MURDER: Barry and Honey Sherman

Summary

Scams, Money, & Murder: The Mysterious Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman

Episode Overview In the gripping episode titled "Murder: Barry and Honey Sherman," hosted by Nicole Lapin of Crime House Studios, listeners are taken through the enigmatic and tragic demise of one of Canada’s wealthiest couples. Released on May 29, 2025, this episode delves deep into the lives, successes, struggles, and ultimate untimely deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman, unraveling the complexities behind one of Toronto’s most notorious unsolved murder cases.

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1. Background of Barry Sherman

Early Life and Education Barry Sherman was born on February 15, 1942, in Toronto, Canada, into a family deeply rooted in hard work and resilience. His grandparents were refugees escaping anti-Semitic violence in Russia and Poland during the 1920s. Barry’s father climbed the corporate ladder to become the president of Empire Laboratories, a small zipper manufacturing company. Tragedy struck early when Barry's father died of a heart attack in 1952 when Barry was just ten years old. This loss significantly impacted Barry, leading to lifelong insomnia and social struggles despite his academic excellence.

Career Beginnings and Empire Laboratories At 18, Barry began working part-time for his uncle Lou Winter at Empire Laboratories. By 1967, alongside his best friend Joel Ulster, Barry purchased the struggling company, pledging to revitalize it and secure an inheritance for his orphaned cousins. They invested $250,000 and took on Empire’s debts, learning the pharmaceutical business from the ground up. Under Barry’s meticulous management, Empire thrived, increasing annual sales from $800,000 to $2 million by 1973. Their success culminated in the lucrative sale of Empire to California-based ICN, earning Barry and Joel each over $300,000—a significant sum that marked Barry's entry into the upper echelons of Canadian business.

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2. Founding and Growth of Apotex

Establishing Apotex After selling Empire, Barry joined ICN as an executive but was swiftly fired due to disagreements over leadership. Undeterred, he founded Apotex, a new pharmaceutical company focused on developing and acquiring generic drug patents. Determined to make Apotex the largest generic drug manufacturer in Canada, Barry adopted a frugal approach, personally overseeing operations and reinvesting every penny into the business.

Breakthrough and Expansion The breakthrough came in 1984 with the Hatch-Waxman Act, which allowed generic manufacturers to develop drugs before brand-name patents expired. Barry seized this opportunity, positioning Apotex to compete directly with giants like Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb. By 1987, Apotex became Canada’s largest generic pharmaceutical company, introducing vital drugs such as the first generic HIV treatment and Prozac. Barry's aggressive legal strategies against Health Canada and his relentless pursuit of growth solidified Apotex's dominance in the industry.

Philanthropy and Family Life Despite his business successes, Barry's personal life was a mix of family dedication and internal strife. Married to Honey Reich in 1971, their relationship was marked by both love and conflict, especially concerning financial decisions and parenting styles. The Shermans were also renowned philanthropists, contributing millions to Jewish organizations, medical research, and Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. However, Barry's relationships with his four orphaned cousins were strained, culminating in significant legal disputes over the promised shares from the Empire Laboratories sale.

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3. Legal Troubles and Family Conflicts

Cousins' Lawsuit In January 2007, Barry faced a severe lawsuit from his cousins, the Winter brothers, led by Kerry Winter. They alleged that Barry had reneged on his promise to allow them to purchase shares of Empire Laboratories, entitling them instead to 5% of Apotex. Barry retaliated by demanding repayment of all the money he had loaned them, leading to immense financial strain on his cousins. Although Jeffrey Winter eventually withdrew, Carrie and Dana Winter continued the lawsuit, which dragged on for a decade, exacerbating family tensions.

Corporate Scandals Simultaneously, Apotex was embroiled in multiple legal battles, including a price-fixing scandal in the late 1990s and an import ban in 2017 due to fraudulent data in drug manufacturing. These issues not only tarnished Barry’s reputation but also placed significant financial burdens on Apotex, further straining his personal and professional life.

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4. The Day of the Murders

December 15, 2017 Barry and Honey Sherman were found dead in their upscale Toronto home on December 15, 2017. The couple was discovered by real estate agent Elise Stern while she was showing the property to potential buyers. Both victims were tightly bound by their necks to a three-foot railing near their indoor pool, indicating a violent and premeditated murder.

