PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The murder-suicide theory was hinted at when, on the night the bodies were discovered, Toronto police officers made statements on the record to reporters indicating that no suspects were being sought and there were no signs of forced entry at the Sherman homes. By Saturday, reporters had heard the words “murder-suicide” as a theory by police sources. That prompted the family to issue a statement decrying the theory, and to hire the private investigation team."
STORY: "Barry and Honey Sherman were murdered, police say," by Chief Investigative Reporter Kevin Donovan and crime reporters Wendy Gillis and Emma McIntosh, published b the Toronto Star on January 26, 2018.
SUB-HEADING: "Toronto police released the home back to the Sherman family Friday morning after six weeks of searching." (Toronto police say they believe billionaire Apotex founder Barry Sherman and his wife Honey were targeted and killed in a double homicide. Police say they have 127 witness statements and are hoping for more people to come forward. (The Canadian Press))
GIST: "Toronto
police believe Barry and Honey Sherman were victims of a targeted
attack and are treating their deaths as murders, the lead investigator
said Friday afternoon. The Shermans were found dead in their
North York home just before noon on Fri. Dec. 15. An autopsy concluded
they died from “ligature compression.” Det.-Sgt. Susan Gomes
declined to discuss possible suspects or motives at a news conference,
citing only “six weeks of investigation” as evidence. There was no sign
of forced entry into their home. “I believe they were targeted,”
Gomes said. “We haven’t developed any suspects, outside of understanding
that people are outstanding for — or a person is outstanding for — this
offence. The
billionaire couple were last seen alive on the evening of Wed. Dec. 13 —
two days before their bodies were discovered, Gomes said. Neither
communicated with friends, family or associates from that point onward. Homicide
detectives probing the case had classified it as suspicious, but there
was a running controversy over how they died. An early theory floated by
police sources the day the bodies were discovered was that it was
murder-suicide. But the Sherman family, which hired high-profile
criminal lawyer Brian Greenspan, a team of private investigators and a
retired pathologist, disagreed. Gomes said police have spent more
than 1,000 hours investigating the case, with 127 witness statements
taken so far, four terabytes of surveillance video gathered and 150 bulk
or packaged items seized from 20 searches. That includes a detailed
sweep of the Shermans’ primary home in North York — a three-storey
residence that warranted six weeks’ worth of efforts, Gomes said. “Legal
complexities in some executions have been challenging given the
litigious nature of Barry Sherman’s businesses, in particular the search
and seizure of electronics in Barry Sherman’s workspace at Apotex,”
Gomes added. The Sherman family released a statement after the police news conference. “The
announcement by the Toronto Police Service that the tragic deaths of
their parents are being investigated as a double homicide was
anticipated by the Sherman family,” the statement read. “This conclusion
was expressed by the family from the outset and is consistent with the
findings of the independent autopsy and investigation. “The family
continues to support the Toronto Police Service in their efforts to
seek justice for their parents and pursue those responsible for these
unspeakable crimes.” At the Sherman home on Old Colony Rd., near
Bayview Ave. and Sheppard Ave. E. on Friday morning, the scene appeared
to be virtually the same from when the investigation began in
mid-December. Withered, dried-up flowers remained where they were left
weeks ago. That changed at 11 a.m. when officers began removing
the police tape that had stretched around the property since Dec. 15.
Shortly after, at 11:06 a.m., a police car that had been parked in the
front of the house left the scene. Former
Toronto police Det. Martin Woodhouse, part of Klatt Investigations,
hired by the Sherman family, arrived at the home. Woodhouse pulled his
car into the driveway and took out a small video camera, appearing to
film the outside of the house. Woodhouse spoke with private
security, who arrived around the time police left. The private security
then put up their own caution tape around the property, replacing the
police tape that the officers just removed. Last week, the Star published a story
detailing the preliminary findings of the private team assembled by the
Sherman family. It concluded that the Shermans were the victims of a
double murder, a killing that had the appearance of a contract hit,
according to sources. Though their bodies were discovered on the
Friday, it is believed by the private investigation team that they died
between late Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. They were found in a
semi-seated position, legs stretched out front, and men’s leather belts
wrapped around their necks and looped over a low railing that surrounds
their indoor pool — details Gomes confirmed Friday. “They were wearing their clothing,” Gomes said. Marks
that appear to indicate their hands were tied at some point were
observed by both the provincial pathologist who conducted the first
autopsy, and a second pathologist hired by the Sherman family to do a
second post mortem, the Star reported last week. No ties or ropes were
found at the scene. Gomes didn’t confirm those details Friday. The
detective would not comment when asked if investigators believe the
Shermans were killed in that location, or whether their bodies had been
placed there. Gomes said police are looking into anyone who
accessed the Sherman home — which was up for sale — including those who
used a lock box. She said investigators have a list of people who had
access to the home and it was “significant.” “Anybody who has had
access to that home in the last so many weeks and months leading up to
that weekend and those days? Important to us, absolutely,” Gomes said. Police
have an “extensive” list of people they want to speak with, she added.
Gomes would not say if the home was found intact, or whether anything
valuables, such as jewelry or art, were missing. Greenspan has
said that the theory of murder-suicide is “unsupportable as a matter of
logic,” according to people who knew the Shermans well. They were
building a new home, had winter trip plans and were very involved with
their children’s and grandchildren’s lives. The murder-suicide
theory was hinted at when, on the night the bodies were discovered,
Toronto police officers made statements on the record to reporters
indicating that no suspects were being sought and there were no signs of
forced entry at the Sherman homes. By Saturday, reporters had heard the
words “murder-suicide” as a theory by police sources. That
prompted the family to issue a statement decrying the theory, and to
hire the private investigation team. Greenspan has said his hope is to
provide a “second lens” on the investigation but he stressed he did not
want to interfere. Gomes said she was “absolutely not” concerned about the private investigators compromising the police probe. “They haven’t distracted us from the get-go, and they will not distract us as we carry on.” Forty-eight
hours after the bodies were discovered, Toronto homicide detectives
took over the probe from the divisional officers who initially responded
Friday. Police have yet to release the results of toxicology
analysis done at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto on the
Shermans. Greenspan’s team had its own analysis done at an American lab
and sources say the results were negative for anything that would have
contributed to the couple’s death. Meanwhile, Jeremy Desai, the
CEO of Apotex, the giant Canadian generic drug company that Sherman
founded, announced Friday morning that he resigned to pursue other
opportunities. He has held that position since 2014."
The entire story can be found at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/c
