A few billionaires died under mysterious circumstances, so the family is now offering a R$186 million reward to anyone who helps solve the case. The crime happened five years ago, but the official investigation has still not been able to uncover who is responsible for the murders of Barry and Honey Sherman, who were among Canada’s wealthiest people.
Barry was the founder of the pharmaceutical company Apotex and his wife was famous for her philanthropic projects. On Dec. 15, 2017, a real estate agent visited the couple’s Toronto mansion and found Barry and Honey dead, sitting next to each other, with belts tied around their necks and pinned to the railing of the indoor pool they maintain, according to the report. CNN.
Barry Sherman was 75 and his wife 70 years old. At the time, investigators said there was no evidence of forced entry into the home. Police began looking for possible suspects in the murder and suicide theories. Nevertheless, the case remains open.
As this week marks the anniversary of their parents’ deaths, Jonathon Sherman, the couple’s son, has increased the reward from $25 million to $35 million for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for the crime.
“Every day since then has been a nightmare. I am overcome with pain, loss and sadness and these feelings are only growing,” Jonathon Sherman lamented in an interview with Canadian broadcaster CBC News.
He hopes that when the case is closed, not only will the perpetrators be caught, but it will also help him overcome the trauma. “It will not be possible to continue until those responsible are arrested,” he said.
The couple’s death had a major impact at the time. Barry Sherman founded Apotex in 1974 and grew it into a global pharmaceutical company. In 2017, the year the owner died, the company was valued at $3 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
Suicide finding and exclusion
A few days after the murder, an autopsy found the couple died of “compression of the neck by ligature” or strangulation. Investigators were confused as they believed it was a double suicide. However, this theory was dismissed as new evidence pointed to a murder.
Police said the Shermans’ deaths could be linked to their involvement in financial scandals. In one of them, the founder of Apotex filed a lawsuit against someone close to the family for embezzling $150,000 from the company.
According to Detective Susan Gomes, there is no sign of a breakin, but there is evidence of security camera intrusion, suggesting the killer had the key to the property or was an acquaintance of the couple.
However, surveillance cameras in the street identified a person, between 1.50m and 1.70m, who was loitering around the house on the day of the crime. Police don’t know if it was a man or a woman.
“We have not been able to determine what the purpose of this person in the neighborhood was. Based on this evidence, we consider this person a suspect,” said Susan Gomes.
Despite this, images captured by the security system of a neighboring home recorded the moment the same person entered and lingered on Sherman’s property. Police are now working to identify the suspect.