The neighbor of Daniel Langlois, a Quebec entrepreneur who was killed along with his partner Dominique Marchand in Dominica, was finally charged with murder on Tuesday, as was another suspect.
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The prosecutor in charge of the case told QMI Agency early Tuesday evening that Jonathan Lehrer, the owner of the Bois Cotlette chocolate factory, and one of his accomplices must appear in court on Wednesday to answer the charges.
Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand, who ran the Hotel Coulibri, were ambushed by a man who killed them before setting their car on fire, Dominica police said. Their charred car was found by police in Gallion last Friday, while their families were informed of the deaths on Saturday.
The location where the couple’s burned car was found. CLYDE JNO BAPTISTE/QMI AGENCY
MM. Langlois and teachers were involved in a dispute over the use of the public road Morne Rouge, which runs through the chocolatier’s property. That dispute reached the island’s highest court, which ruled in 2019 that the road was public and could be used by Mr. Langlois’ guests.
CLYDE JNO BAPTISTE/QMI AGENCY
The case is being led by Director of Public Prosecutions Sherma Dalrymple.
On Monday, Public Security Minister Rayburn Blackmoore assured that Dominica would do everything possible to ensure that those responsible for the deaths of the two Quebecers were brought to justice.
Anger after the death of two “icons”
Soufrière residents met by the QMI agency on Tuesday expressed their “shock and anger” by pointing to the “brutal and heartless” murders of two “community icons.”
A mother of six, who worked at the Coulibri Hotel for six years, said she owes a huge debt of gratitude to the couple.
“You were an inspiration to all of us. We want justice to bring Jonathan to us so we can take care of him. “The community is in crisis, we want to take care of him ourselves,” said the woman, who preferred to remain anonymous.
“We don’t want him to go to prison and be fed our taxes and those of Daniel and Dominique,” she added.
CLYDE JNO BAPTISTE/QMI AGENCY
His sentiment was shared by other villagers. “The community is suffering, we cannot work, we have lost two good people and the community will be poorer without them,” commented another Soufrière resident.
The principal of the Soufrière elementary school, which was rebuilt after Hurricane Maria in 2017 thanks to the help of Daniel Langlois, also regretted his death.
“He was instrumental in the renovation of Soufrière Elementary School, investing more than $1 million,” said Ericson Degallaire.
“I must say the work was wonderfully well done, with unparalleled quality of materials. What’s even nicer is the addition of solar panels. If the power goes out, the panels take over and the school never runs out of power. He did a lot of good things for the school. It is unfortunate that he and his partner met such an end,” the director continued.
CLYDE JNO BAPTISTE/QMI AGENCY
The small community of Gallion, with around 150 residents, including many employees of the Coulibri Hotel, was also in shock over the deaths of the two Quebecers.
“We all benefited from Daniel and Dominique. Our children in secondary school have all benefited from the couple’s kindness and almost everyone in Gallion has worked at the Coulibri Hotel,” said a community resident through tears.