will not be served. Trust me with our very corrupt government, very corrupt judiciary that’s led by the AG , a police system that is in place just to do the bidding of corrupt politicians and a very corrupt culture that is very welcoming to international crooks and criminals,I have my doubts going forward.
This is a case where two Canadians were brutally murdered and two Americans are in custody and charged with double murder, I feel the Canadians and FBI should be here already and take the lead in this investigation.
The corrupt government here has their people doing their dirty work for them all over, including the prison and police don’t be surprised to hear one day that they are missing from prison . No wonder these alleged criminals are laughing with their Dominica T shirts on. In fact some top boys here ought to be investigated as well
I hope the two accused for this gruesome act denied bail, let them rot in jail. The thing that hurts the must they have lawyers representing them. Money is the root of all evil. The two victims had families they had parents, sisters, brother, aunts uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins, just think they were one of your own. I hope the justice system work hard on their behalf. May your souls RIEP
clearly you approve of such things like the Spanish Inquisition or the Salem witch hunts. That people should be persecuted without proper legal counsel. like Lawyers shouldnt be in defense of supposed criminals. Because that’s how you sound. God forbid YOU or ANY OF YOUR BELOVED FAMILY ever end up on the wrong side of the law. I hope you will sing the same song. By now we know that someone’s life can turn upside down at the drop of a hat and anything can happen to anyone at anytime. So stop your nonsense about they shouldnt have lawyers because that is just plain ignorance, or you hope people rot in jail (clearly you dont know the difference between jail and prison). Lets hope you never or your family never ever even end up in the jail…much less for the prison because the bad that you wish for others can end up in your yard and house. Im not condoning or supporting these people, but they have a right to counsel in their defense.
[If] Lehrer ad Snider, the two who stand accused of this unspeakable double murder, are found guilty as charged, should be put to death by hanging. They would have forfeited their right to live.
An observation I have to single out is this. During this long dispute over access to the victims’ property, the accused placed massive boulders and made trenches in the public road. The two victims had to spend money out of pocket on legal fees to get a court ruling in their favour to get access to their property. The police should have intervened then, and arrested and fined the perpetrators for breaking the law. They (the police) did absolutely nothing. Money talks.
Conversely, when a group of bona fide, born and bred citizens decide to organise a peaceful walk in Roseau, the police come out armed to the teeth, with the most modern weaponry, ready to kill.
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts. And men have lost their reason..
I have had the pleasure of traveling to Dominica many times over the past few years. It just did not seem possible that any local would have been so evil and commit such a dastardly deed. One of the accused exiting the van in the clip seems to be quite pleased and content with himself as expressed by the wicked grin on his face. I truly hope that justice will prevail and the poor victims who were murdered will be avenged. It should not have got to this point to begin with as the accused blatantly violated the previous court injunctions. With that smirk on the face of the accused he feels he can get away with anything he wants. Let justice prevail and keep your honour Dominica. You dont need people like this in your midst no matter how much money is in play. Do the right thing in March when they come to trial.
«The police should have intervened then, and arrested and fined the perpetrators for breaking the law. They (the police) did absolutely nothing.»
Yes, of course, right. Interesting. This fact alone speaks volumes, loud & clear, to all Dominican citizens & visitors that would dare to listen attentively….faced with this deliberate inaction by the concerned authorities, (ie., forces of law & order, & municipal forces) the victims were subsequently exposed, in a continuous manner, to all sorts of risks & perils to their livelihoods and, of course, their lives…not sanctioning blatant law offenders is equivalent to not having a law in the first place. A sort of unwritten «free game» to do what you want when you want, with total impunity. Wild West some would say….