CANADA Canada - Billionaire Couple Barry & Honey Sherman Murdered at Home, Toronto, 15 Dec 2017 #24

[branmuffin]

Even if Honey had a will, I’m certain he still would have created the spousal trust. It’s not an unusual move among high net worth individuals, for many reasons. Even without the talk of giving Mary a huge chunk, it would be his preference. He would be worried about her squandering it, people pressuring her, a second husband - lots of things.

There is some irony in Barry not trusting Honey with money and also being the guy who poured millions into Frank D’Angelo.

That's is the irony though, isn't it. Barry worried about Mary squandering any inheritance she might get from Honey while he dumped boatloads of cash into FDL's projects and allowed Jonathon to try different business ventures that never came to fruition. At least Honey gave money to legit charities that helped the Jewish community everywhere.

 

[branmuffin]

Hate crimes, as in the “religious motive” MS suggested to the police?

Whether that was a legitimate suggestion or not, I would think certain segments of the population who regularly feel the sting of racism or antisemitism can see a bogeyman behind every bush, true or not.

 

[Charlot123]

Perhaps. This would be in line with the theory that the killer hated them personally and viscerally. The Shermans may not even have known this person despised them so intensely, or that their hatred would lead to violence.

Under this scenario, the benefit to the killer would be to remove individuals who were desperately hated, however irrationally. If this in fact was the motive, I’m sympathetic to the kids’ fear that they might be next.

There are all kinds of hate groups all over the world. I can’t say that 2017 saw their emergence but they clearly became more visible. I am thinking that there are lots of people in the world who may, or may not, feel targeted but behave accordingly, have advanced security, stockpile guns, go to self-defense classes. And here, the S were the richest people in Canada, the mega-donors to the cause, and yet they were totally unprotected. To kill them would have been so easy and it could be a huge “star” in someone’s list, because they were tops. I think it is a valid reason. And yes, I do feel sorry for the kids, for many reasons.

 

[WINDSOR]

Perhaps. This would be in line with the theory that the killer hated them personally and viscerally. The Shermans may not even have known this person despised them so intensely, or that their hatred would lead to violence.

Under this scenario, the benefit to the killer would be to remove individuals who were desperately hated, however irrationally. If this in fact was the motive, I’m sympathetic to the kids’ fear that they might be next.

Considering a killer motivated by 'hate or revenge' specifically for the Sherman's, for some injustice the killer has felt. In cases like that I believe the killer tends not to be sophisticated, especially in the area of escape plans. James Earl Ray, appears to be an exception, and there are likely others I cannot think of.

 

[branmuffin]

There are all kinds of hate groups all over the world. I can’t say that 2017 saw their emergence but they clearly became more visible. I am thinking that there are lots of people in the world who may, or may not, feel targeted but behave accordingly, have advanced security, stockpile guns, go to self-defense classes. And here, the S were the richest people in Canada, the mega-donors to the cause, and yet they were totally unprotected. To kill them would have been so easy and it could be a huge “star” in someone’s list, because they were tops. I think it is a valid reason. And yes, I do feel sorry for the kids, for many reasons.

The Shermans weren't even close to be the richest people in Canada. Believe it or not, there are plenty of Canadians who have more wealth than the Shermans. They weren't even in the top 40. And even though there was the anomaly of the Shermans eschewing the kind of security measures that most extremely wealthy people employ they still managed to be murdered in their own home. If most of the population assume that wealthy people, really wealthy people, have safeguards to protect life and limb, then those that know they don't have those safeguards are in a great position to take advantage of that.

 

[Charlot123]

The Shermans weren't even close to be the richest people in Canada. Believe it or not, there are plenty of Canadians who have more wealth than the Shermans. They weren't even in the top 40. And even though there was the anomaly of the Shermans eschewing the kind of security measures that most extremely wealthy people employ they still managed to be murdered in their own home. If most of the population assume that wealthy people, really wealthy people, have safeguards to protect life and limb, then those that know they don't have those safeguards are in a great position to take advantage of that.