Initial Investigation Upon discovery, authorities initially suspected a murder-suicide scenario. The lack of immediate evidence suggested that the Shermans might have acted out of despair. However, discrepancies soon emerged. Honey exhibited a cut on her cheek, and further analysis revealed that both Barry and Honey had been strangled with a thin wire cord rather than the belts found around their necks—a detail indicating foul play.

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5. Reopening the Case

Family's Doubts and Private Investigation The Sherman children were unconvinced by the murder-suicide theory. They hired a private investigator and a medical examiner, whose findings contradicted the official narrative. The private autopsy revealed that both victims had been restrained before their deaths and that the strangulation was inflicted by a different ligature. These revelations led the police to reclassify the case as a double homicide in January 2018, six weeks after the bodies were found.

Potential Suspects The investigation explored various suspects, including:

• Kerry Winter: Barry’s cousin, who had previously fantasized about Barry’s death, but he provided an alibi attending a cocaine anonymous meeting during the time of the murders.
• Jonathan Sherman: Barry’s son, faced with a hefty financial obligation of $50 million to repay Barry’s legal fines. However, Jonathan also had an alibi and cooperated fully with authorities.
• Frank D’Angelo: A business associate who had squandered significant funds of the Sherman family, yet his reliance on Barry for financial support made him an unlikely suspect.

Business Rivals and Enemies Given Barry's aggressive business tactics and the numerous legal battles, suspicion also fell on business rivals and possible enemies within the pharmaceutical industry. The existence of offshore accounts and shadowy investments hinted at a complex network that could harbor potential threats.

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6. The Investigation's Stalemate

Lack of Evidence and Closure Despite extensive investigations, the case remains unresolved. The initial mishandling of evidence and the absence of concrete leads have left the murders shrouded in mystery. The possibility of a professional hit due to Barry’s extensive involvement in international business and legal disputes cannot be dismissed, yet no substantial evidence has surfaced to identify the perpetrator.

Ongoing Speculations Speculations continue to link the murders to Barry’s aggressive legal battles, particularly the unresolved lawsuit with his cousins and the price-fixing scandals involving Apotex. The complexity of his financial dealings and the presence of potentially dangerous rivals make the case even more perplexing.

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7. Legacy and Reflection

Aftermath for Apotex and the Sherman Family In the wake of Barry and Honey’s deaths, Apotex managed to stabilize and continue its operations. The Sherman children opted to demolish the family home and move forward with their lives, distancing themselves from the shadows of their parents' legacy. The unresolved nature of the murders leaves a lingering sense of tragedy, emphasizing how wealth and power can intersect with personal turmoil and unspeakable violence.

A Tragic Conclusion Nicole Lapin poignantly summarizes the saga by highlighting the paradox of Barry and Honey’s lives: outwardly successful and philanthropic, yet plagued by internal conflicts, legal battles, and ultimately, a violent end. The Shermans’ story serves as a stark reminder that the pursuit of wealth and power can sometimes lead to unforeseen and devastating consequences.

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Notable Quotes

• Nicole Lapin [04:45]: "Empire Laboratories was held in a trust for Lou and Beverly's young children. In the meantime, it was managed by a couple of lawyers and a chemist. A sensible decision, but one that Barry resented."

• Nicole Lapin [16:36]: "There was no nothing they could do to stop him. Carrie had to sell three homes to pay back the almost $8 million he owed Barry."

• Nicole Lapin [34:09]: "The most tragic thing about this whole story is about how unnecessary it all was. Barry and Honey didn't even seem like they enjoyed being billionaires right up until the end."

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Conclusion

The tragic deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman encapsulate a complex narrative of ambition, familial obligations, legal entanglements, and unresolved mysteries. Despite their substantial contributions to the pharmaceutical industry and philanthropy, the Shermans' lives ended abruptly and violently, leaving behind a web of unanswered questions. As the investigation remains open, the case of Barry and Honey Sherman continues to capture the intrigue and sorrow of true crime enthusiasts, symbolizing how even the most affluent lives can harbour deep-seated troubles and lead to unforeseen tragedies.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements, introductions, and outros from the original podcast transcript, focusing solely on the substantive content related to Barry and Honey Sherman’s story.

