A year has passed since Canadians Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand were found dead in a burned-out car in Dominica, and there has yet to be justice for the philanthropists who were beloved by many on the island.
A judge concluded last week it is difficult to know when a case in the matter will get to trial.
In a ruling issued on Nov. 26, High Court Justice Colin Williams criticized the prosecution against Jonathan Lehrer, an American accused of the murders. In a ruling granting Lehrer bail, Williams rebuked investigators and prosecutors for extensive legal delays and for misrepresenting evidence.
In his decision allowing Lehrer’s release from prison as he awaits trial in Dominica, Williams wrote that “Based on the disclosed evidence, the strength appears to favour the Claimant (Lehrer).”
This was Lehrer’s second attempt at securing bail.
Lehrer and another American, Robert Snyder Jr., were detained days after the bodies were found, and both were charged with murder in December 2023. In the weeks that followed the arrests, local police sought to reassure those living near Coulibri Ridge, an eco-resort Langlois and Marchand owned in the south of the island.
“We believe that there is sufficient evidence to afford the charge and pursue the conviction of the suspects,” acting police chief of the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force Valerie Davidson told CTV News nearly three months after the killings. “We will not relent until we bring these perpetrators to justice. We want to show our visitors that we care about them.”
But Williams’ review of the case pointed to lapses by police and prosecutors.
“The Claimant (Lehrer) has successfully challenged the fundamental premises which informed the refusal of bail at the first sitting, that is, a timely hearing of the matter and the quality of the evidence against the claimant,” Williams writes. That, says the ruling, is in addition to health concerns Lehrer raised, saying his condition has deteriorated in prison, and that he needs prostate treatment outside of Dominica.
The judge noted that had the trial proceeded in a timely matter, it would have been completed by now. Some of the delays were due to DNA, ballistic and forensic evidence that have to be analyzed in labs outside Dominica. But Williams writes that police and the prosecution “flagrantly disregarded” disclosure deadlines issued by court order.
In his submission, Lehrer’s legal team wrote that police and prosecution “misled the Honourable Court” by saying they had obtained “overwhelming proof” against him including eyewitness and circumstantial evidence.
In his response, the judge concluded: “The classification of the ‘compelling eyewitness evidence’ used by ACP James (lead investigator) at the previous hearing certainly strains and stretches that term. The disclosed evidence does not reach the legal threshold of eyewitness evidence. Neither does the scientific evidence report the police possess affirmatively tie the Claimant (Lehrer) to the offence.”
Dominica National Security Minister Rayburn Blackmoore said that while he acknowledges the independence of the court, he is “totally opposed” to the granting of bail. He said, “… there is a consensus within society that certain crimes, because of the brutality involved, are very serious and therefore must be dealt with in the most serious manner by the court.”
Blackmoore also vowed justice would be brought to the case.
“The state will continue to provide all the resources needed to ensure that this matter is properly prosecuted, and justice is not only seen to be done but will be done.”
Many on the island of Dominica, where attention to this case has been extensive, took to social media, some expressing outrage at the judicial process.
“No justice at all for the beloved victims who did much for Dom (Dominica)! Can’t the Canadian government do anything?” reads one post.
Langlois was a special effects pioneer who founded Softimage, known for its 3D computer animations. He and his longtime partner Marchand fell in love with the island in 1997, noting on their resort’s website that they were charmed by the “island’s natural beauty”.
That inspired them to open Coulibri Ridge, a luxury eco-resort. They also helped rebuild the island in the wake of Hurricane Maria, which swept through in 2017 destroying schools, businesses and homes.
The couple’s neighbour was Lehrer, a millionaire who owns an 18th-century cocoa plantation called Bois Cotlette.
Lehrer and Langlois were involved in a legal feud over a road that ran between their properties.
Lehrer is still currently behind bars, and it is unclear when he will be released.
The court imposed fifteen conditions for his bail, including revoking his American citizenship before being allowed to travel out of Dominica, and that a GPS tracker be installed when he leaves the country, which he would be permitted to do for medical purposes.
