Will the murder of Barry Sherman and his wife always remain unsolved?

Court documents have just uncovered more details about the 2017 deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman. Investigators haven’t stopped looking into the deaths of these Canadian billionaire philanthropists, and court documents have recently been made public after a court challenge by The Toronto Star. It’s showing us more details about the discovery of the couple’s bodies in December 2017. 

For starters, we’re learning that their son Jonathan told police the Shermans had some enemies. In a statement to CBC News, Toronto police have spoken out about a number of people whom they consider persons of interest. They want the public to know that the case hasn’t gone cold. 

“The investigative team has had a high level of co-operation throughout this very active and ongoing investigation and investigative steps are being taken every single day,” said Toronto Police spokesperson Connie Osborne. They’re dedicated to bringing closure and justice to the family and their community by solving this unsolved murder. 

Introduction

This year, in 2021, Toronto police have folks of interest in the Sherman deaths. And the family is offering a reward of up to $1 million for more information about the killings. But let’s back up a bit. 

Barry Sherman was seventy-five years old and the founder and chairman of the board of generic drug giant Apotex, along with his seventy-year-old wife Honey was found dead in the basement pool area of their home in Toronto’s North York neighborhood on December 15th, 2017. 

Their bodies were found side by side, their legs outstretched with belts looped around their necks and latched to a pool railing. Their causes of death were deemed ligature neck compressions, which is a type of strangulation. 

Court documents

Granted, it’s been over a year since investigators provided the public with a formal update on this unsolved murder. But there are now over 300 pages of recently released court documents giving us a clearer portrait on what’s been going on with this case. 

Police have obtained warrants to search the Sherman’s health, phone and banking information, and computers found in their home, as well as Barry’s office and lab at Apotex. Investigators were revealed to have been searching for possible financial motives for the double homicide. 

In the weeks leading up to the unsolved murder, Apotex lost a $500 million court case with a drug patent. They laid off several staff members, and more cuts were coming. Barry’s longtime business partner Jack Kay told police he’s sure it had nothing to do with the couple’s deaths.

Kay told investigators, “Barry would not be fazed by Apotex’s financial situation, as Apotex was only one part of Sherman’s holdings, and they have other money.” The family was estimated to be worth anywhere from $5 billion to $10 billion. Investigators still don’t have a detailed understanding of the couple or their friends, or even possible enemies. 

The call

Investigators described a scarily anxious 911 call. It sparked one of the greatest-profile homicide investigations in Toronto’s history. Barry and Honey’s real estate agent Elise Stern called the police at 11:45 a.m. on Friday, December 15th, 2017. Elise’s exact words were “They’re dead.”

Stern and the realtor Weidong Zhao, with two clients, made the discovery when they were wrapping up a showing of the two-story mansion which was for sale and listed at $6.7 million. 

“Stern said it was very weird. They were far away and their heads were elevated and hanging on the railing leading into the pool,” said the investigators. She later told the police she thought the couple was doing “some weird yoga thing” shortly before realizing what was really going on. 

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Will the Barry and Honey Sherman case always be an unsolved murder? Share your condolences and thoughts in the comments below!