Transcript

[Nicole Lapin]

Foreign this is Crime House. A lot of people dream of starting a successful business not just to make money, but to give back to others too. From being the kind of boss who pays fair wages to becoming a leading philanthropist to to investing in the arts. It's easy to imagine having a full bank account and the love for your community. But the life of a wealthy entrepreneur has another side too, one that usually doesn't make it into our daydreams. Because even if you're wealthy and altruistic, that doesn't mean there are no strings attached. And sometimes even those who use their wealth and power for good are susceptible to an unhappy and even violent ending. As they say, money makes the world go round. What many people don't talk about is the time it made people's worlds come to a screeching halt. Whether it's greed, desperation, or a thirst for power, money can make even the most unassuming people do unthinkable things. And sometimes those acts can be deadly. This is Scams, Money and a Crime House Original. I'm Nicole Lapin. Every Thursday we alternate between covering infamous money motivated crimes and gripping interviews with the experts or those who were directly involved themselves. Crime House exists because of you. Please rate, review and follow Scams, Money and Murder for early ad, free access and bonus content. Subscribe to Crime House plus plus on Apple Podcasts. And for even more true crime stories in history, check out Crime House the show. This episode is all about the bizarre case of Barry and Honey Sherman, a billionaire Canadian couple who was found dead in their home in 2017. First investigated as a murder suicide, then a double homicide, the case is one of Toronto's most notorious unsolved murders and its fallouts tarnish the legacy of one of Canada's richest families. Hey there, it's Nicole. If you love Scams, Money and Murder, where we look at some of the world's wildest money crimes, then you Definitely have to check out Clues with Kaylan Moore and Morgan Abshur Every Wednesday, Morgan and Kaylin take you deep into the world of the most notorious crimes ever. Clue by clue, from serial killers to shocking murders, Clues dives into all the forensic details and brilliant sleuthing of the world's most infamous cases. So if you're looking for a show that has compelling storytelling, crime scene analysis, and a new perspective through some of the world's most puzzling true crime cases, you definitely have to check out Clues. Clues is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Just search Clues wherever you listen to podcasts.

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[Nicole Lapin]

