Chocolate Mogul Charged With Murder of Canadian Animator and His Partner

An American chocolate mogul has been arrested in the Caribbean country of Dominica for the murders of a Canadian animator and his partner, who were found dead in their burned out car last week.

Jonathan Lehrer, the 57 year old owner of the chocolate company Bois Collette, was charged with murder on Wednesday in the deaths of Daniel Langlois, 66, and Dominique Marchand, Huffington Post reported. Lehrer, his wife, and American man named Robert Snyder, and a Dominican man were all taken into custody.

CBC reported that Snyder was also charged with murder and that he appeared in court with severe burns on an arm and a leg.

Police have said that Langlois and Marchand were ambushed and shot in their car, which rolled into a ravine and burst into flames. The couple’s remains were found Friday morning after they’d been reported missing.

The couple, who had lived in Dominica since 1997, managed the Coulibri Ridge resort and had reportedly been in a dispute with Lehrer over use of a road than runs through the American’s property, CBC reported.

Langlois was the founder of Softimage, which produced 3D animation software used in such films as “Jurassic Park,” “Titanic,” “Men in Black,” “The Matrix,” and “The Fifth Element.” He sold the company in 1994.

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[Featured image: Daniel Langlois/Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit Facebook]