The deaths of Quebec entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his partner Dominique Marchand, whose bodies were found in their burned car, deeply shocked the people of Dominica.
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Mr. Langlois, best known in Quebec as a visual effects genius, was heavily involved on the Caribbean island, where he ran Coulibri Ridge, an environmentally friendly hotel complex near Soufrière in the south of the Caribbean island.
“He was considered a very loving, community-oriented and warm-hearted person […]. He was highly valued not only by the people of this community but by the people of Dominica in general,” veteran Dominican journalist Carlisle Jno Baptiste told QMI Agency.
The Quebecer notably contributed to the island’s reconstruction after Hurricane Maria in 2017, but also invested in schools, which earned him a good reputation in Dominica.
“Daniel and Dominique were not just owners of a hotel, they were full members of our community, known for their kindness, their love and their commitment,” the representative of the Dominican Parliament of Soufrière, Denise Charles-Pemberton, was quoted as saying on Monday by the information site Dom767.
The news of the couple’s death shocked the country. “People were in shock. “There is a lot of anger in the community,” assured Mr. Jno Baptiste.
Four suspects have been arrested by police so far, including Jonathan Lehrer and his partner, who lived on Mr Langlois’s neighboring property. The motive for the suspect, who has lived in Dominica for around twenty years, could have been harassment for access to a public road.
In contrast to his neighbor, Mr. Lehrer had a bad reputation. “People say Jonathan is not a community-oriented person. […] He is considered a criminal. He has huge dogs and he lets his dogs chase people in the community,” Carlisle Jno Baptiste said.
In Dominica, suspects arrested by police can be held without charge for 72 hours before they must be released. The authorities therefore have until Wednesday to decide whether charges will be filed, depending on the progress of their investigation.