Three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full [e-mail] Barry Sherman was a man who came from money, but it wasn't generational wealth. His grandparents were refugees who escaped anti Semitic violence in Russia and Poland by immigrating to Canada in the 1920s. His father had worked hard to become successful climbing the corporate ladder to become the president of a small zipper manufacturing company and his mother was an occupational therapist. But when Barry was born in Toronto on February 15, 1942, she devoted her time to being a full time parent. With his family's hard working background, Barry was raised to be a modest kid and he had a simple, carefree upbringing. But in 1952, when Barry was 10, everything changed when his father died of a sudden heart attack at just 46 years old. In an unfinished memoir, Barry wrote that he didn't remember feeling overwhelming sorrow after his father's death, but his grief seemed to come out in other ways. Barry developed a lasting case of insomnia, which would follow him for the rest of his life. And his teachers reported that he stopped paying attention in class. Despite all this, Barry still excelled in school, but he struggled socially. His best friend, Joel Olster, practically had to force Barry to socialize. And when he did hang out with people, Barry could rub them the wrong way. He was a devout atheist who would go off on a rant about the evils of religion anytime he heard someone say thank God. Even so, Barry graduated at the top of his high school class and was accepted to an engineering physics program at the University of Toronto. He chose the field because it was supposed to be the hardest program ut offered at the time. Barry was obsessed with proving himself academically, even though no one ever doubted his intelligence. But even geniuses needed spending money. So in 1960, at the age of 18, Barry went to work part time for his uncle Lou Winter, who owned a company called Empire Laboratories, a generic pharmaceuticals and distributor. Knowing how important hard work was, Lou made 18 year old Barry start at the bottom as a career, which was fine with Barry. He wasn't looking for upward mobility there. His real career goal at the time was to work for NASA in the United States. After graduating at the top of his college class in 1964, Barry went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, better known as MIT. There, at the age of 22, he started a graduate program in astronautics and aeronautics. Barry kept his head down and worked hard. But that November, Barry experienced another tragedy when his uncle Lou suddenly died of a suspected aneurysm. And Lou's wife Beverly was also on her deathbed, which meant their four young sons would soon be orphans. Barry felt a deep sense of familial responsibility to help. But at 23 years old, he couldn't exactly adopt his cousins. But he could offer to adopt his uncle's other child, Empire Laboratories. He told his aunt Beverly that he was willing to run Lou's company until her kids grew up, at which point they could take over. Beverly said she'd think about it, but 17 days later, she died. Before making a decision, Barry tried approaching the executors of his aunt and uncle's estate with the same offer. But they said no, which makes sense. He was a 23 year old aeronautics engineer with no background in chemistry. He only worked for Empire part time in a low level role. It seemed ridiculous to turn a whole pharmaceuticals company over to him. So Empire Laboratories was held in a trust for Lou and Beverly's young children. In the meantime, it was managed By a couple of lawyers and a chemist. A sensible decision, but one that Barry resented, Especially when it became clear that the trustees had no idea what they were doing. As exciting as it would be to work for NASA, Barry loved the idea of being the boss. And as he watched Empire Labs get run into the ground, he came up with an idea. In 1967, 25 year old Barry moved back to Canada and hatched a plan with his best friend, Joel Ulster. Armed with loans from their parents, they made a bid to buy Empire Laboratories from the trust company. If the trustees agreed to sell it, Barry promised he would grow the company and he would make sure his cousins had an inheritance to look forward to. He even promised to give them all jobs at Empire once they turned 21, and to let them each buy 5% of the company when they turned 23. There was just one catch. If he ever sold the company, the deal would be void, meaning his cousins wouldn't get the chance to buy a piece of their father's legacy. But with a family man like Barry at the helm, that didn't seem likely. So the trustees agreed to the