5 years later: Sherman murders remain unsolved, $25M reportedly added to reward

It’s been five years since Barry and Honey Sherman were believed to have been murdered and, other than a mysterious ‘walking person,’ police have not revealed any suspect information in the high-profile killings.

Barry Sherman was the founder of the generic pharmaceutical company Apotex, and he and his wife were philanthropists and well-known members of Toronto society. Their deaths sent shockwaves through the community and the subsequent investigation sparked intense public interest.

The two were found dead inside their North York mansion in the area of Bayview Avenue and Highway 401 on Dec. 15, 2017. The pair were staged in a seated position hanging by belts beside their indoor swimming pool.

Autopsy results showed they died by “ligature neck compression.” Police determined there were no visible signs of a break-in at the home and originally ruled the case a murder-suicide.

In January 2018, homicide detectives determined it was a double murder and the couple had been targeted. Investigators believe they were killed on Dec. 13 — two days before the bodies were discovered.

Last year, investigators announced they had identified a suspect in the murders through video surveillance. Police said at the time they combed through hours of video footage and were able to exclude everyone who appeared in the videos as a suspect, except for one individual.

That person has yet to be identified.

A general view of the Toronto home of Barry and Honey Sherman on Jan. 26, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

In the days leading up to the five year anniversary, one of the billionaire couple’s daughters released a statement, renewing a plea for anyone with information about the murders to come forward.

In the statement released last week, Alex Krawczyk says there has been no closure for her family since her parents were found dead five years ago.

“If you have any information about the murders of my parents, I urge you to please contact the Toronto Police Service,” Krawczyk wrote. “The $10-million reward for information leading to a conviction remains available and is still unclaimed.”

The CBC is reporting the couple’s only son, Jonathon, is contributing an additional $25 million to the reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction — bringing its total to $35 million.

“The horrific manner in which they were taken from us has been extremely traumatic and has irreparably damaged the fabric of our community,” Krawczyk said.

In addition to offering a financial reward for any info, the family also hired its own team of private investigators to look into the homicides.

Anyone with information can contact shermantips@torontopolice.on.ca.

With files from The Canadian Press