I have no true way of checking their wealth. Wiki puts him into 12th to 15th place in Canada. Perhaps in general these articles and lists are unfounded, as we can’t count all wealths equally; plus, there are money-laundering, offshore zones, etc. But, they were rich and stood out.

On my personal list, hate crime is not on top, though. Rather, on the very bottom. On top would be the people:

- concerned about impending own financial change - and btw, JS may not be the only one of whom loan reversal was demanded. If BS was generous but at this point in his life, short of money, he could have demanded the same from anyone whom he ever sponsored.

- people who hated Barry and thought he’d ruined their lives - again, the circle might include relatives, but not only them. Any former business partner. Anyone who thought he was promised something but heard a “no.”

- people who stood to lose from any changes in the will

- someone who harbored hatred of the S for a long time but would lose easy access to them in their new home

I feel the suspects are in the overlap of “financial gain” and “not so easy access if the Shermans moved” circles.

I also feel that the hatred was old, but the person was interested in Barry as long as Barry was working. This to me shifts the scope from the family to close business associates. People had access to some assets as long as Barry was working, but with Barry retiring, perhaps they had to leave their positions, too, and with the Shermans moving, they didn’t have any easy access to them in their new house. It all happened when the Shermans were retiring, moving and maybe spoke about will changes.

Lastly, and I know it sounds unreasonable. But sometimes I wonder how would Barry have coexisted with Honey all the time? He was a workaholic, but wasn’t work also his “escape”? And if it was, could it still be a murder-suicide, as the police initially thought, only B. could have hired someone to do it? Think of it - Barry is retiring, so his main face, the mask he was showing to the world - the Apotex, the business - is gone. Probably, being tired and not having developed the circle of interests as Honey had. And their relationship being complex. Could he have taken such a way out? Did he have enough enjoyment to look forward to?

Asking about it because I don’t believe we’ll ever know the answer to this murder.

 

[FromGermany1]

I have no true way of checking their wealth. Wiki puts him into 12th to 15th place in Canada. Perhaps in general these articles and lists are unfounded, as we can’t count all wealths equally; plus, there are money-laundering, offshore zones, etc. But, they were rich and stood out.

On my personal list, hate crime is not on top, though. Rather, on the very bottom. On top would be the people:

- concerned about impending own financial change - and btw, JS may not be the only one of whom loan reversal was demanded. If BS was generous but at this point in his life, short of money, he could have demanded the same from anyone whom he ever sponsored.

- people who hated Barry and thought he’d ruined their lives - again, the circle might include relatives, but not only them. Any former business partner. Anyone who thought he was promised something but heard a “no.”

- people who stood to lose from any changes in the will

- someone who harbored hatred of the S for a long time but would lose easy access to them in their new home

I feel the suspects are in the overlap of “financial gain” and “not so easy access if the Shermans moved” circles.

I also feel that the hatred was old, but the person was interested in Barry as long as Barry was working. This to me shifts the scope from the family to close business associates. People had access to some assets as long as Barry was working, but with Barry retiring, perhaps they had to leave their positions, too, and with the Shermans moving, they didn’t have any easy access to them in their new house. It all happened when the Shermans were retiring, moving and maybe spoke about will changes.

Lastly, and I know it sounds unreasonable. But sometimes I wonder how would Barry have coexisted with Honey all the time? He was a workaholic, but wasn’t work also his “escape”? And if it was, could it still be a murder-suicide, as the police initially thought, only B. could have hired someone to do it? Think of it - Barry is retiring, so his main face, the mask he was showing to the world - the Apotex, the business - is gone. Probably, being tired and not having developed the circle of interests as Honey had. And their relationship being complex. Could he have taken such a way out? Did he have enough enjoyment to look forward to?

Asking about it because I don’t believe we’ll ever know the answer to this murder.

bbm
IMO, the two would have been at each other's mercy as soon as BS had finally retired. For both of them, the future prospects were not the rosiest, I think.

 

[newclues]

NW stills from NW video released by LE.