deal. To buy the company, Barry and Joel paid $250,000 in cash while also taking on Empire's debts. It was a gamble for sure. If Barry and Joel couldn't bring Empire back from the brink, not only would they lose their own money, they'd lose their family's money too. Making matters even more challenging. Neither of them knew much about the pharmaceutical business, but if they wanted to avoid bankruptcy, they were going to have to learn, and fast. And they did. Soon, Barry started personally approving every drug formula that came across his desk. Empire began growing again, taking up almost all of Barry's time, which was how he liked it. He still preferred work over socializing. The only friend he saw regularly was his business partner, Joel. But when Barry did find some time to see Joel outside of work, he was surprisingly warm. He was like a fun uncle to Joel's kids, even getting on his hands and knees to play with them. Barry also won over Joel's wife, Cindy, who worked as a nurse. Then, in the fall of 1970, one of Cindy's co workers asked to be set up on a date. She was looking for a quote, nice Jewish doctor. Cindy said she knew the perfect guy. Although his doctorate was in astrophysics, the friend agreed to meet him anyway. Her name was Anna Reich, but everyone called her honey. And the 23 year old had her own interesting backstory. Both of her parents were Holocaust survivors. In fact, Honey was born in an Austrian refugee camp in 1947. Soon after the family left for Canada, the Reichs managed to buy a home, but they could barely afford the mortgage, so they rented out their rooms, forcing Honey and her little sister to sleep on cots in the hallway. Honey's unconventional childhood didn't face her, though. After everything her family had been through, she felt lucky just to have a roof over her head. And when Honey went off to college, she was determined to help others however she could. In between her classes at the University of Toronto, she volunteered at Mount Sinai Hospital, which is where, in 1970, she met Cindy, who introduced her to Barry. Barry was 28 years old at the time and not exactly every girl's type. But Honey saw something in him. She understood his workaholic tendencies because she felt the same passion about her causes. After just a few dates, the rest was history. Less than a year later, Honey and Berry were married at the Toronto courthouse on July 2, 1971. Although Honey loved parties, it wasn't a good time for a big wedding. Empire was tied up in litigation and Barry was sweating bullets. The company was being accused of selling drugs that weren't as potent as their labels claimed. With the help of a good lawyer, they defeated those charges. But that didn't mean they were out of the woods. Because even then, a federal board removed Empire from a list of government approved suppliers, which was a huge blow. Because of Canada's public health care system, companies like Empire relied on the government to buy their products. Without that income stream, they could be dead in the water. But Barry wasn't going to lie down and take it. He fought the removal in court and he won. Soon after, Empire was placed placed back on the approved list. Some people would have been exhausted after a major legal battle like that. Barry, though he felt inspired. He actually enjoyed testifying in court where his academic credentials impressed the judges. And the experience opened his eyes to the power of the legal system. He realized how much he could get done. And just by suing people, Barry said that the next time he went to court, he'd be the one filing the lawsuit and the other guy wouldn't know what hit him. In the meantime, Empire managed to launch a bunch of new pharmaceutical products. By 1973, Barry and Joel had successfully grown Empire's annual sales from about $800,000 per year to 2 million. That's when they got an offer they could not refuse. A California based pharmaceutical company called ICN wanted to buy Empire. The two partners agreed it was a good deal and quickly finalized the sale. They Both pocketed about $300,000, which is more than $2 million each today. Not bad for a company that was about to go belly up just six years earlier. There were four people the deal wasn't so good for though. Barry's four orphaned cousins, they were still just kids. They didn't even know about the deal Barry had promised the trustees back when he bought the company, the one that promised them the right to buy shares in the company. So they definitely didn't know that the sale of Empire voided that deal and 31 year old Barry probably assumed they would never find out it was a mistake though that would cost him more than just money.

