By Carlisle Jno Baptiste
Roseau, Dominica, August 28, 2025-The Magistrate’s Court in Dominica is set to deliver a major ruling on Friday, August 29, 2025, in the double murder case involving Americans, Jonathan Lehrer and Robert Snider Jr. who are charged with the murders of animation pioneer and Canadian philanthropist Daniel Langlois and his longtime partner, Dominique Marchand, 58 in December 2023 at Soufriere.
L/R-Double murder accused Robert Snider Jr. and Jonathan Lehrer were cuffed together heading from court.
Chief Magistrate Candia Carette-George, after scrutinizing the evidence put forward by the prosecution, will determine whether there is “sufficient evidence to commit the men to stand trial in the High Court for the alleged double murder.”
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Sherma Dalrymple confirmed the status of the case, explaining that the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the matter, which began in 2024, is at its final stages.
“On Friday, the 29th of August, 2025, we go to court again in respect of the double murder matter. The Preliminary Inquiry is coming to an end. We have submitted all the evidence. And on Friday, we will be awaiting a ruling from the Court in respect of the committal of Jonathan Lehrer and Robert Snyder, his co-accused, for that particular matter,” Dalrymple stated.
“The state believes that we have a real prospect of obtaining a committal.”
Despite multiple bail applications, Lehrer was denied bail in the firearms case. Although bail was initially opened in the double murder case with strict conditions—including the revocation of his U.S. citizenship by former Dominica High Court Judge, Colin Williams, who later denied the state’s request to revoke that bail, citing “procedural grounds and slapped an EC$7,500 against the State.
Snider Jr. has never applied for bail on his double murder charges.
The charred remains of Langlois and Marchand were discovered in a burnt vehicle on December 1, 2023, following their reported disappearance. Due to the condition of the remains, investigators relied heavily on “circumstantial evidence to link the bodies to the missing couple.”
The case has also drawn significant public attention in Dominica, the US, and Canada, with villagers from the Soufriere mounting several protest actions against the granting of bail, given the fact that the couple were well-known figures in Dominica’s eco-tourism sector.