 

[fadedglitter]

(snip)

I also feel that the hatred was old, but the person was interested in Barry as long as Barry was working. This to me shifts the scope from the family to close business associates. People had access to some assets as long as Barry was working, but with Barry retiring, perhaps they had to leave their positions, too, and with the Shermans moving, they didn’t have any easy access to them in their new house. It all happened when the Shermans were retiring, moving and maybe spoke about will changes.

Lastly, and I know it sounds unreasonable. But sometimes I wonder how would Barry have coexisted with Honey all the time? He was a workaholic, but wasn’t work also his “escape”? And if it was, could it still be a murder-suicide, as the police initially thought, only B. could have hired someone to do it? Think of it - Barry is retiring, so his main face, the mask he was showing to the world - the Apotex, the business - is gone. Probably, being tired and not having developed the circle of interests as Honey had. And their relationship being complex. Could he have taken such a way out? Did he have enough enjoyment to look forward to?

Asking about it because I don’t believe we’ll ever know the answer to this murder.

What’s your source for Barry planning a retirement?

 

[dotr]

Fwiw..
Dec 22, 2017

Apotex: succession plan for founder Barry Sherman was in place 5 years ago

TORONTO — Apotex Inc. says it wants to set the record straight about how the pharmaceutical company will be managed following the death of its founder, Barry Sherma…

financialpost.com

''Apotex says that Sherman, 75, hadn’t been involved in day-to-day operations since he stepped down as chief executive officer five years ago.''

“Barry had developed a robust succession plan which he began implementing five years ago when he stepped down as CEO. From that point on until his tragic death, Dr. Sherman was no longer involved in day-to-day operations at Apotex rather, focused on some specific aspects of the business,” Apotex spokesman Jordan Berman said in an email Friday.''

Barry Sherman: A fierce fighter who helped revolutionize Canada's drug industry

Sherman, who was found dead at his home in Toronto on Friday, achieved much in his life and was one of the wealthiest men in the country

www.theglobeandmail.com

2017
''He also became a renowned philanthropist, donating to scores of charities and dabbled in politics as a key financial backer of the Liberal Party. He even beat prostate cancer at the age of 65, declaring after successful surgery in 2007 that he had no intention of retiring. "I'm just getting started," he told The Globe and Mail. "I'm a kid just out of school."

 

[fadedglitter]

My understanding is that he had stepped back from some official duties but was a long way from any plan to retire.

I’ve seen conflicting statements about whether there was a succession plan; I take these to mean Barry did not really want to consider handing over control, but that the company itself was aware of the need to have something in place in case key leadership was unable to continue in their roles. This is just good planning and it is wise for the company to state publicly that all is in hand; no need for concern about continuity when there are leadership changes. Apotex went through a lot of personnel changes in a short period around the time of the murders.

 

[dotr]

Lots of personnel (and personal) changes.
March 7, 2018 Lengthy.

https://macleans.ca/economy/business/apotex-claims-longtime-chemist-went-rogue-and-stole-drug-secrets/

By Michael Friscolanti
''Court documents obtained by Maclean’s reveal the existence of a high-stakes internal investigation launched by Canada’s largest drug-maker in January 2017—and the urgent lawsuit that followed, aimed at recouping what the company describes as “highly sensitive” intellectual property of “enormous” value. Apotex is so determined to retrieve any missing data that, at one point during the ongoing litigation, company lawyers demanded that the former staffer be imprisoned for 45 days for contempt of court because he “willfully and deliberately” ignored a judge’s order to hand over USB drives, email passwords and other electronic devices believed to contain confidential information.''

''News of the lawsuit comes as Apotex tries to defend itself against similar allegations of corporate espionage. In a court action launched last July in the United States, Sherman’s company is accused of using sex, lies and USB drives to illegally obtain valuable trade secrets from the world’s largest generic drug-maker, Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. As Maclean’s reported last month, a Pennsylvania judge denied Apotex’s attempt to throw out the sensational lawsuit, which accuses a former Teva executive of leaking confidential information to her boyfriend—then-Apotex CEO Jeremy Desai. Desai abruptly resigned in January, six weeks after the Shermans were killed, “to pursue other opportunities,” according to the company.''