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[Nicole Lapin]

Hey there, it's Nicole. If you are loving Scams, Money and Murder where we look at some of the world's wildest crimes, then you definitely have to check out clues with Morgan Absher and Kailyn Moore Every Wednesday, Kailyn and Morgan take you deep into the world of the most notorious crimes ever, clue by clue. And I really love the way that they're breaking down the evidence so you can really see how even the smallest things have helped crack some of the most intricate cases wide open. From serial killers to shocking murders, clues, dives into all the forensic details and brilliant sleuthing of the world's most infamous cases. So if you're looking for a show that has compelling storytelling, crime scene analysis and a new perspective through some of the world's most puzzling true crime cases. You definitely have to check out Cluz. Cluz is a crime House original powered by Page Studios. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Just search clues Wherever you listen to podcasts.

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[Nicole Lapin]

In 1973, 31 year old Barry Sherman and his business partner Joel Ulster sold Empire Pharmaceuticals to icn. Joel pocketed his share of the money and moved on, but Barry agreed to join ICN as an executive. After the way he turned Empire's fortunes around, they were excited to have him on board, but the honeymoon period didn't last. When he was sent to California for meetings with ICN's top brass, Barry told them he didn't think very highly of their leadership. By the time his return flight landed in Toronto, he was already fired. Barry didn't seem to mind though, because he had other plans in the works. He was going to start a new pharmaceutical company from the ground up, and instead of developing their own drugs, he'd buy up existing patents instead. Barry called it Apotex. This time he wouldn't stop until they were the largest generic drug manufacturer in the country. But to do that, Apotex needed a lot more money. Barry saved where he could, buying his equipment used and cleaning the floors himself in their rented warehouse. Still, even with Barry pinching every penny, his wife, Honey, was nervous about their finances, especially after they welcomed their first child, Lauren, in 1975. Barry and Honey butted heads a lot during those early years of marriage and parenthood, especially over their dwindling savings. But things started to look up in 1980 when Apotex launched their first successful drug. It made enough money to get the company through to 1984. That's when the US Congress opened a door and 42 year old Barry waltzed right through it. The Hatch Waxman act created a new process for generic drug manufacturers. Before, companies like Apotex would have to wait for the patents of brand named medications to expire before they could make the generic version. But this new bill allowed them to start developing products before that happened. Barry was excited by the prospect of going toe to toe with big brands like Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb. He saw himself as a Robin Hood figure, someone who was stealing from the rich to give cheaper generic drugs to the poor. Plus, this meant Apotex finally had a chance in the US market, where drug companies make a lot more money than they do in Canada. After that, the wins came quickly. By 1987, Apotex was Canada's biggest generic pharmaceuticals company and they were making a difference for their patients. Their products would include the first generic version of an effective HIV treatment and a generic version of the antidepressant Prozac. Even the Canadian government feared him. Every time Health Canada, the department responsible for health care policy, crossed him, Barry dragged them into federal court. And he loved every second of it. Barry thought he'd cracked the code to having it all. By the early 1990s, he was one of the best known CEOs in Canada. And by 2000, at the age of 58, he was a billionaire. All the while, he was juggling a growing family after their daughter Lauren, their son Jonathan arrived in 1983. Two more daughters followed, Alex in 1986 and Kalyn in 1990. And yet Barry still managed to find time to help his community. By this point, the Shermans were becoming a major force in Canadian philanthropy. Honey took the lead on the couple's charity work, focusing on Jewish organizations. She also gave millions to medical research projects and to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, where she'd been volunteering when she first met Barry. They were even generous with their extended family. Remember those orphaned cousins? Well, things weren't exactly roses for them. After their parents passed. All four had a rough upbringing with an allegedly abusive adopted family. Two of them, Carrie and Dana, battled addiction. A third, Jeffrey, reportedly lived with bipolar disorder. By the time Barry found out his cousins were struggling, they were already adults and he was already rich. Barry immediately stepped in and gave them money to invest in their own companies. Barry gave Jeffrey money for a travel agency and a music CD business. Carrie started a construction company. Dana tried his hand at jewelry sales before sadly dying of a heroin overdose in 1995. As for the fourth cousin, Tim, he separated himself from the three others early on in adulthood and never asked Barry for gifts or loans. But all told, Barry gave his three cousins at least $15 million over the years. From the outside, the Sherman's lives seemed as good as it gets. They had love, plenty of money, and the opportunity to give back. But under the surface, things were a lot darker. By the late 90s, Apotex was expanding internationally, which meant Barry was heading into some dangerous waters. Drug manufacturing was a lot less regulated in other parts of the world and things could get pretty ruthless, even deadly in