An American chocolate businessman and another man have been charged with the murder of a CGI film pioneer and his partner.
Jonathan Lehrer, 57, the owner and operator of chocolate maker estate Bois Collette Inc., and Robert Snider, the alleged “hitman,” were charged with murder on Wednesday, the New York Post reported. The charges come after the bodies of Daniel Langlois, 66, and his wife Dominique Marchand, were found in a burned-out car around 7 a.m. local time on Friday on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean.
Langlois and Marchand were believed to have been shot before their car veered off the road and into a ravine, where it caught fire, according to the Telegraph.
Langlois founded Softimage Creative Environments in the 1980s, an animation studio that produced CGI elements seen in the original “Jurassic Park,” “Men in Black,” and “Star Wars.” Langlois sold the company to Microsoft in 1994 for $200 million, the Telegraph reported.
Langlois and Marchand moved to Dominica in 1997 and spent 20 years building a 285-acre off-grid luxury resort called Coulibri Ridge Eco Resort, which opened last year. That resort neighbored Lehrer’s chocolate business, and the two had a years-long dispute over the use of a public road that ran through Lehrer’s property, Dominica News Online reported.
The dispute reportedly started when Lehrer placed boulders, dug a trench, and placed equipment to block Langlois’ access to his own property. Langlois sued, claiming damages, loss, and tortious interference with his economic interests. Langlois sought an injunction barring Lehrer and his company from blocking Langlois’ access to the road. An interim injunction was issued on October 30, 2018. Court proceedings continued into 2019.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP
While Lehrer, his wife, Robert Snider, and a fourth person were all detained following the discovery of Langlois and Marchand’s bodies, only Lehrer and Snider have been charged. The Daily Mail reported that Snider is the alleged “hitman” hired to kill the couple.
Lehrer’s father, Robert, defended his son against the accusations in a statement to the Journal de Montreal.
“Jonathan is a successful businessman, not a murderer,” Robert told the outlet. “We are very close and he is not a violent man at all. I have a hard time believing it…”
“He was fed up with illegal crossings on his route and it bothered him a lot, but it had been a while since I had any news,” Robert added.
Just one month before his murder, Langlois received the Meritorious Service Award from Dominica’s local government for his contribution to sustainable development, Radio Canada reported.