The mysterious death of billionaire Barry Sherman remains unexplained - and the family's lawyer has criticised the police investigation

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The mysterious death of billionaire Barry Sherman remains unexplained - and the family's lawyer has criticised the police investigation

barry sherman death house

Chris Helgren/Reuters

A body is removed from the mansion of Barry and Honey Sherman.

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  • Barry Sherman and his wife Honey were found dead in the basement of their Toronto mansion last month, but Canadian police are yet to solve the mystery.
  • The Sherman family lawyer says a claim by the police that there was no forced entry to the Shermans' house may have misled the public.
  • Private detectives are also investigating the deaths as the family seeks answers.


It is nearly a month since Canadian pharmaceutical billionaire Barry Sherman and his wife, Honey, were found dead in the basement of their $5.4 million (£4 million) Toronto mansion - but there are still no answers.

Police have not provided a meaningful update on the case since December 17, when they revealed that the couple died from "ligature neck compression," or strangulation from tying or binding - and the family is beginning to point the finger of blame.

Brian Greenspan, the powerful Canadian lawyer acting for the family, criticised the police's handling of the investigation in an interview with The Globe and Mail on Tuesday.

Specifically, he thinks a that police statement, which asserted that there were no signs of forced entry to the Shermans' mansion, may have misled the public.

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"It's simply absurd," Greenspan said. "You have to know a lot more before that becomes meaningful and before that becomes public. Because the public may draw from that an inference that is just wrong and misleading."

Citing police sources, Canadian publications have posited the theory that the deaths may have been a murder-suicide, but this was strenuously denied by the family.

Through Greenspan, they have hired private detectives to investigate alongside Toronto police and "ensure that no stone is left unturned."

barry sherman

Reuters

Barry Sherman and his wife, Honey.

Greenspan said he had not been given any new information by the police. "We've not engaged in discussions about the ongoing investigation," he told The Globe and Mail.

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The Toronto Police Service did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

The Shermans were found dead on December 15 in their basement by a real estate agent, who was visiting to help sell the mansion.

Barry is the founder of Canadian pharmaceutical firm Apotex Inc and had an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion, according to Forbes. The couple were known for their philanthropy, giving tens of millions of dollars to hospitals, universities, and Jewish organisations.