 

[branmuffin]

I have no true way of checking their wealth. Wiki puts him into 12th to 15th place in Canada. Perhaps in general these articles and lists are unfounded, as we can’t count all wealths equally; plus, there are money-laundering, offshore zones, etc. But, they were rich and stood out.

On my personal list, hate crime is not on top, though. Rather, on the very bottom. On top would be the people:

- concerned about impending own financial change - and btw, JS may not be the only one of whom loan reversal was demanded. If BS was generous but at this point in his life, short of money, he could have demanded the same from anyone whom he ever sponsored.

- people who hated Barry and thought he’d ruined their lives - again, the circle might include relatives, but not only them. Any former business partner. Anyone who thought he was promised something but heard a “no.”

- people who stood to lose from any changes in the will

- someone who harbored hatred of the S for a long time but would lose easy access to them in their new home

I feel the suspects are in the overlap of “financial gain” and “not so easy access if the Shermans moved” circles.

I also feel that the hatred was old, but the person was interested in Barry as long as Barry was working. This to me shifts the scope from the family to close business associates. People had access to some assets as long as Barry was working, but with Barry retiring, perhaps they had to leave their positions, too, and with the Shermans moving, they didn’t have any easy access to them in their new house. It all happened when the Shermans were retiring, moving and maybe spoke about will changes.

Lastly, and I know it sounds unreasonable. But sometimes I wonder how would Barry have coexisted with Honey all the time? He was a workaholic, but wasn’t work also his “escape”? And if it was, could it still be a murder-suicide, as the police initially thought, only B. could have hired someone to do it? Think of it - Barry is retiring, so his main face, the mask he was showing to the world - the Apotex, the business - is gone. Probably, being tired and not having developed the circle of interests as Honey had. And their relationship being complex. Could he have taken such a way out? Did he have enough enjoyment to look forward to?

Asking about it because I don’t believe we’ll ever know the answer to this murder.

This November article from Maclean's one of Canada's pre-eminent weekly magazine lists the top 40th wealthy families in Canada.

https://macleans.ca/society/canadas-richest-people

As a Canadian, I would say that many of the names on the list are well known to Canadians, at least 6 in the top ten, are well known names in Canada. I never even knew who Barry Sherman was until he was murdered, and I'm a reader and a user of one of the generic drugs he made at Apotex.

You are bringing things into the equation, like money laundering, which is pure speculation without any factual evidence that any of the people on the list were involved in. While I can agree there are several situations where others may be responsible for the deaths, you did leave out one, which are the brand name drug manufacturers who saw BS as a thorn in their side, being able to supplant all their research and development in specific drugs only to have any profit from their discovery to be thinned out by one of the most litigious individuals in Canada.

Finally, if it was murder/suicide and Barry is the suspected murderer how would he manage to have zip ties on his hands and remove them before killing himself. The murder/suicide scenario has been debunked not only by the private investigation team who challenged the initial theory but made the Toronto Police Services withdrawing that theory when evidence found at the second post mortem supported the private investigations teams results. No one thinks this is a murder suicide.

 

[ldlager]

This November article from Maclean's one of Canada's pre-eminent weekly magazine lists the top 40th wealthy families in Canada.

https://macleans.ca/society/canadas-richest-people

As a Canadian, I would say that many of the names on the list are well known to Canadians, at least 6 in the top ten, are well known names in Canada. I never even knew who Barry Sherman was until he was murdered, and I'm a reader and a user of one of the generic drugs he made at Apotex.

You are bringing things into the equation, like money laundering, which is pure speculation without any factual evidence that any of the people on the list were involved in. While I can agree there are several situations where others may be responsible for the deaths, you did leave out one, which are the brand name drug manufacturers who saw BS as a thorn in their side, being able to supplant all their research and development in specific drugs only to have any profit from their discovery to be thinned out by one of the most litigious individuals in Canada.

