The deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman continue to stand as one of Canada’s most infamous unsolved murder cases over the past decade.
Nearly eight years have passed since the billionaire couple were found murdered in their North York mansion. Despite ongoing investigations, the mystery surrounding their deaths remains unresolved.
Over the years, there have been many theories about what happened and who killed Barry and Honey Sherman.
Since their tragic discovery in 2017, Toronto police have released several updates, including a suspect video, and despite dozens of individuals being considered people of interest, there have never been any charges or arrests.
The case has come back in the headlines this week as the Toronto Star revealed that the lone investigator is now using AI technology to assist him.
With the eighth anniversary of the Shermans’ deaths coming up, here’s everything we know about who the couple were and what’s happened with the murder case since 2017.
This article contains graphic content that might not be suitable for some readers.
Who were Barry and Honey Sherman?
Barry and Honey Sherman.
The Fifth Estate | YouTube
Barry Sherman was a prominent Canadian businessman and philanthropist, best known as the founder of Apotex Inc., a global pharmaceutical company he established in 1974.
According to Forbes, at its peak, Apotex employed more than 10,000 people and became one of Canada’s largest pharmaceutical firms, distributing over 260 generic medications across more than 115 countries.
Although he stepped down as CEO in 2014, Barry remained chairman of the board.
Barry met his future wife, Honey Reich, through mutual acquaintances at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, where Honey was volunteering. According to CBC News, Honey had expressed interest in meeting “a nice Jewish doctor” and was introduced to Barry by the wife of his business partner, a nurse at the hospital.
The two married on July 2, 1971, and had four children: Lauren, Jonathon, Alexandra, and Kaelen.
At the time of his death, Sherman’s net worth was estimated by Forbes to be US$3.2 billion (CA$4.1 billion), ranking him as the 12th wealthiest person in Canada.
Honey Sherman was deeply involved in philanthropic efforts and actively participated in Toronto’s Jewish community.
How did Barry and Honey Sherman die?
Barry and Honey Sherman.
Bell Media, Lede, Crave
On December 15, 2017, Barry Sherman, 75, and his wife Honey, 70, were found dead inside their home on Old Colony Road in Toronto’s North York neighbourhood.
As reported by CNN, a realtor discovered their bodies by their indoor pool while showing the house to potential buyers. The Shermans were fully clothed, with belts around their necks which were fastened to the pool railing. Investigators believe they had died nearly two days before being found.
According to CBC, autopsies determined the cause of death to be ligature neck compression or strangulation. There were no signs of forced entry into the home.
Toronto police initially considered the possibility of a murder-suicide. This theory was quickly challenged by media reports, as reported by CBC.
Among the skeptics was the Toronto Star’s chief investigative reporter Kevin Donovan, who covered the story extensively and later authored The Billionaire Murders: The Mysterious Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman.
In a June 2022 article in the Toronto Star, Donovan shared that investigators had concluded the belts were likely used to position the bodies upright. A faint garrote mark was also found beneath each belt — suggesting a different method had been used to strangle the couple.
In a CBC interview, Donovan said that the Toronto Police initially approached the case as a possible murder-suicide, treating only Honey’s death as a homicide. It was not until later that investigators began to consider both deaths as homicides.
He also stated that the investigation began to shift after the Sherman family commissioned a second autopsy by Dr. David Chiasson, Ontario’s former chief forensic pathologist.
According to Donovan, Dr. Chiasson concluded the couple had been murdered and observed indications that the Shermans’ hands had been bound prior to death, although no restraints were found at the crime scene.
Barry and Honey Sherman’s “toxic emails”
In November 2024, Donovan claimed that police may have initially leaned into the murder-suicide theory after discovering “toxic emails” exchanged between Barry and Honey in the weeks before they died.
In one message, dated November 6, 2017, Barry wrote to Honey, “You have been abusive to me for over 40 years… You were also persistently abusive to the kids.”
By January 2018, six weeks after the discovery of their bodies, Toronto police had officially ruled out murder-suicide.
After reviewing the available evidence, investigators concluded that Barry and Honey Sherman had been deliberately targeted. The case was officially classified as a double homicide.
Who killed Barry and Honey Sherman?
Despite numerous theories and persons of interest, no arrests have ever been made in connection with the murders of Barry and Honey Sherman.
Speculation has ranged from a business dispute that escalated into violence, to a contract killing potentially linked to Barry’s pharmaceutical empire, to theories involving more personal motives rooted in the couple’s private lives.
In December 2021, four years after their deaths, Toronto police released security footage showing a suspect walking near the Shermans’ home around the estimated time of the killings.
More than a year later, CTV News reported that investigators had received “hundreds” of tips related to the video but could not identify the individual, prompting them to shift into a “new phase” of the investigation.
