The murder of Toronto billionaires Barry and Honey Sherman is growing more and more suspicious as the investigation goes on, according to private investigators.
The Shermans were found dead in their home on Dec. 15, and early reports suggested that this might be a case of murder-suicide. Friends and family of the Shermans dismissed that theory from the beginning, however, and now a source has told CBC Toronto that private investigators believe the couple was murdered by multiple assailants.
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Barry, 75, and Honey, 70, were found together in the basement of of their Toronto mansion, according to a private investigator. They were discovered by a real estate agent who was attempting to help them sell their sprawling estate. However, in contradiction to the murder-suicide narrative, the couple was found seated upright, side by side, right near their indoor pool.
Sources told CBC that the couple appeared to have been bound at the wrists and probably tied together, though no rope or other binding material was found at the crime scene. In addition, the “ligature neck compression,” or strangulation, that was ruled as their cause of death, appears to have been accomplished with leather belts. Investigators believe that the assailants wrapped the belts over the handrail just above where the Shermans were sitting.
Perhaps the biggest new piece of information in the case is the state of Honey when she was discovered. Investigators said that she had cuts and bruises on her face, indicating that she had put up a fight in the murder. In addition, she was found in a pool of her own blood, though her clothing had very little blood on it. From this, investigators inferred that she had been left lying face down on the tile floor for some time.
The Shermans were a highly influential family in Toronto. Barry founded the pharmaceutical giant Apotex, which netted the family an estimated $4.77 billion. They were well-known for philanthropy and activism.
The Toronto police told reporters that they had no further updates on the case. The Shermans’ children have announced their intention to have the mansion demolished once all the forensic data has been collected.
