Lengthy front page article.
Dec 13 2022
After a billionaire couple are found hanged by the railing of their indoor pool, a look back at the calm before the storm, the immediate finger pointing that left a family divided and the police still struggling to find a killer
www.thestar.com
''When news of Barry and Honey Sherman’s death broke five years ago it sent a powerful shock wave through Toronto’s business and philanthropic community. Hours later, a bigger shock wave — the theory that Barry killed Honey, then took his own life. The Toronto media were quoting “police sources” and a homicide detective at the scene said they were not seeking any “outstanding suspects.”
That police theory changed to “targeted” double homicide five weeks later when the Star published details of the
private autopsy arranged by the Sherman family. Markings on the Shermans’ wrists revealed they’d been bound while alive. Plus, there were thin ligature marks around their necks, under the belts that were holding them in a seated position beside their swimming pool. The belts were used to stage, not kill them.
How could Barry have killed Honey and then himself with his hands tied? With no ties found at the scene? To this day I remain troubled by another aspect of the early investigation. Why did the Sherman family and their team not simply give their autopsy results to the police?
Now here I am five years later
immersed in all things Sherman — the family battles, the police struggles, the hunt for the killer. This case is not just about two wealthy, incredibly charitable murder victims, it’s about the abilities of police and pathologists in the biggest city in Canada to get it right. If mistakes can be made in such a high-profile case, what about the ones that fly under the radar?
I often get asked if I have a theory on who did it. I do. I believe the police do as well. But a theory without evidence is, well, just a theory.
What I can offer on this five-year anniversary is a 30,000-foot view of the characters in a terrible drama that has split up a family. Who was where when they died and when they got the news, and what was going on in the lives of the Shermans, family and friends around Dec. 13, 2017, the day they were murdered.''
In a rare situation for the Shermans, nobody is expected at the house that day. No real estate showings, no workers, Sheila Stanley, Honey’s assistant, was given days off by Honey. There’s a furnace repair man, but he’s not scheduled until Friday''.
''The neighbour’s security camera across the road picks up a man parking in front of the Sherman house in the morning, going up and back to the front door three times, before driving off. Then police chief Mark Saunders has said the homicide squad knows who that person was — but he won’t make the information public. And just a few doors away that Thursday morning, police are knocking on doors asking about a mysterious 911 call from the area. Again, police will not reveal the time of the call or where they think it originated. One theory I have heard from the Sherman family is that it was related to the murders''.