places like Mexico and India. And Barry was building factories in the both countries. He knew what he was getting into, though. In a 2001 interview, he even expressed surprise that no one had tried to kill him yet. Even so, he didn't do much to protect himself. He told a friend he didn't believe in security. If they were going to get him, they were going to get him. And things weren't going much better at home either. Barry complained in an email that his wife Honey had been, quote, abusive to him and their children throughout their entire 46 year marriage. Meanwhile, Honey complained to her friends that Barry made her look bad to their kids. Honey said she tried to enforce strict rules and encourage a good work ethic, but Barry undermined her by handing out cash to the children anytime they asked for it. But that wasn't even the biggest drama within the Sherman family. In January of 2007, Barry was hit with a lawsuit that cut him to the core. Not by a rival drug manufacturer or a foreign government, but by his younger cousins, the Winter Brothers. With 45 year old Kerry Winter leading the charge. They found out about the deal Barry made when he bought Empire Laboratories, the one that gave each of them the right to buy 5% of the company. Since Barry didn't honor that promise, the cousins argued that they were now each entitled to 5% of Apotex. But Barry wasn't going to negotiate, not even with them. Instead, he decided to hit back hard. He demanded immediate repayment of all the money he had ever loaned them. And there was no nothing they could do to stop him. Carrie had to sell three homes to pay back the almost $8 million he owed Barry. After that, Barry's cousin Jeffrey backed out of the lawsuit. But the other brothers pushed forward. The case dragged on for a decade. During that time, Barry's life only got more complicated. In the mid-2010s, Apotex was implicated in a price fixing scandal. The company was accused of cooperating with other generic manufacturers to inflate prices of an anti cholesterol medication. Then, In January of 2017, Apotek sued one of their own chemists. They claimed he'd stolen the company's intellectual property and used it to start a rival company in Pakistan. The chemist denied everything. Meanwhile, Apotex got into trouble of its own. The U.S. food and Drug Administration had caught Apotex using fraudulent data to manufacture drugs in India. So they slapped Apotex India with an import ban, which meant that they could no longer sell their products in the US on top of that, Apotex had lost a string of other ugly lawsuits totaling about a billion dollars in damages. Though there was some good news for the Shermans that fall. On September 15, 2017, Barry's cousins lost their lawsuit against him. The judge called their claims wishful thinking. On December 6, just one week before the Shermans were last seen alive, the judge ordered the winters to pay $300,000 worth of Barry's legal fees. Barry's cousin Carrie already hated him. Now Carrie was consumed with rage. He openly admitted he fantasized about ambushing Barry in a parking lot and chopping his head off. Meanwhile, Barry was too busy with his other problems to worry about Carrie because there was still the billion dollars from his other lawsuits he had to pay back. But the Shermans were having liquidity issues. So Barry asked his son Jonathan to repay a loan of about $50 million. Jonathan didn't have the money either, though he'd already put it all into his storage business. So on November 28, 2017, Barry and Jonathan made a deal. Jonathan and his business partner promised to mortgage their nine storage facilities in order to repay the money Barry wanted. Then, less than three weeks after that conversation, everything changed. On December 15, 2017, a team of realtors led by a woman named Elise Stern arrived at the Sherman's home to show it to prospective buyers. But the Shermans weren't trying to sell off their assets. In fact, they were planning to build a newer, bigger, more expensive mansion. But first, they had to sell their current home. So that morning, the Sherman's housekeeper let the realtors and their clients in. Right away, something was off. The alarm was disabled, even though the Shermans didn't seem to be home. And they always set it when they left. Plus, they'd missed a scheduled personal training session, which wasn't like them either. Elise and her team were puzzled, but chalked it up to billionaire eccentricities. The Shermans had a trip to Florida planned for the following week. Maybe Barry and Honey had left early without telling anyone. In any case. Elise didn't need the Shermans to be there in order to show the home. The tour started on the first floor, where the buyers marveled at the Sherman's impressive art collection. Then they headed to the basement. The showstopper was a huge, heated indoor lap pool, which Honey and Berry rarely used. But when the agents headed toward the pool area, they realized they weren't alone. There were two people seated on the deck on the other side near a small safety railing. Their torsos were slumped over, but their heads were raised high. It looked like some sort of yoga pose or maybe a strange meditation ritual. The couple by the pool didn't react as the realtors and buyers approached. Elise didn't get close enough to see them clearly, but she immediately knew something was wrong. She herded her buyers back upstairs and locked the door behind them. Elise didn't want to go back downstairs for a closer look. Neither did the housekeeper. So they recruited the gardener instead. And when she got there, she could tell it was Berry and Honey Sherman. But this was was no yoga session. Barry and Honey had been tied by their necks to a railing so tightly it had killed them. At Capella University, you can learn at your own pace with our Flexpath Learning format. Take one or two courses at a time and complete as many as you can in a 12 week billing session.

