Two American men have been convicted of murdering a prominent Quebec couple whose bullet-riddled bodies were discovered in a burnt-out vehicle near their resort on the Caribbean island of Dominica.
A jury in Roseau, the island nation’s capital, deliberated for less than two hours Tuesday before finding Americans Jonathan Lehrer and Robert Snyder Jr. guilty of killing Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand, local media reported.
It was in late 2023 when Langlois and Marchand disappeared. Their bodies were later found on a secluded road near Soufrière, which is not far from Coulibri Ridge, the luxury eco-resort they had built.
Lehrer and Snyder were arrested shortly after the killings, and have always pleaded not guilty since.
Lehrer, too, owned property next to Coulibri Ridge, according to Radio-Canada. A road crossing his land provided access to the resort and had become the subject of a lengthy legal dispute between the neighbours. The route also passed through an area containing important remnants of the island’s history.
The killings shocked Dominica, where the couple were known for their philanthropy, and also Quebec. Langlois had made his name as a pioneer in digital animation and cinematic special effects.
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In the 1980s, he founded Softimage, a Montreal company whose three-dimensional animation software transformed visual effects in film. Its technology was used in major Hollywood productions, including Jurassic Park, The Matrix and Titanic.
He also devoted much of his time after selling the company to cultural, environmental and humanitarian projects.
The sentences have not yet been announced. They may also appeal the verdicts.