According to the CTV report, Honey’s sister, Mary Shechtman, believed the murders may have had a religious motivation. She claimed the couple were “strong supporters of Israel”
She said Honey was outspoken about her Jewish identity, sometimes using language that was “not politically correct” when referring to people of “a certain ethnicity.”
Kevin Donovan also reported that Shechtman told police Honey had recently attended a lecture focused on “preventing money from reaching Muslim fundamentalists,” which she believed could be relevant to the case.
In the same report, Donovan wrote that police documents revealed that Barry owed around CA$1 billion to other companies, but had no intention of paying it.
Was the Barry and Honey Sherman case solved?
No, the Barry and Honey Sherman has not been solved as of June, 2025.
Toronto police have identified dozens of individuals as persons of interest and released security footage in efforts to advance the investigation, but none have led to charges.
How much were Barry and Honey Sherman worth?
Barry Sherman founded pharmaceutical company, Apotex in 1974.
The Fifth Estate | YouTube
According to Bloomberg, Barry Sherman’s pharmaceutical company, Apotex, was valued at approximately US$3 billion following his death.
While estimates differ, CBC reported that the couple’s combined net worth at their deaths ranged between CA$5 billion and CA$10 billion.
What’s the latest on the Sherman case in 2025?
As of June 2025, the case remains unsolved, and it’s unknown who killed the couple and what their motives were.
The case has made headlines again this week, as the Toronto Star reported that the lone police officer investigating intends to use AI technology for the first time in the case.
During a recent court hearing—where the Star is seeking access to thousands of sealed pages of search warrant documents — Homicide Detective Constable Dennis Yim confirmed his intention to use AI tools to assist in the investigation.
Until February 2025, Yim had been solely focused on the Sherman case. However, his supervisors have since instructed him to split his time between this investigation and overseeing administrative work for other homicide cases.
He plans to use an AI tool called Microsoft Power BI to reduce the time spent investigating.
AI has been used by Toronto police before, but it’s the first time it’ll be used in the Sherman murder case.
Why was Barry and Honey Sherman’s house demolished?
In February 2019, the family of Barry and Honey Sherman expressed their wish to demolish the house where the couple had been found dead.
A representative acting on behalf of the family submitted an application for a demolition permit for 50 Old Colony Rd.
The representative noted that the property has been vacant for the past year and carries “bad memories” for the Shermans. They also stated the home cannot be sold in its current condition due to the “stigma” associated with the site following the couple’s murder.
“It pains them to have it sit there,” the application read, per CityNews. “It is the family’s desire to level the house, clean up the site, fill in the pool and put the lot up for sale.”
In March 2019, the North York Community Council approved the request by the family.
Following these plans, the Shermans’ former home was demolished in 2019, about a year and a half after their deaths.
According to the Toronto Star, a 28-year-old woman believed to live nearby bought the vacant lot for CA$4.25 million in 2020.
The property reappeared on the market in April 2023 under a new address, 48 Old Colony Rd., with an asking price of CA$6.5 million.
As of June 2025, it is no longer listed as for sale.
Where are Barry and Honey Sherman’s children now?
Barry and Honey Sherman had four children: Lauren, Jonathon, Alexandra, and Kaelen.
According to court documents cited by CTV in 2021, Barry Sherman’s entire estate was to be divided equally among his four children if his wife passed away.
At that time, the estate was valued at over CA$124 million, although this figure did not include parts of his wealth held within various holding companies.
In April 2023, Aputex was acquired by SK Capital in a deal worth a reported CA$3-4 billion.
In December 2022, the Shermans’ only son, Jonathon, announced he would be contributing an additional CA$25 million to the reward fund aimed at solving his parents’ murders. This raised the total reward from CA$10 million to CA$35 million.
The following year, Jonathon made headlines again by pledging $52 million to the local Jewish community to construct an NHL-sized hockey arena at an existing Jewish community centre on Bathurst Street in Vaughan, north of Toronto, as a tribute to his parents. The Honey and Barry Memorial Arena is scheduled to open in 2025.
Meanwhile, the Sherman siblings are embroiled in a legal dispute with their cousins — the children of Honey’s sister — who are suing them over a trust believed to be worth more than $500 million.
Is there a Barry and Honey Sherman documentary on Netflix?
No, there isn’t a Barry and Honey Sherman documentary on Netflix.
However, Crave premiered a four-part true crime series in June 2023 titled Billionaire Murders, focusing on the unresolved Sherman case.
Led by Kevin Donovan, the series includes interviews, insights from confidential sources, and in-depth coverage of the crime scene.
CBC Gem also released a podcast series about the Sherman case in 2023 titled, “The No Good, Terribly Kind, Wonderful Lives and Tragic Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman.”
Hosted by journalist Kathleen Goldhar, the podcast explores their lives, rise to fortune, family connections and their deaths.
