'No justice for them, no closure for...my family': Timeline of developments in the Barry and Honey Sherman murder case

December 15 marks five years since prominent Canadian philanthropists Barry and Honey Sherman were found murdered inside their Toronto estate. Barry was the founder of the generic pharmaceutical company Apotex, and considered to be one of the wealthiest people in Canada, worth approximately $3.2-billion at the time of his death.

The case has drawn lots of attention and speculation, and remains active and on-going. On December 8, 2022, The Shermans' daughter, Alexandra Krawczyk, appealed to the public for more information. In a written statement, she said her heart remains broken in light of the fifth anniversary of her parents’ death, and the case is very much unsolved.

“So far there has been no justice for them and no closure for me and my family,” Krawczyk wrote.

She urged anyone with tips on the murders to contact police at shermantips@torontopolice.on.ca, as information is urgently needed. The $10 million reward for information leading to a conviction remains unclaimed.

Here is a roundup of the timeline along with key developments in the case so far:

Dec. 13, 2017 - Barry and Honey Sherman are last seen alive.

Dec. 15, 2017 - The bodies of the Shermans are discovered in their Toronto mansion. Their remains are found in the property’s basement pool room, approximately 36 hours after they were killed. Their deaths are considered “suspicious” by police.

Dec. 17, 2017: After an autopsy is completed, police determine the Shermans died from “ligature neck compression.” The investigation is handed over to homicide detectives. Reports quote police sources as saying they suspect the case to be a murder-suicide.

Dec. 21, 2017: A memorial service is held for the Shermans.

Dec. 23, 2017: A second autopsy is conducted by a pathologist hired by the Sherman family.

Dec. 28, 2017: A private investigator is hired by the Shermans' family lawyer to further investigate suspects and the possible cause of their deaths.

Jan. 26, 2018: The Shermans' death is determined by police to be a double-homicide and a targeted attack.

Oct. 26, 2018: A $10-million reward is offered by the Sherman family for any tips that lead to the arrest and prosecution of a suspect in the murders.

Dec. 16, 2019: The private investigation into the Shermans’ death, headed by their family lawyer, is closed. The police appeal to the public for more information.

Nov 25, 2020: Police say a person of interest has been identified but not arrested.

Feb 3, 2021: A report reveals that the Shermans' son Jonathan has hired a retired Toronto police officer to further investigate his parents' death.

December 14, 2021: Police release a video of a suspect in the murder case. The short video shows a person walking near the neighbourhood of the Shermans' estate around the same timespan when they were murdered.

Jan 14, 2022: Unsealed documents into the investigation of the Shermans deaths reveal Honey Sherman’s sister, Mary Shechtman, believed “someone was making a statement” in their murders. "The Shermans were strong supporters of Israel and Honey was very vocal about being Jewish,” she said. “There were a lot of people of a certain ethnicity going through the house at a certain time and Honey would use phrases that were not politically correct."

Oct 28., 2022: In an exclusive, The Toronto Star reports that a homicide detective in the case says it is taking an “international flair”. Detective Constable Dennis Yim, the sole full-time detective on the case, says they’ve begun to look overseas for information. He refused to identify the five countries involved, as it would alert the killer or killers that investigators are on to them.

Dec 8, 2022: The Shermans' daughter, Alexandra Krawczyk, appeals to the public for more information. In a written statement, she said her heart remains broken in light of the 5th anniversary of her parents’ death, and the case is very much unsolved.

Dec 12, 2022: A few days after Alexandra Krawczyk’s appeal for more information into the case, her brother, Jonathon Sherman, announces that he would contribute an additional $25 million to the reward that helps lead to a conviction in their parents’ deaths. This brings the reward to $35-million.

"Closure will not be possible until those responsible for this evil act are brought to justice," Jonathon Sherman said in a statement shared with CBC Toronto.

Sherman had previously hired a retired Toronto police inspector to conduct a separate investigation into the deaths of his parents.

"I have been overwhelmed with pain, loss, and sorrow and these feelings only continuously compound," he said. "This immeasurable pain is felt every day when I realize that my own two children will never have the privilege of meeting my parents who made their lives possible for me and my husband.”

“So far there has been no justice for them and no closure for me and my family,” Krawczyk wrote.

She added that while the family has suffered immeasurable losses by the couple’s tragic deaths, so has their community.

“With kindness and humility, my parents provided leadership and unbound generosity to charities across Canada and around the world,” she wrote. “Their dedication to service and philanthropy impacted many people, some of whom have shared their beautiful and inspiring stories with me. The horrific manner in which they were taken from us has been extremely traumatic and has irreparably damaged the fabric of our community.”

“We cannot let another year pass without justice being done.”