By Carlisle Jno Baptiste
Double murder accused Jonathan Lehrer and his co-accused Robert Synder Jr., charged with the 2023 murder of Canadian businessman Daniel Langlois and his partner, Dominique Marchand, appeared before High Court Judge SEJILLA McDOWALL, where the charges of murder were read to them, and they pleaded “not guilty.”
Defense counsel Tiyania Behanzin, who appeared along with David Bruney for the murder accused men, tried not to have the indictment read to the men, stating that they had filed documents of “abuse of process” on behalf of the men and that it was improper to have the charges read to them before.
However, the prosecution led by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Sherma Dyrample objected, explaining to the court that the indictment as filed was properly before the court and that there was no reason why they should not be read to them to have them enter a plea.
As a result, the Judge agreed with the prosecution and ruled that the indictment ought to be read to them and have them enter a plea of “guilty or not guilty.”
The defense was, however, given time to properly file and serve on the prosecution, who will have to respond to the complaints of “abuse of process” as alleged by the defense.
The matter has been adjourned to May 1, 2026.
The murder of the Canadian businessman Daniel Langlois and his partner, Dominique Marchand, in December 2023, followed a long-standing property access dispute over a public road, resulting in the victims’ bodies being found in a burnt-out car, causing significant legal and social impact in Dominica.
Lehrer owned the 53-acre Bois Cotlette Inc. estate next to Langlois’s sustainable resort, Coulibri Ridge, and historically blocked a public road used by Langlois.