CANADA Canada - Barry, 75, & Honey Sherman, 70, found dead, Toronto, 15 Dec 2017 #18

[ldlager]

Okay we’ll suppose Honey told nobody, so how would the killer know there was something in her Will worth killing her for? Any why would she reveal Will details to one person who would be negatively impacted, giving them a motive to murder her but not mention a word to anybody else?

I agree, it seems nobody knew information about if Honey had Will. But I don’t believe whether she had a Will or not was the motive for the couple’s horrible murders. JMO

I guess its possible she could have told that person during an argument- "I am changing my will to cut you out" or words to that effect. Sometimes people can say such things in the heat of the moment. MOO

 

[Lexiintoronto]

I was looking up lawsuits connected to this case and found Mary’s husband AS was sued in part by Apotex. Apotex and Novopharm were challenging a drug patent. Glaxo/Wellcome, Interpharm & AS were the defendants
Apotex Inc v Wellcome Foundation Ltd - Wikipedia

https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2002/2002scc77/2002scc77.html?resultIndex=6


The case went all the way to the Supreme Court. What I haven’t found is why AS was sued. (Was he working with Glaxo/Wellcome or Interpharm while working with Apotex?)

He was an Apotex employee from 1995-2004 according to his LinkedIn.

What overlaps is a jewelry company he had between 1993-2016. Barry funded that business with $32 million according to KD’s book. In 2014 the business applied for protection from creditors. The business ended in bankruptcy according to KD.

 

[dotr]

Feb 2021
Many lined up at the ‘Bank of Barry’ Sherman: Inside the $10 billion succession battle | The Star

''One family member who has been completely shut out is Mary Shechtman, Honey’s sister and best friend, who had hoped to play an important role in the Sherman philanthropy. A comment she made following the murders, that Honey promised her a $300 million gift (she told me it was really $500 million but she decided to give the lower figure), upset the four Sherman children. Mary said she believes the real root of the rift was another comment she made — “I am the oldest surviving member of my family, I am too young to be a matriarch.” Regardless, she has no say in the Sherman charities, despite Jonathon’s comment in his eulogy that he wanted “Aunt Mary” to guide the charitable works “in a way that best honours our parents.”

Recently, Mary reflected on what she and the family have lost. “She was the best sister anyone could ever have. Barry was such a wonderful person,” she said. Regarding what has happened to the extended family, Mary said: “They didn’t deserve this.”

''The families of both Barry’s sister and Honey’s sister were also given financial help. For example, according to documents in a lawsuit filed by the son of Honey’s sister Mary Shechtman (he is seeking information on the Shechtman family trust and a court order removing Mary and her husband Allen Shechtman as trustees and replacing them with a corporate trust company), the Shechtman trust owns 17 houses. Insiders say those were purchased with Barry’s assistance over the years.''

Frosty relationship

''Mary has disputed characterizations of her as someone who has lived off her late sister and her husband. She said her parents provided seed money for Barry in the early days and over the years she has worked hard on real-estate projects for the Shermans, earning everything that was paid to her. Recently, in her basement, she discovered an IOU Barry wrote to her mother in the 1970s for monies advanced when he was starting out in business. It is an IOU she has not been able to collect on. So frosty is her relationship with the Sherman children that Jonathon evicted her last fall (he said his father had given her a rent-free unit but the management company he hired insisted that Mary pay rental) from a storage unit his self-storage company owns in Ajax. Mary’s spending habits were mentioned in passing in the police search warrant-documents released following a Star court challenge. Honey’s assistant was quoted as telling police that while Honey never spent much money on her credit card “it was Mary who spent a lot of money at U.S. Saks and Barry was never to see those bills.”

''One filing in the court action Mary’s son Noah has against his mother and father provides a tiny snapshot of the widespread use of the “Bank of Barry,” or, in this case, the Bank of Honey.''

ETA
2018
Barry and Honey Sherman murders: Inside the lives of the billionaire couple (macleans.ca)
''A year later, Sherman had a run-in with the FBI and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over a mail-order scheme he ran with his brother-in-law, Allen Shechtman. It involved a Bahamas-based company, Medicine Club, mailing Apotex drugs, including generic Prozac, from Canada to half a million U.S. households without prescription. Medicine Club pleaded guilty to one count of illegal interstate commerce and was fined US$500,000 for selling drugs without approval; it was also forced to pay $339,000 for investigative costs. Authorities had been tipped off by U.S. drug manufacturers, entrenched Sherman foes. (Sherman bankrolled another of his brother-in-law’s ventures, Martin Ross Group Inc., a jewellery company that filed for bankruptcy in 2015, owing $5.2 million to two Sherman-controlled companies.)''

