2022 Lengthy article.
Murdered OBUS Forme CEO Frank Roberts, right, seen here at his factory in a photograph from May 5, 1988.
Brennan, Pat
www.thestar.com
By Peter Edwards rbbm
''The hit man was waiting in the west Toronto parking lot when CEO Frank Roberts pulled up to his OBUS Forme Ltd. factory and stepped out of his black Mercedes SL 500 convertible.
There were two point-blank bullets to the chest and one to the head.
The gunman fled the scene as employees continued to arrive on Aug. 13, 1998, at the factory Roberts had built on Hopewell Avenue at Dufferin Street.''
''High-profile Canadian CEOs aren’t often shot dead in mob-style executions.'
''Police got the call at 7:24 a.m. and were there within minutes but the killer was already long gone, driven away by another member of the hit team.
Workers sobbed in disbelief at the sight of their diminutive boss lying on the pavement.
Many of the company’s 150 employees were new immigrants to Canada and Roberts had given them a chance at a better life while treating them with dignity.''
'Zarb said he learned that there had been an earlier plot by a GTA organized crime group to have Roberts murdered that wasn’t carried out when a prospective hit man backed out of the job.
The would-be hit man said, “I can’t do this. I can’t pull the trigger on this” and gave back the gun, Zarb said.
Then another shooter and another driver were given the job, Zarb said.
“Organized crime was definitely involved because there’s money involved,” he said.''
'Apr 21, 2024 Ontario Cold Cases - The Podcast
Ontario Cold Cases - The Podcast S2-EP16 on the murder of Frank Roberts Frank Roberts was gunned down on the morning of Thursday, August 13th, 1998 in the parking lot of the OBUS Forme Ltd. factory on Hopewell Ave. at Dufferin St. Roberts, 67, the inventor of the OBUS Forme backrest support cushion, and president of the company, arrived at work at 7:30 every morning, and police speculated his killer knew his schedule and ambushed him the morning of the 13th. The murder had hallmarks of a professional hit. Was it a business rival or a jealous husband or family?'
Murdered OBUS Forme CEO Frank Roberts, right, seen here at his factory in a photograph from May 5, 1988.
Brennan, Pat
‘He had no enemies’: Why the assassination of Toronto CEO Frank Roberts left more questions than just who did it
Retired detective Ray Zarb says the unsolved assassination of OBUS Forme founder Frank Roberts will bug him the rest of his life.
''The hit man was waiting in the west Toronto parking lot when CEO Frank Roberts pulled up to his OBUS Forme Ltd. factory and stepped out of his black Mercedes SL 500 convertible.
There were two point-blank bullets to the chest and one to the head.
The gunman fled the scene as employees continued to arrive on Aug. 13, 1998, at the factory Roberts had built on Hopewell Avenue at Dufferin Street.''
''High-profile Canadian CEOs aren’t often shot dead in mob-style executions.'
''Police got the call at 7:24 a.m. and were there within minutes but the killer was already long gone, driven away by another member of the hit team.
Workers sobbed in disbelief at the sight of their diminutive boss lying on the pavement.
Many of the company’s 150 employees were new immigrants to Canada and Roberts had given them a chance at a better life while treating them with dignity.''
'Zarb said he learned that there had been an earlier plot by a GTA organized crime group to have Roberts murdered that wasn’t carried out when a prospective hit man backed out of the job.
The would-be hit man said, “I can’t do this. I can’t pull the trigger on this” and gave back the gun, Zarb said.
Then another shooter and another driver were given the job, Zarb said.
“Organized crime was definitely involved because there’s money involved,” he said.''
Ontario Cold Cases - The Podcast S2-EP16 on the murder of Frank Roberts Frank Roberts was gunned down on the morning of Thursday, August 13th, 1998 in the parking lot of the OBUS Forme Ltd. factory on Hopewell Ave. at Dufferin St. Roberts, 67, the inventor of the OBUS Forme backrest support cushion, and president of the company, arrived at work at 7:30 every morning, and police speculated his killer knew his schedule and ambushed him the morning of the 13th. The murder had hallmarks of a professional hit. Was it a business rival or a jealous husband or family?'