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[Nicole Lapin]

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On December 15, 201775 year old Barry Sherman and 70 year old Honey Sherman were found dead in their home. Belts were wrapped tightly around their necks, attaching each of them to a three foot railing next to their indoor pool. After finding them, real estate agent Elise Stern called 911 around 11:44am the police arrived within minutes to begin what would become a massive and messy investigation. Based on the level of rigor mortis, the Shermans had probably died two days before. On the night of December 13th. Honey had last used her credit cards on a shopping trip to the mall that evening and was home by around 8pm after discovering something interesting on Honey's face. Detectives from the Toronto Police Department were wondered if it had been a murder suicide. Honey had a cut on her right cheek but no bruising since bruises only form when blood is still circulating. She was likely struck right before she died. So the official theory was that Barry had attacked Honey and strangled her with a belt when she returned home from the mall. Then he did the same thing to himself. A forensic pathologist performed an autopsy and confirmed that the manner of death was in fact strangulation for both. But the Sherman's kids refused to believe their father would have done anything to hurt their mother. And while the police were eager to close the book on the murder suicide theory, the kids were ready to keep digging. So they hired a private investigator and a private medical examiner to do a second autopsy on their parents. And this time they got a lot more than they bargained for. Both Barry and Honey's wrists had abrasions suggesting they were both restrained before they were strangled. But their wrists weren't bound when their bodies were found, meaning someone had untied them. As for the actual strangulation, the second autopsy found it wasn't from the belts at all. Barry and Honey had been killed with some other ligature like a thin wire cord. The belts were likely wrapped around their necks later to make it look like a murder suicide. It wasn't until January 26th of 2018, after the Toronto Star published a report report on the PI's findings, that police officially changed the case to a double homicide. But by now, six weeks had passed since Barry and Honey's bodies were discovered. Detectives had missed their best opportunity to nail down a suspect. The family's private investigator thought the murders looked like the work of a professional. Maybe Barry knew too much about the alleged price fixing scheme that implicated Apotex. Or maybe Apotex was spying on other generic drug companies. One rival had already sued them over it. If the killer was a Professional hired by a business rival. They would be long gone by then, though. However, there were plenty of suspects to look into. Closer to home, Barry's cousin, Kerry Winter admitted that he fantasized about killing Barry after his lawsuit backfired. But Kerry had an alibi. He told police he was attending a cocaine anonymous meeting at the time of the murders. It seems like they believed him. As of this recording, he's a free man and has repeatedly talked about his cousin's death on camera. Meanwhile, the Sherman son Jonathan was on the hook for about $50 million to help Barry pay the massive fines from his lawsuit. But after the Shermans died, Apotek settled the outstanding debts for a sum that the company was able to pay without needing Jonathan's money. So there was no suspicion there. Especially because Jonathan also had an alibi. He said he had spent the evening of the murders at home dealing with a cryptocurrency transaction. Plus, he cooperated with police in every possible way. Finally, an oddball friend of Barry's, Frank d' Angelo, was also named in connection to the murders, though he was never officially listed as a suspect. Frank was said to have wasted millions of the Sherman's money on failed businesses while Barry was still alive. But Frank had made a great point to the press. Why would he be the one to kill Barry when the guy was essentially his lifeline? So friends and family were pretty much out putting the suspicion back on Barry's business dealings. According to the Toronto Star, police still haven't gotten the full picture on Sherman's finances. There were offshore bank accounts, tax shelters and shadowy investments. All of which could have made Barry some very dangerous enemies. Unfortunately, we may never get answers. The list of potential suspects is so long and the investigation was so badly bungled, it doesn't seem like police will ever be able to crack the case. At least not unless a new piece of bombshell evidence appears or the killer confesses. In the meantime, Apotex been has sold and is back on solid financial footing. The Sherman children seem to be moving on too. They had the home where Honey and Barry were killed demolished. Then they sold the lot. To me. The most tragic thing about this whole story is about how unnecessary it all was. Barry and Honey didn't even seem like they enjoyed being billionaires right up until the end. Barry wore old dress shirts and drove his cars until the wheels fell off. Honey mostly flew economy during their decades as one of Canada's wealthiest families. They fell for multiple scams, losing hundreds of millions of dollars. That's not even counting all the millions Barry gave to his cousins just for them to turn around and sue him. Years ago, the Shermans were invited to write something about themselves for the Book of Life, a collection of stories honoring major donors to the Jewish foundation of Toronto. Many of the entries were several paragraphs long. The Shermans wrote nine sentences. One was this simple mission statement, which I'll leave you with today. You can't take it with you, so the best alternative is to put it to good use while you're here. Unfortunately, as Barry and Honey's deaths proved, sometimes it's the money that takes you foreign. Thank you so much for listening. I'm your host, Nicole Lapin. Scams, Money and Murder is a Crime House Original Join me every Thursday for a brand new episode here at Crime House. We want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard here today, reach out on all social media rimehouse. Don't forget to rate, review and follow Scams, Money and Murder wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference. And for ad free listening plus early access and bonus content. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts Scams, Money and Murder is hosted by me, Nicole Lapin and is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios, this episode was brought to life by the Scams, Money and Murder team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benidon, Natalie Prasofsky, Lori Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Jelena War, Joanna Powell and Michael Langsner. Thank you so much for listening. How can one tiny clue change everything? Well, Kaylin Moore and Morgan Absher break it all down in their new show, Clues. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Just search Clues wherever you listen to podcasts.