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But Lehrer did talk about his chocolate plantation business, which neighbours Langlois’ ecotourism resort on the island nation of Dominica, as well as his relationship with his co-accused, Robert Snyder Jr., a mechanic from Florida who worked for Lehrer at the time of the deaths.

The New Jersey-born Lehrer recounted an idyllic tale about how he and his family moved all their belongings to the mountainous island nation more than a decade ago and started the Bois Cotlette Estate, a successful cocoa plantation and tourism business.

“We sold everything in the US to move to Dominica — it is our home and our love,” Lehrer said in an email, which the PR firm hired by his family says was dictated to his lawyers.

Bodies of Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand found in charred SUV

The bodies of Langlois, 66, a renowned Canadian entrepreneur and 3D animation pioneer, and his partner Marchand, 58, were found Dec. 1, 2023, in a burned-out SUV off a remote trail near Soufriere, a village in the southern part of the island of 72,000 people.

The Dominica Police Force says the couple were likely ambushed as they returned to their upscale, off-grid mountaintop resort Coulibri Ridge. Their Nissan X-Trail had been riddled with bullets before it was set on fire with Langlois and Marchand inside, police say.

On the same day the bodies were discovered, police arrested Lehrer, Snyder and Victoria Lehrer, Jonathan’s wife, at the cocoa plantation. Victoria was later released without charge.

Lehrer and Snyder remain in Dominica State Prison where they await trial. Neither have entered a plea.

Lehrer and Langlois were locked in a bitter dispute over road

Lehrer’s wife Victoria hired Texas-based public relations firm PRIME PR to communicate with the media and correct “misinformation,” said firm president Nicolia Wiles.

“In order for Jonathan to potentially get any kind of real jury trial, the information has to be presented correctly,” Wiles told the Star.

Lehrer said he has known Snyder, whom he met in Clearwater, Fla., for about two-and-a-half years and hired Snyder on a one-year contract to be a property manager of Bois Cotlette Estate. Snyder’s job was to get the business’s vehicles and heavy machinery up and running. Lehrer said that Snyder had been in Dominica since early 2022.

Wiles, of PRIME PR, said Snyder left briefly to deal with a family issue back in Florida and returned in mid-November 2023, two weeks before the murders. The Star reached out to Snyder’s lawyer, Wayne Norde, but has not heard back.

Prior to the killings, Langlois and Lehrer were locked in a bitter years-long dispute over the use of Morne Rouge Public Road, which connected their adjacent properties. Some on the island speculated the dispute may have played a role in the deaths.

Lehrer addressed a viral video that circulated through social media accounts of Dominica residents, showing Victoria yelling at a villager. Locals told the Star the video appears to have been filmed on the Morne Rouge Public Road.

Lehrer acknowledged through his lawyers that there was “some yelling” in the video and that “the situation was tense” because it involved a confrontation with a local resident he alleged was poisoning his dogs.

Online reviews alleging aggressive behaviour were ‘cherry picked,’ Lehrer says

Lehrer also responded to the media’s referencing of negative online comments posted in TripAdvisor reviews alleging rude and aggressive behaviour by him and his employees at Bois Cotlette Estate.

One reviewer alleged she was accosted by several Bois Cotlette employees and a Rottweiler and said she felt “threatened.” A person named “Jonathan I” responded on the platform and accused the reviewer of “trespassing” and commented “shame on you.”

To the Star, Lehrer said the reviews portrayed in the media were “cherry picked.”

“There are many, many more reviews where people are very happy and showcasing exactly how they loved Bois Cotlette — we have a 4.5 rating.”

In 2011, Lehrer and his wife Victoria purchased the Bois Cotlette Estate, which neighboured the eco-resort Langlois and his partner were building.

The Lehrers had stumbled across the plantation on a day trip, and while it was derelict and overgrown, they felt instantly enthralled by the “sensation of wonderment,” Lehrer said.

They began hosting tourists from cruise lines, showing them the heritage buildings and the traditional methods used to make chocolate. In 2013, they opened their own tour company.

“I was blown away with its commercial viability,” said Lehrer, who previously worked at MetLife, a U.S. life insurance company. “We didn’t have to push our product at all. People always pulled. Our challenge being to keep up with the exponential demand.”

Lehrer concerned traffic was damaging historical buildings

Court documents show Lehrer was keen on preserving the historical buildings on his property and was concerned that traffic along the road leading to Coulibri Ridge was damaging the structures.

In October 2018, Langlois sued Lehrer for allegedly causing “interference” with the use of the road over several years.

While Langlois’ case was pending, court documents show a judge granted two injunctions, one in 2018 and one in 2019, ordering Lehrer to “cease and desist” from interfering with the use of the road by Langlois, his employees and guests. This came after the American allegedly dug a trench and placed boulders and metal pipes across the road.

“There is a narrative that’s being built that Jonathan was potentially moved to violence because he was so outraged at losing the court case around the road dispute, and that’s completely inaccurate,” said Wiles, noting Langlois’ lawsuit is still in the courts.

To Lehrer, this road dispute was a “minor nuisance,” Wiles said, and that he expected to win in court.

Court records show that Lehrer proposed an alternative route for the road that would traverse over his land and still provide access to Langlois’ resort. Wiles provided a 2016 document that shows the Dominica government approved an application to construct a road diversion, subject to various conditions. A 2019 court document says Lehrer resisted “any attempt” to have engineers review the proposed road. Wiles said those engineers were working for Langlois but that officials had already approved the road.

Lehrer’s refusal to have the diversion route examined was “counterproductive and does not advance the case in the spirit of compromise,” the court said.

In February 2021, Lehrer filed a defence and a counterclaim, accusing Langlois and his employees of “trespassing, excessive or unreasonable use” of the road.

The allegations have not been tested in court.’

Correction—April 4, 2024—This article has been updated to better reflect Lehrer’s position regarding the road dispute and related court case.