Barry and Honey Sherman in a handout photo from the United Jewish Appeal.HO/The Canadian Press
Toronto police have released a video of a suspect in the murders of billionaire philanthropists Barry and Honey Sherman, hoping to get the public’s help in identifying the individual.
Detective Sergeant Brandon Price said police have not been able to rule out a person who was captured on surveillance video around the time of the murders on the evening of Dec. 13, 2017, near the Sherman home.
“This individual’s actions are highly suspicious,” Det. Sgt. Price told reporters Tuesday.
“The timing of this individual’s appearance is in line with when we believe the murders took place and based on this evidence we’re classifying this individual as a suspect.”
Mr. Sherman, the founder of the generic pharmaceutical company Apotex, and his wife were killed inside their Toronto home.
Investigators have said autopsy results showed the pair died by “ligature neck compression” and that there were no signs of a break-in.
Det. Sgt. Price said police have analyzed the surveillance video made public on Tuesday, but cannot determine the person’s, age, sex or race. He said a video analysis shows the individual is 5 foot 6 to 5 foot 9 tall.
Det. Sgt. Price said the individual walks into the area of the Sherman house, which isn’t captured by video, and stays there a while before leaving.
“We have been unable to determine what this individual’s purpose was in the neighbourhood,” Det. Sgt. Price said.
Police have analyzed four terabytes of surveillance video from the neighbourhood and have seen the same individual in other videos around the home, he said. They have also had help analyzing video from the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ontario Provincial Police.
The video Toronto police released shows an individual walking along a sidewalk cleared of snow past a driveway of a home. Det. Sgt. Price refused to say when the video was taken or the location, but said it occurred in the evening and it was dark outside.
The person’s face cannot be seen.
“It is our hope that someone will come forward with a name when they recognize the individual’s walk, the way in which they kick up their right foot with every step,” Det. Sgt. Price said.
He said police have identified every other individual they have seen in surveillance videos and said that this individual may have a legitimate reason to be in the area.
“If you recognize yourself in this video, please come forward so you can be excluded from our investigation,” Det. Sgt. Price said.
The investigation remains active four years later, he said.
The force has conducted about 250 interviews with witnesses and has received 1,255 tips from the public.
“We’ve remained steadfast in our commitment to bring closure to the Sherman family, their friends, loved ones and the community,” Det. Sgt. Price said.
The family offered a reward of up to $10-million for information that would help solve the case, an offer that remains on the table, Det. Sgt. Price said. The family also hired its own team of private investigators to look into the homicides.
The Sherman family’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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