Defence to appeal murder verdict in killing of Quebec couple in Dominica

MONTREAL — The defence lawyer for the two American men convicted of murdering Quebec-born film entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his partner in Dominica said they are appealing the verdict.

Ravi Rajcoomar, lead counsel for Jonathan Lehrer and Robert Thomas Snyder Jr., said he intends to pursue several grounds of appeal following the men’s convictions in the 2023 killings of Langlois and Dominique Marchand.

Rajcoomar wrote in an email that Lehrer and Snyder have not yet been sentenced. Asked whether the two men had any comment following the verdict, he declined.

Langlois and Marchand’s bodies were found in December 2023 inside a burnt-out vehicle near the luxury resort they owned in the Caribbean nation of Dominica.

Court documents show that Lehrer was in a dispute with Langlois dating back several years over the use of a public road that crossed his property and led to the Quebec couple’s luxury ecotourism resort.

Lehrer, a property owner and chocolate producer, allegedly blocked access to Morne Rouge Public Road in October 2018 by digging a trench and placing boulders on the roadway, according to court documents.

Langlois sued Lehrer, arguing for a permanent injunction to ensure the road be opened. A first injunction was granted in 2018.

In 2019, an Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court judge ruled the road had to be opened up to allow Langlois’ employees and guests access to the resort.

Born in 1957 in Jonquière, Que., Langlois started a company whose 3D technology was used to create special effects in blockbusters such as “Jurassic Park,” “Titanic” and “Lord of the Rings.”

He later started a foundation in his name to support arts and technology, and was involved in charitable endeavours helping Dominica recover from, and build resilience to, national disasters.

In 2022, he and Marchand opened Coulibri Ridge, a luxury hotel in Dominica that describes itself as an “eco-retreat.”

In initial reports, authorities identified one of the accused as Snider, but court documents reviewed by The Canadian Press spell it as Snyder.

Dominica’s director of public prosecutions, Sherma Dalrymple, and Keith Scotland, prosecutor for the trial, did not respond to requests for comment from The Canadian Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2026.

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press