Finally, if it was murder/suicide and Barry is the suspected murderer how would he manage to have zip ties on his hands and remove them before killing himself. The murder/suicide scenario has been debunked not only by the private investigation team who challenged the initial theory but made the Toronto Police Services withdrawing that theory when evidence found at the second post mortem supported the private investigations teams results. No one thinks this is a murder suicide.

Well, KW claims he believes this

 

[branmuffin]

Well, KW claims he believes this

I know he does but I don't think the evidence supports it.

 

[Charlot123]

This November article from Maclean's one of Canada's pre-eminent weekly magazine lists the top 40th wealthy families in Canada.

https://macleans.ca/society/canadas-richest-people

As a Canadian, I would say that many of the names on the list are well known to Canadians, at least 6 in the top ten, are well known names in Canada. I never even knew who Barry Sherman was until he was murdered, and I'm a reader and a user of one of the generic drugs he made at Apotex.

You are bringing things into the equation, like money laundering, which is pure speculation without any factual evidence that any of the people on the list were involved in. While I can agree there are several situations where others may be responsible for the deaths, you did leave out one, which are the brand name drug manufacturers who saw BS as a thorn in their side, being able to supplant all their research and development in specific drugs only to have any profit from their discovery to be thinned out by one of the most litigious individuals in Canada.

Finally, if it was murder/suicide and Barry is the suspected murderer how would he manage to have zip ties on his hands and remove them before killing himself. The murder/suicide scenario has been debunked not only by the private investigation team who challenged the initial theory but made the Toronto Police Services withdrawing that theory when evidence found at the second post mortem supported the private investigations teams results. No one thinks this is a murder suicide.

Money laundering is not related to anyone in the case. It is about the objectivity of the "100 richest people" lists. Very many rich people worldwide never get into any lists (think Khaddafi, for example). So i meant, "much as lists are imprecise, as truly richest people in this world probably never get there, because no one knows their full assets, I have nothing but Wikipedia to rely on, and according to it, one of "richest lists" put Barry on 12th place in Canada, and yet another one, on the 15th. So, Barry was obviously very rich."

About murder/suicide. I think that initially the police suspected it, but first, Honey was much stronger than Barry, and then, the other evidence contradicted it. However, I wondered if Barry could hire someone to kill them both? We don't know what he was facing. But suicide amidst scandals would mean, admitting defeat.

It is just one of ideas and likely, a fantasy. I think, we'll never know what happened, because Barry was the center of everything. With him being gone, too many secrets go to the grave.

 

[WINDSOR]

Still quiet on the Sherman front. So maybe it is time to step back for a minute, and see the big picture.

In my opinion somebody with malice and forethought, murdered or had murdered, a very wealthy couple, the Sherman's. The murder was not particularly 'clean' in that manual strangulation of each victim occurred. It takes several minutes and is terrifying way to die. The victims were moved and placed in a particular way for the bodies to be discovered.

It can be assumed that there was significant planning that took place, as the TPS have intimated the Sherman's were under surveillance for some period of time before their deaths.

As a side note, I would have expected the Apotex security apparatus, to have a general awareness of potential threats like this on their founder and chief. If the Barry did not know he was being watched, I believe Apotex security should have some idea that Barry was being watched. This leads one to wonder if prior to Barry's death, there was any changes in Barry's security protocols. Was anybody watching for any unusual activity surrounding Barry? Or was the security level reduced on Barry?

Planning and surveillance require expertise and money. So whoever undertook this task, has sufficient secret funds to afford the job. I use the term secret funds, as most people cannot just go to the bank and draw out hundreds of thousands of dollars from their corporate account without leaving a huge paper trail. Sources of secret funds can be cash in a personal safe, crypto currencies and others. Not leaving a paper trail is very important aspect of not getting caught.

Finally as far as anybody knows, there have been no tips that have helped the TPS. Not that the TPS is very forthcoming with information.
Occasionally LE arrests somebody, and as a part of a plea-bargain, the criminal may share info about another crime.
This leads me to believe that all the people involved with this crime were from out of the country. None of the usual local criminals are aware of the perpetrators of the Sherman's murderers. Again this is just speculation on my part.

