Barry and Honey Sherman murders: Private investigation is now over
Two years after billionaire couple Barry and Honey Sherman were found dead in their Toronto mansion, police are still asking the public for any information, no matter how small it may seem, to help in the “very active” murder investigation.
“No investigation is perfect...but I will say that the homicide squad from the Toronto Police Service were present at the scene...and have been diligently working on it ever since,” Insp. Hank Idsinga said at a press conference on Monday morning.
The Shermans had hired a private investigative team, led by Toronto lawyer Brian Greenspan, to work on the case, following criticism about the work of Toronto police.
Idsinga revealed that the work of the private team has concluded. All tips should be directed to Toronto police, including those originally given to the private investigative team.
“Want to be sure that we have all of the tips that were provided in the past,” Idsinga said. “We’d like those tips directly to us and avoid those time delays, and avoid any potential editing of the tips or continuity of the information.”
The work of the private team has not been considered a “hinderance” to officias but a “unique situation,” where there is an entire private team dedicated to investigating the case alongside Toronto police.
Idsinga indicated that one fo the most challenging aspects of this case is managing the large about of information, which includes 38 judicial authorizations, 150 items submitted for forensic testing, 243 witness interviews, four terabytes of security video, 250 tips to Toronto police and 373 tips via the private investigative team.
“The sheer volume of information is overwhelming,” Idsinga said.
Police also confirmed that the $10 million reward, promised by the Sherman family last year for a tip that leads to the arrest and conviction of the murder or murderers, does remain but it is the Toronto Police Service’s responsibility to collect that information now.
When asked about the length of time this investigation is taking, Idsinga said it is not unusual for a high-profile investigation, comparing the timeline to the Glen Davis case. The philanthropist was murdered in Toronto in 2007, with arrests made after a 21-month investigation.
“It took a year and half before the information really started rolling in,” Idsinga said about the Davis case.
Still waiting for a possible motive
The only update police were able to provide on the motive and possible suspects in the investigation was that, “there are a lot of theories, there is a lot of speculation” but it is believed to be a “targeted murder.”
Earlier this year, Kevin Donovan, chief investigative reporter with the Toronto Star, released a book titled “The Billionaire Murders” documenting the mysterious deaths.
Donovan told Yahoo Canada in November that his assumption at that point was that the murderer, or murderers, were familiar to the Shermans, due to the way the bodies were staged and how the individual or individuals knew the rare moment when they would both be home.
“The police have said to me in court that they have a theory of the case...they said they have an idea of what happened,” Donovan said. “I can’t imagine how you can have a theory of a case and an idea of what happened, and not have a suspect.”
Tips can be submitted to Toronto police through the dedicated email address: shermantips@torontopolice.on.ca. They can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS or directly to the Homicide Squad at 416-808-7400.
