BACKGROUND: From a previous post: (December 13, 2021);
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I have been quite shocked by what I have learned about the serious 'stumblings' the Toronto Police Service has made in their high profile investigation of the murders of Barry and Honey Sherman. Indeed, whatever I learned about the unsolved case - now four years old - did not come from the police. It come from my former Toronto Star colleague, Chief Investigative Reporter Kevin Donovan - and had to be plied from the police wall of secrecy by the Star's commitment to the story, (Bravo Toronto Star), skillful reporting, and a series of costly, time-consuming applications in the courts. Today's story is of particular interest to this Blog, because of the forensic issues raised by the investigation. As it is quite lengthy, I am focusing on just two sections: "The crime scene: Was it properly secured by police?" - and "Double murder vs. murder-suicide vs. double suicide — did police make the determination in a timely fashion?" A link to the entire story can be found below. Stay Tuned!
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
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STORY: "Toronto police announce suspect caught on video in murder of billionaires Barry and Honey Sherman," by Chief Investigative Reporter Kevin Donovan, published by The Toronto Star on December 14, 2021.
SUB-HEADING: "Police say investigators have spent four years scouring the murder scene. This is the only person they cannot identify."
GIST: "Toronto police want to know the identity of a “suspect” walking near the Sherman home around the time of the murders of billionaire philanthropists Barry and Honey Sherman.
Police on Tuesday released a short video loop of the man walking near the couple’s North York home. Police say he is between five-foot-six and five-foot-nine.
The video was recorded by a home security on the street sometime in the evening hours of Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017, the night of the murders.
“If you recognize yourself in the video please come forward,” homicide Det. Sgt. Brandon Price told reporters.
The person can be seen walking into a defined area near the Shermans home on Old Colony Road where there is no video coverage, and then leaves the same way. Police would not reveal the timing of the video.
Price asked anyone who recognizes the person to come forward. He also noted the person “kicks up his right heel” as he walks.
Investigators have spent four years scouring video and used special software to identify many people caught on video that day, Price said. This is the only person they cannot identify, said.
He added that police are now classifying this person as a “suspect.”
Barry, 75, was the founder and owner of Apotex, Canada’s generic drug giant. He and his wife Honey, 70, were committed philanthropists. Their bodies were discovered in the basement swimming pool room of their north Toronto home four years ago. Originally thought by police to be a murder-suicide, police eventually investigated their killings as a targeted double-homicide.
The statement and release of information by homicide detectives Tuesday was the first time in almost four years that Toronto police have publicly released information to the media (though a court process and cross examination by a Toronto Star reporter police have released updates on the case)
The only other time police held a press conference to release information was on Jan. 26, 2018, six weeks after the bodies were discovered. The then-head of the Sherman probe, Det. Sgt. Susan Gomes, announced to the public that after an extensive review of materials they had concluded that the Shermans were a victim of a double-homicide.
Gomes said after having taken 127 witness statements, and reviewing video and other information, they had concluded “we have sufficient evidence to describe this as a double-homicide investigation and that both Barry and Honey Sherman were targeted.”
By the spring of 2018, the number of people interviewed had ballooned to 250. The Star has found, through its attempts to unseal search warrant material, that less than a dozen additional people have been interviewed. The case has over the years become what some investigators describe as a “search warrant case.” Police go to court to seek a search warrant or production order for something — a person’s cell phone records or banking information as an example — and then once they receive that information they use it to request other data or files.
Two years ago, police told the Star during this court process that they had a “theory” of the case and an idea of what happened. Whether police still maintain that theory, they are not saying.
Det. Sgt. Brandon Price, who was on the original investigation, now leads it, following Gomes’ departure from the homicide unit a year into the case."
The entire story can be read 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/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
