Podcast
Suspicion: Murder on Mount Olive
Hosted by Toronto Star · EN
Suspicion is the Toronto Star's investigative true crime podcast.
Season 5, "The Most Wanted Canadian" is coming in the fall of 2026. How did a small town Canadian boy allegedly become a narco kingpin? Ryan Wedding was once a promising young athlete, a snowboarder who reached the Olympics. Now captured after a decade on the run, he's accused of running a deadly international drug trafficking empire. In this new podcast from CBC and the Toronto Star, host Michelle Shephard and journalist Calvi Leon trace Wedding's descent into a violent criminal underworld. From his beginnings at his family ski hill outside Thunder Bay, to Toronto and the shocking murders he's accused of ordering, to Mexico where he was believed to be protected by the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, they uncover his illicit connections and the stories behind the victims caught in the crossfire. Featuring on-the-ground reporting and original interviews, this podcast investigates the Canadian who the FBI called a "modern day El Chapo" and asks: what will it take to bring him to justice?The Most Wanted Olympian is an official 2026 Tribeca Festival Selection. The full podcast is coming this November to the Toronto Star's Suspicion and CBC's Uncover.
Season 4, "Murder on Mount Olive," Chief Investigative Reporter Kevin Donovan, who brought you the Billionaire Murders, is back with Murder on Mount Olive, an investigation of a crime the courts closed the book on in 2012. This is the story of Christopher Sheriffe and his fight for justice, as he serves life in prison for a crime he says he didn't commit.
Season 3, "40 Years Cold," looks at a case that began four decades ago, when two women were killed in their Toronto homes. Wendy Gillis and Betsy Powell take you through the nights of the murders, the tragic circumstances of a murderer, and the stunning conclusion of a 40 years long cold case.
Season 2, "The Billionaire Murders: The hunt for the killers of Honey and Barry Sherman," probes the case of the famous Toronto couple who were found strangled in their home in 2017. Kevin Donovan covered the Sherman case and fought court battles to access documents on the police investigation.
Suspicion season 1, Death in a Small Town, was also hosted by Donovan. What began as just another day for the McLellan family would end with their youngest son clinging to life in hospital and a cloud of suspicion hanging over his mother and father.
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Was justice served? Kevin Donovan on the Mount Olive verdict — and the case that isn't over yet
Today00:24:31Summary readyThe faint hope hearing in the Mount Olive murder case has concluded, but for Toronto Star chief investigative reporter Kevin Donovan, the outcome raises questions that go beyond one courtroom. In part two, we dig into the Crown's cross-examination, the weight of the victim impact statements, and why the fight for Christopher Sheriffe is far from finished.
Summary
A major update in the Mount Olive case is forcing a closer look at everything we thought we knew
Today00:19:35Summary readyFor years, the legal fate of Awet Asfaha and his co-accused Christopher Sheriffe seemed sealed — appeals exhausted, the book closed. But Toronto Star chief investigative reporter Kevin Donovan reveals something that happened in a Toronto courtroom recently that has cracked the case wide open again.
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It could happen to you
May 23, 202500:16:45Summary readyKevin Donovan's conversation with Canada's Dean of lawyers who advocates for the wrongfully convicted. James Lockyer talks about the new federal plan that could one day free Chris Sheriffe.
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Smokescreen
May 16, 202500:23:47Summary readyThere can be problems when using confidential informants and hearsay evidence, especially when a man's freedom is at stake. Lawyer Dean Embry's conversation with Kevin Donovan provides a back story for our Murder on Mount Olive investigation.
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Colour Blinded
May 9, 202500:36:49Summary readyIn this bonus episode, we hear a top cop's story of being Black and on the job in one of Canada's biggest police forces. Listen to Keith Merith's conversation with Kevin Donovan, providing a back story for our Murder on Mount Olive investigation.
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Choices
May 2, 202500:30:42Summary readyIt's now been 13 years. Chris reflects on decisions he made. The friends he had. Staying out that hot night in August instead of going home. And on what he would do if he is ever released. In the final episode of the series, we offer him a potential lifeline. Tell us what really happened between you and Awet, what he said, what he was planning to do that day. Surely this was a drug deal gone wrong.
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Trial and Error
Apr 25, 202500:53:23Tap to summarizeA trial scheduled for one month becomes two. The Judge is not pleased. It's now down to 12 jurors to determine Chris and Awet's fate – but the lone Black juror gets sick so now it's 11. Among the evidence the jury hears: false DNA evidence that's not corrected; a transcription of Chris's own words that is incorrect and not corrected; and the recollections of two police officers whose notes are strikingly similar. And then the jury comes in. At the end of the day, Chris knows that if he had stepped up and said he was involved in the shooting he'd have gotten a deal and would be out of prison by now. But there's a reason he will never do that. Audio: CPAC, Ontario Jury Video, EatonCentreShooting, Global TV, Essex County News
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The Third Man Theory Rocks Trial
Apr 18, 202500:39:29Tap to summarizeThe day of the murder from all sides. Chris, Awet Asfaha, two young women — each give a different perspective on the events leading up to Kim Golaub's brutal murder. What they did. What was said. You've heard Chris's story before, but now at trial Awet comes out with a stunning story. There was someone else that day. A mysterious third man who was the killer. And Chris was the getaway driver, with Awet just along for the ride. This made the case a "cutthroat" defence — fingers pointing in different decisions.
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Two Down, One To Go
Apr 11, 202500:34:19Tap to summarizeChris is out on bail leading up to the trial. Toronto Police show up at his house one night. They end up assaulting his father, arresting his brother, and not long after Chris's bail is revoked when a new charge is laid against him. Marjorie, Chris's mom, overhears police officers give an ominous warning about the men in her family and she goes into high gear – she's in the fight of her life against Toronto's finest. Then comes another bombshell. That young police officer with the gang information says Chris is the leader of a dangerous gang called "The Hustle Squad." A gang so mysterious, no members of the elite police Guns and Gangs Squad has ever heard of them.
Transcribe →Why did Kevin Donovan investigate this case?
Apr 10, 202500:04:25Tap to summarizeKevin Donovan talks about why he decided to look at Chris Sheriffe's case. Hear from him, and catch up on the series so far, while getting a glimpse of the weeks ahead. Subscribers get access to episodes one week early.
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