 

[ldlager]

AS was running Medicine Club America and Medicine Club International, which was based in Bahamas and was shipping/mailing Apotex generic drugs from Canada to patients in the USA. I believe the lawsuit you refer to is a combination of a several lawsuits- maybe that has something to do with why he was named.

Here is another lawsuit involving Eli Lilly and these parties:
Eli Lilly and Co. v. Interpharm Inc. (1993), 63 F.T.R. 169 (TD)


Eli Lilly and Company and Eli Lilly Canada Inc. (plaintiffs) v. Interpharm Inc., Medichem Inc., Apotex Inc. and Allen Barry Shechtman and Inter-American Office Service Inc., Northam Medication Service Inc., Clay's Pharmacy, Robert Montgomery, Leonard Clayman, Bernard Sherman and Bluma Clayman and Medicine Club of America Inc., Medicine Club International Inc., Am-Can Medication Service Inc. (Ontario), Am-Can Medication Service Inc. (Bahamas) and 643402 Ontario Limited sometimes doing business as Silver Bullet Marketing (defendants)

 

[WINDSOR]

Noah is suing his mom and dad, Mary and Allan. Jonathon, has a frosty relationship with his Aunt. Maybe the 'Happy Sherman family' persona is just a media façade and really they all hated each other. That is sad.

All I can say is Mary had most to lose with Honey's death.

 

[Just4TB]

There are some faith groups, who are not permitted to charge interest (called usury) to other kin or faith members. So, when first starting a business, someone wealthy from either family or religious circle, often provides them a private, interest free loan, to help "get them started". This gives the person starting out an advantage over their competitors who likely have debt carrying costs, and years ago when interest rates were higher, was quite advantageous.

There is then an expectation, as part of that faith, that later in life - once you have "made it", you must also reciprocate and loan money to other kin and faith members, interest free, similar to the startup loans that you benefited from. To not reciprocate, would be akin to being a dishonest broker.

So, if people struggle to understand why a frugal BS might have made some of the loans that he did, to help others get started, this information might shed some light on the internal motivations.

MOO - based on discussions I have had with friends who are part of that faith group.

 

[MistyWaters]

Noah is suing his mom and dad, Mary and Allan. Jonathon, has a frosty relationship with his Aunt. Maybe the 'Happy Sherman family' persona is just a media façade and really they all hated each other. That is sad.

All I can say is Mary had most to lose with Honey's death.

I wonder what is the source of Noah’s lawsuit? I see no record of anything on Canlii or other MSM, just KD/TheStar.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

I wonder what is the source of Noah’s lawsuit? I see no record of anything on Canlii or other MSM, just KD/TheStar.

I searched and found that if it’s an open case in the Ontario courts you have to sign into Access court files and documents

You need to create an account (I haven’t tried.) I don’t know where NS filed the case, but it’s likely Ontario, imo.

* I may be wrong and access is easier.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

I created an account, and clicked on viewing court cases and came to this screen:

So I stopped!

 

[MistyWaters]

I created an account, and clicked on viewing court cases and came to this screen:
View attachment 339860
So I stopped!

Canlii is not specific to province unless one chooses to specify.

https://www.canlii.org/en/

 

[Lexiintoronto]

Canlii is not specific to province unless one chooses to specify.

https://www.canlii.org/en/

I wasn’t clear. : ( I have the impression NS filed the case but it’s not in Canlii because a judge hasn’t ruled on part of or the whole case. I think the Ontario site would have information about the status of the lawsuit (if he filed it in Ontario.)

From what I understand Canlii publishes judgments, and his case may not have been heard yet.

“What will you find on CanLII
Legal cases
The CanLII.org website provides access to court judgments from all Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, federal courts, and the courts in all Canada’s provinces and territories. CanLII.org also contains decisions from many tribunals nationally.”
https://www.canlii.org/en/info/about.html

I think the Ontario website I linked might have more information about the status of the application, and a possible court date.

 

[ldlager]

Noah is suing his mom and dad, Mary and Allan. Jonathon, has a frosty relationship with his Aunt. Maybe the 'Happy Sherman family' persona is just a media façade and really they all hated each other. That is sad.

All I can say is Mary had most to lose with Honey's death.

Im not sure I would agree with you if MS thought she was included in HS will to the tune of $300 to $ 500 million.

