Toronto police announced they believe a billionaire Canadian couple mysteriously found dead in their home in December were victims of a “targeted’ double-homicide.
On Dec. 15, Barry Sherman, 75, the founder and chairman of Apotex, a Canadian pharmaceutical company that sells generic drugs, and his wife, Honey Sherman, 70, were found hanging by belts from a railing in a semi-seated position near the indoor pool of their $7 million Toronto mansion, Toronto Police Detective Sgt. Susan Gomes said at a press conference Friday.
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“We believe now through the six weeks of work review that we have sufficient evidence to describe this as a double-homicide investigation and that Honey and Barry Sherman were in fact targeted,” Gomes said.
The Shermans were known for their philanthropy, giving tens of millions of dollars to universities, hospitals, and the United Jewish Appeal, according to reports.
Forbes estimated Barry Sherman’s net worth at $3.2 billion.
For the past six weeks, police have spent thousands of hours processing evidence at the Sherman’s home, gathering more than 100 witness statements and obtaining neighborhood security footage, Gomes said.
There were no signs of forced entry in any of the home’s access points, Gomes said.
She declined to discuss motive and did not identify any potential suspects.
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As condolences for the prominent couple poured in from dignitaries including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins, news reports began circulating saying the case was being investigated as a possible murder-suicide.
Those who knew the couple well dismissed the theory as false, CBC News reported.
“They wouldn’t do that,” neighbor Eli Kanter told the CBC. “They wouldn’t end that way.”
Following those reports, members of the Sherman family hired a team of private investigators who found evidence that they were, in fact, killed by multiple people, the CBC reported Jan. 20.
After Friday’s press conference, the Sherman family said in a statement they had “anticipated” that police would determine that the couple was killed.
“The announcement by the Toronto Police Service that the tragic deaths of their parents are being investigated as a double homicide was anticipated by the Sherman family,” the statement said, according to ABC News. “This conclusion was expressed by the family from the outset.”
The statement added that the family continues to support police “in their efforts to seek justice for their parents and pursue those responsible for these unspeakable crimes.”
A spokesperson for the Toronto police tells PEOPLE the department has no updates at this time. Calls to a representative for the Sherman family were not immediately returned.