The father of the man suspected of having ordered the assassination of a couple of Quebec entrepreneurs this weekend in the Caribbean finds it hard to believe that his son could be at the origin of such an “atrocity”.
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“Jonathan is a successful businessman, not a murderer,” said Robert Lehrer, reached by telephone in Florida. We are very close and he is not a violent man at all. I have a hard time believing it.”
Approximately 24 hours after the arrest of his son and his daughter-in-law, the man was not aware that they were the main suspects in the investigation of the double murder of Quebecers Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand.
For health reasons, the Floridian, to whom The newspaper learned the news, has not been able to visit his son’s estate, the Bois Cotlette plantation, located on the island of Dominica, between Martinique and Guadeloupe, for many years. However, he was aware of the ongoing conflict between him and his neighbors over the road. [voir autre texte].
“He was fed up with illegal crossings on his route and it bothered him a lot, but it had been a while since I had any news,” said the American, referring to the public road that his son shared with the owners of the neighboring hotel.
Shortly after the discovery of the bodies of Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand, four people were arrested by local authorities. New Jersey-born entrepreneur Jonathan Lehrer and his wife, Victoria Lehrer, are among the lot. Two other people, including a foreign citizen and a local, were also arrested, but their identities have not been released at this time.
The quartet was placed in detention “for investigation purposes” while awaiting further developments. They are expected to be formally charged by the end of the week.
Missing
The Quebecers had been missing for several days, local media report. On Friday, their vehicle was found completely burned on the side of a small road near their home.
As they approached, the police discovered two bodies in poor condition. Although everything indicates that they are the victims, formal identification has still not been made.
Dominica newspapers also report that the Quebec couple were shot dead before their vehicle was lit. Everything indicates that they were caught in an ambush set by a hitman.
But he suffered significant burns during his crime, so the police were able to arrest him very close to the scene. During the interrogation, the hitman would have spoken enough for the investigators to go back to those who gave the contract, namely Jonathan and Victoria Lehrer. They are also the parents of four children scattered throughout the United States.
Open in 2022
Well known on the island, Daniel Langlois and Dominique Marchand have been farming more than 200 acres of land for decades with the aim of opening an eco-responsible luxury hotel. After going through its share of pitfalls, including a major hurricane and a pandemic, the Coulibri Ridge Resort was finally able to see the light of day in 2022.
This murder also comes just a few weeks after Daniel Langlois won an award for his contribution to the sustainable development of the island. Langlois became a millionaire after selling his company Softimage to Microsoft for $200 million in 1994.
“All of this does not correspond at all to my son’s profile,” says Robert Lehrer on the line. It’s very upsetting.”
– With Jonathan Tremblay, Yves Lévesque and Valérie Gonthier