Over the past year I’ve closely followed the Sherman case and have done a great deal of thinking about it. This is a little long but it summarizes all of my thoughts at this time. The core evidence for the murder/suicide theory is below:
Background on these types of crimes with links:
1. Crime data shows that nearly all women are killed by someone they know. Only six percent are not.
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/01/06/amid-spike-in-gta-domestic-homicides-experts-call-for-action-to-address-crisis.html
Crime data shows that strangulation is very rare but occurs approximately 1 in 16 times in domestic murder.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/investigations/domestic-violence-murders/?utm_term=.f39a60950a14
From the two stories above we can quantify the likelihood of the “targeted murder theory. 6% (homicides where the women didn’t know her killer) * 1% (deaths by strangulation, actually the number is given as less than 1% but I’ll use 1%) = 6/100 * 1/100 = 6/10,000 = 1 in 1,667. I highly recommend reading the two stories.
Of course there’s a chance they were targeted by someone they knew well. However zero evidence has come forth at this time. In that scenario still the likelihood of death by strangulation is still extremely rare.
2. Older men are more likely than younger men to commit murder suicide. Online it states that the couples 75+ are the highest risk group. I realize that both of them weren’t 75+ but Barry was 75. Online it also states that in the scenario where the man is 75+ the man typically has a dominant personality.
https://www.officer.com/on-the-street/body-armor-protection/article/10744560/murdersuicide-when-killing-yourself-isnt-enough
3. Article in the globe and mail stated gossip was going around that Honey had recently insulted Barry at a party and told him that it would take 2 billion dollars to get rid of her.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-its-been-a-year-since-barry-and-honey-sherman-were-killed-why-do-we/
This story provides a possible motive.
OTHER THOUGHTS
1. I'll be happy to consider any evidence to the contrary. Let's see the photos of the hitmen, the footprints in the snow, the eyewitnesses who saw a strange van parked down the street etc. The obvious reason why no video has been released is there is no video evidence of anything.
2. If Honey was found alone murdered with no signs of forced entry and no robbery who’s on the suspect list?
Only Barry
3. Private Investigation Team/Media Belief:
Group of trained killers committed the crime.
Does not fit any crime data for this crime and is not supported by any evidence aside from David Chiasson’s wrist markings which are likely/possibly bruises or offensive/defensive wounds from the crime. David Chiasson came up with this theory with the help of the private detectives. Since he was hired by the family I assume he is getting paid and even if he did it for free he realizes his role is to help the defense/family and to suggest an alternate theory. He is not there to agree with the police. Honey has signs of a struggle on her lip and nose, Barry does not. An obvious conclusion is that he wasn’t attacked. Since someone in the house attacked Honey and there were only two people in the house Barry has to have been the attacker unless other evidence comes forward.
4. Susan Gomes Motivation/Psychological difficulties in stating murder/suicide hypothesis.
She has a desire to please John Tory and the Sherman's friends and family.
Fear of media criticism and fear of seeing prominent Torontonians criticize her theory in the media.
Seemed to have a need to have someone to agree with. David Chiasson is a natural to help her with this and has the advantage of selling his theory to a person who apparently is desperate to not rule murder/suicide. Since only Chiasson and the private team promoted the double homicide theory Gomes needed someone to take her off the hot seat and allow her a resolution which would please John Tory, Sherman supporters, and the family. Does anyone know if Susan Gomes worked with David Chiasson previously? She seems old enough to have. Chiasson worked for Ontario from 1994-2000.
5. Gomes didn’t provide any justification for her theories – hints at flimsy justification.
Gomes was going to be faced with enormous media/legal pressure if she ruled murder/suicide. Joe Warmington at the Toronto Sun said in a recent podcast that it was difficult to tell his boss Paul Godfrey at the Toronto Sun that the police were saying murder/suicide early on. Why does his boss feel so strongly about it that his own reporter finds it difficult to discuss it with him? Does this type of issue exist at other media outlets?
Loss of nerve or desire to please family and she knows Tory, Trudeau, Wynne, all attended funeral. If John Tory didn’t come by to talk to the police they would have just done their job quickly. Tory likely turned this into a six week investigation and paralyzed his police investigation team.
Gomes repeatedly said that her theory was based on six weeks of detective work. She failed to give any additional information then or now. She can’t be criticized if she hides behind a need to “protect the investigation”
6. Simon Giannini case – video of shooter in steakhouse released four days later
Barry Sherman case – no video released thirteen months later although police collected 2,000 hours of video (conclusion, no video evidence)
7. Properties appear to be fenced all around them which makes it very unlikely anyone could sneak in through a back yard or side yard. This is from the real estate listing online. Have not driven by the house so this could be incorrect but I doubt it.
8. High end property real estate sales showings will likely/always have both agents present as seller’s agent will have relatively few showings and the payoff to the seller’s agent is likely huge. House is not likely available for pop-ins by everyday real estate agent. List of people who saw the house is extremely unlikely to have anyone other than wealthy people who have nothing to do with this case and will be very short. People have to show up front that they can afford the house before they can even tour it typically.
9. Do they have an alarm in house?? Did it go off?? Apparently not.
10. Family’s reward of $10 million dollars has produced no evidence.
11. Some are stating that the police waited too long to begin the investigation and the killers got a six week head start. It’s obvious that any neighbors or people who drove through the area that night and saw anything suspicious would have brought that information to the police. The person who lives next door to Sherman for instance would be terrified if they had seen some strange individuals in the area that day or night and immediately want to talk about it with the police.
12. I heard there was a disagreement about the building of the Sherman’s new home. Barry was not in favor but Honey was. They spoke with an architect the last time they were seen in public together. Has the architect made any comments about how well they were getting along at these meetings?
13. If the family wanted a second autopsy an independent person from say Buffalo or Ottawa should have come to do it rather than someone hired by the family. That way the person could state things like “markings on the wrist, possibly from rope, also possibly from defensive wounds etc.” Instead you have someone doing an autopsy with an agenda preset. Not to say he’s being dishonest but presenting an unlikely hypothetical as what likely happened.
Evidence for double murder provided so far by the defense team
1. Says police didn’t find an earring they found in yard.
2. Say the police didn’t vacuum up some dust at the crime scene.
3. Brian Greenspan says things like if the police had checked all entry points to the house they would have found it but fails to state what the entry point is. (Conclusion: he’s making this up/speculating)
4. Chief Saunders has made the bizarre statement that he has to be careful because he “knows” the killer or killers are listening. (This is extremely strange because on a regular basis the police put suspect photos into media circulation along with their names and ask them to get a lawyer and turn themselves in).
FINAL CONCLUSION:
In my opinion based on all the evidence I’m aware of the balance of evidence at this time clearly supports murder suicide. The statistical likelihood of double homicide for this type of crime is extremely small. When combined with the complete lack of evidence that Susan Gomes has produced (her entire press conference was “I’m not going to explain my theory” (likely because it was entirely based on her talk with the pathologist for the defense team)) I don’t see any reason to believe that double homicide has occurred.
Two people were in the house that night. They both died with no evidence of anyone else being present. Unless any new evidence comes out I’ve made up my mind.