 

[deugirtni]

Im not sure I would agree with you if MS thought she was included in HS will to the tune of $300 to $ 500 million.

The way I understood that money that MS said she was to receive from her sister, it was to be received during Honey's lifetime, not upon Honey's death. Honey may very well have lived to a ripe old age, which would then presumably bring MS to a ripe old age herself, and perhaps that money may not have been as useful to her. imo. In any case, regardless of that whole MS receiving money from H subject, it seems shocking to me that H wouldn't have looked after her sister in her will, as it seems clear that H looked after MS during her lifetime.

 

[ldlager]

The way I understood that money that MS said she was to receive from her sister, it was to be received during Honey's lifetime, not upon Honey's death. Honey may very well have lived to a ripe old age, which would then presumably bring MS to a ripe old age herself, and perhaps that money may not have been as useful to her. imo. In any case, regardless of that whole MS receiving money from H subject, it seems shocking to me that H wouldn't have looked after her sister in her will, as it seems clear that H looked after MS during her lifetime.

I guess that depends if you believe MS or not. AFAIK no one else has in any way either verified or denied her alleged claim that HS promised her hundreds of millions of dollars.
I suppose it is possible that HS had decided that she had done enough for the MS and her husband, and acted on this by changing her Will to remove MS as a beneficiary. Perhaps to be replaced by her grandchildren?

 

[deugirtni]

I guess that depends if you believe MS or not. AFAIK no one else has in any way either verified or denied her alleged claim that HS promised her hundreds of millions of dollars.
I suppose it is possible that HS had decided that she had done enough for the MS and her husband, and acted on this by changing her Will to remove MS as a beneficiary. Perhaps to be replaced by her grandchildren?

To me, it seemed like Honey's circle of friends knew about it? This is from KD's Billionaire Murders ebook:

According to some of Barry and Honey's friends, Barry was planning to give Honey a major financial gift. ... The amount of the gift was to be between $100 million and $500 million, Honey told her friends. The Apotex founder never gave a figure, just that it was to be a "substantial amount of money," according to Jack Kay. Honey's friends say she provided dollar figures, which differed over time. It was generally accepted among Honey's circle of friends that a good chunk of that money would go to support her sister, Mary. "Honey was getting money from Barry, and Mary was going to get some of that," says one source. The planned gift from Barry to Honey apparently did not materialize before their deaths.
pg 223-224 ebook

 

[Rush4087]

Honey had a will. It had been recently updated before the murders.

She was very astute and had access to the best lawyers money could buy.

No HS will has ever been found, and none of the “best lawyers money could buy” has ever come forward and presented one.

Like many others though, I find it hard to believe that HS did not have a will. But I find it harder still to believe that no will has been found and no lawyer has come forward and presented one.

If (as has been claimed) BS’s will was in staples generic form, maybe (if HS had a will) it was also in that format? And if that was the case, would a lawyer have even been necessary to complete the document?

I’m also not sure we can say that the existence and contents of any HS will would not have mattered anyway as the beneficiaries would’ve still been the 4 children. We don’t know what such a will (if it exists) might contain. It also (again, if it exists) might bring TOD questions into play.

I’m not currently sold on either @Idlager’s or @Lexiintoronto’s proposed / possible theories, but I don’t find either to contain logic flaws, and I appreciate them putting them out there for consideration / brain scratching

I think that until the “HS will questions” are answered, certain related motives must still be considered.

All jmo

Eta: if (IF) a HS will did exist, could it have been located at BS’s office at work (which was not searched until some 4 weeks after the murders)?

 

[WINDSOR]

Im not sure I would agree with you if MS thought she was included in HS will to the tune of $300 to $ 500 million.

I don't know about others, but before I kill my sister for an inheritance, I would make damn sure, a) a legal and valid will existed, and b) I was a significant beneficiary.

If MS was involved in the murders, with the expectation of receiving a huge inheritance, she has to be really upset now.

AFAIK, up to this point she has not contested the will(s) or the distribution of the estate, which implies to me she did not expect an inheritance and therefore did not have a motive.

On a side note, has it been confirmed, that Barry's will was a stationary store DIY will?

I cannot believe that with legal trusts, family trusts, legal estate shelters numerous trustees and so on, that a professional law firm did not draw up Barry's will.