We do not know if the TPS has any unidentified DNA or similar forensic evidence. If they do, there is some hope to having this crime solved. Based on how effective the killers were in being elusive, there is a good possibility no significant forensic evidence was left at the crime scene. We believe the killers took the ligatures used for the murders with them when they left the house.

In conclusion, a well organized, well funded operation, likely involving overseas participants, that was successful in achieving all its goals. It appears no mistakes or snafus occurred and seven years later we have unsolved murders.

I would suggest that the TPS re-interview everybody again, and see if something they missed before becomes apparent.
MOO

 

[dotr]

Other than BS leaving work earlier than usual, it seems as though HS was the one whose behavior changed somewhat prior to that fateful day, imo, speculation.
Jan 23 2023

The mystery of who killed a billionaire couple has turned siblings against each other and confounded a nation

Barry and Honey Sherman were discovered by the swimming pool at their luxury Toronto estate, and their murders have confounded detectives for over five years. Could a multi-million-dollar reward now unlock the case? WARNING: Readers might find some details in this story distressing.

www.abc.net.au

''The Shermans' strange final days​

In the days leading up to the murders, the Shermans' behaviour struck the people who knew them as a little odd.
Honey failed to show up to a charity board meeting — highly unusual for the punctual and reliable philanthropist.
The CEO of the charity sent her an email asking if she was okay, and she responded that she was "dealing with some stuff".

''The next day on December 13, the couple was spotted looking over blueprints for the new house at Apotex HQ before heading home for the evening.
Barry sent one email that night to an employee about a minor work matter and then fell silent.
The insomniac workaholic usually sent a string of emails into the early hours of the morning.
This would be the last time anyone heard from the Shermans''

''There were no signs of forced entry, but the family pointed out that a window was found open and a door unlocked.
Marks on the body suggested they had had their wrists bound with zip ties, and the pathologist concluded Honey had likely been killed in another part of the house and dragged down to the pool.''

 

[xjd11]

Other than BS leaving work earlier than usual, it seems as though HS was the one whose behavior changed somewhat prior to that fateful day, imo, speculation.
Jan 23 2023

The mystery of who killed a billionaire couple has turned siblings against each other and confounded a nation

Barry and Honey Sherman were discovered by the swimming pool at their luxury Toronto estate, and their murders have confounded detectives for over five years. Could a multi-million-dollar reward now unlock the case? WARNING: Readers might find some details in this story distressing.

www.abc.net.au

''The Shermans' strange final days​

In the days leading up to the murders, the Shermans' behaviour struck the people who knew them as a little odd.
Honey failed to show up to a charity board meeting — highly unusual for the punctual and reliable philanthropist.
The CEO of the charity sent her an email asking if she was okay, and she responded that she was "dealing with some stuff".

''The next day on December 13, the couple was spotted looking over blueprints for the new house at Apotex HQ before heading home for the evening.
Barry sent one email that night to an employee about a minor work matter and then fell silent.
The insomniac workaholic usually sent a string of emails into the early hours of the morning.
This would be the last time anyone heard from the Shermans''

''There were no signs of forced entry, but the family pointed out that a window was found open and a door unlocked.
Marks on the body suggested they had had their wrists bound with zip ties, and the pathologist concluded Honey had likely been killed in another part of the house and dragged down to the pool.''

I would really like to know what the "stuff" was Honey was dealing with that would make her miss a meeting. have her kids ever commented on this?

 

[fadedglitter]

I would really like to know what the "stuff" was Honey was dealing with that would make her miss a meeting. have her kids ever commented on this?

Honey was dealing with a lot of logistics for her upcoming trip to Florida. She was double-booking dinners and moving things around. The day of the murders, she made her assistant work late to get all of the arrangements done, as best as they were known that day.

She thought she was going to be busy the day of the meeting, because she had a Hanukkah dinner planned that night at her daughter’s. She needed to go shopping and figure out what to bring the kids. In short, she was dealing with some stuff and Tuesday was full. Then at the last minute the dinner was moved.