 

[dotr]

rbbm.
By Anne KingstonOctober 30, 2019
Who killed Barry and Honey Sherman? A new book offers fascinating insights. - Macleans.ca

''Q: In your book, you write about the damage to Honey’s face which suggested the killings had a personal component—that the killer or killers felt differently towards husband and wife. Why was that worth mentioning?
A: I had no access to the police investigation so I’m looking for the clues. And that says to me that the person may have liked Barry more than Honey. But it could also mean that a person attacked Honey and then strangled Barry.

Q: Your book is also a fascinating portrait of wealth—and family dysfunction. You write that Barry Sherman gave his children millions but kept his wife on a tight financial leash—she had access to cash for trips and shopping, but controlled no money of her own. You also report that just before their deaths, Honey told friends her husband was contemplating giving her a big financial gift; her sister, Mary, was also telling people that Honey was giving her a lot of money. Why was this relevant?
A: Honey was given money for her needs but not her desires. If she wanted to put in a very expensive marble floor in their Florida condo, she could do that. Barry wasn’t interested in spending money—he liked to give it away—and felt his wife should be the same way. In the final year of her life, both Honey and Barry told friends she was going to come into between $100 million and $500 million. Then it became known that some of this might go to her beloved sister, Mary. Honey and Mary were very close; they might be the closest relationship in the Sherman family. Honey was tough on her children—she wanted them to have jobs and pay bills. Barry was closer to them; he’d just give them money. From quite good sources, it was not unusual for the two older children to receive $100s of million and the younger two children to receive in the low millions. It was a very dysfunctional situation with money and the Sherman family.

Q: You also report that Honey appeared to have no will, and that there was a search for it. That would have implications in terms of the order of their deaths. Could you explain?
A: Nobody knows who died first. It’s more likely Honey died first. None of her close friends remember her having a will. They looked for a will. I went to court to try to get their wills, which is an ongoing legal battle. The papers filed for Honey are filed for a person without a will—intestate. I’ve seen two papers for Barry—one says he has a will, another says he doesn’t. I find it very confusing. My understanding of the will that I have not yet seen is that it gives money equally to the four children. It sets up a trust for Honey that will provide for her and she would have control over should Barry predecease her. Barry used a basic pro-forma will, like you can buy at Staples. I would have thought there would be millions for charities—but there’s nothing like that.''

 

[ldlager]

No HS will has ever been found, and none of the “best lawyers money could buy” has ever come forward and presented one.

Like many others though, I find it hard to believe that HS did not have a will. But I find it harder still to believe that no will has been found and no lawyer has come forward and presented one.

If (as has been claimed) BS’s will was in staples generic form, maybe (if HS had a will) it was also in that format? And if that was the case, would a lawyer have even been necessary to complete the document?

I’m also not sure we can say that the existence and contents of any HS will would not have mattered anyway as the beneficiaries would’ve still been the 4 children. We don’t know what such a will (if it exists) might contain. It also (again, if it exists) might bring TOD questions into play.

I’m not currently sold on either @Idlager’s or @Lexiintoronto’s proposed / possible theories, but I don’t find either to contain logic flaws, and I appreciate them putting them out there for consideration / brain scratching

I think that until the “HS will questions” are answered, certain related motives must still be considered.

All jmo

Eta: if (IF) a HS will did exist, could it have been located at BS’s office at work (which was not searched until some 4 weeks after the murders)?

Rush, I am curious. Why do you automatically assume that HS would have left everything to her 4 children?

 

[ldlager]

I don't know about others, but before I kill my sister for an inheritance, I would make damn sure, a) a legal and valid will existed, and b) I was a significant beneficiary.

If MS was involved in the murders, with the expectation of receiving a huge inheritance, she has to be really upset now.

AFAIK, up to this point she has not contested the will(s) or the distribution of the estate, which implies to me she did not expect an inheritance and therefore did not have a motive.

On a side note, has it been confirmed, that Barry's will was a stationary store DIY will?

I cannot believe that with legal trusts, family trusts, legal estate shelters numerous trustees and so on, that a professional law firm did not draw up Barry's will.

Windsor, we do not know if any of the beneficiaries of the estates have transferred a portion of their inheritance to MS.
Shortly after the murders MS claimed to have no money, and that her husband was in Florida working as a UBER driver to male ends meet.
Yet AFAWK she continues to live in a very large home in Forest Hill, and owns approximately 20 houses in the GTA.
Obviously there is $ coming from somewhere to continue to allow her and her family to continue to support themselves in the manner they lived in before the murders.
I am not in any way claiming MS was responsible for these murders. I am only pointing out how IMO she possibly could have benefitted financially from, or IMO potentially thought or expected that she would have benefitted financially from these murders.