Sherman Murders: One Man Murder Team Revisited
Det. Sergeant Price remains a relatively unaddressed fixture in the Sherman investigation. Close inspection of his last public appearance reveals much to ponder.
I’ve received some feedback on my previously published musings on the likelihood of a one man murder team. I really did not see this as controversial, but again, this case never ceases to amaze.
Let us air out some facts in relation to the topic, since it seems to be of such interest.
At the outset, we should recall that Kevin Donovan, the singular civilian authority on the investigation, has his own “theory” as to who killed the Shermans. He believes Toronto police are zeroing in on the same suspect. Is he right on either count? Who knows.
Donovan has himself mused on the number of assailants, at times seeming to suggest the potential for a multi-person murder team. He goes as far as to suggest that whoever wanted them killed (if the actual killer was hired by another hand), was perhaps on scene for the show.
This is less compelling because there is little in the way of public evidence in favor of it, nor does there seem to be any concrete public evidence of a multi-person team. Any suggestions here seem to be based on circumstantial evidence and conjecture, correct as they may turn out to be.
My last post on the topic highlights the reasons why a multi-person murder team may be unlikely. I have nonetheless heard from readers who either suggest 1) it does not matter or 2) the lone hitman theory is all wrong.
Lets address these claims, because in this vacuum of information, they are fair questions. They just aren’t fair assertions.
Firstly, it surely does matter as to whether there are other known accomplices. If police are withholding video evidence of someone in Honey Sherman’s Lexus, for example, that matters for reasons not limited to the integrity of the investigation. This could be but another huge lapse in judgement on the part of TPS, depending on what or who they have on tape. Multiple persons also increases the size of the inner circle, and therefore the vulnerability the murder team faces in being caught.
But would police really take the risk of not disclosing evidence of a second or third person on scene at this point?
Yes, actually.
Det. Sergeant Brandon Price sighed when stating that at the end of that day, the integrity of the investigation (as they see it) is really all that matters. He was forceful in his conservative relations with unnecessary public disclosures on the case. Kudos to him on that tight-lipped take, especially if it increases the odds of a successful prosecution in this tragic case.
On that note, one might choose to reflect on the fact that TPS was quite successful in keeping our walking man a secret for four whole years. Even Donovan, and other reporters in the know like Joe Warmington, had no idea this tape and the walking man existed. For those counting, that’s forty-eight full calendar months of quiet. However badly the investigation was conducted early on, TPS and Price have tightened the ship.
And, to be fair, TPS is now found back against the wall and without any more get out of jail free cards with respect to investigative mistakes. Beyond prospects of a successful prosecution (if charges are ever laid) I’d argue this extends into the service’s public perception as well. Lots of people have been and are unhappy with this probe.
As to the probable likelihood of a one man murder team, my thoughts here are rooted in what we know to be true based on the evidence at the crime scene. This is speculative of course, but some things seem more logical than others to assume when looking at the facts we have, limited as they may be.
Honey’s cumbersome phone was found on the floor of a front-adjacent powder room she seldom used. Again, on the floor. This fact, coupled with the facial injuries she sustained, is highly suggestive of a struggle having taken place on the ground level of 50 Old Colony Road that night. The fact she seemed to have some time in the home doesn’t discount a fellow traveler, it just makes it more bizarre and estranged and perhaps then, unlikely. And this kind of struggle seems more likely if there was only one assailant, at least at that moment in time. They could have underestimated Honey’s strength and will, for example. She was said to have an athletic build and some suggest she would not have gone down without a fight.
Transport of the bodies to the pool room is another point worth considering here. Would a multi-person murder team really drag the bodies (there were drag marks in the pool most likely made by Honey’s slip on shoes according to some reporting)? The same murder team capable of the staging and the utilization of bindings and ligatures?
Are there other possibilities that may explain these facts? Sure. But taken together, these three details (the phone, the facial injuries, and the drag marks) are a lot to overcome when using some other theory to draw conclusions. Tunnel-vision is an ungodly enemy in a case like this, no doubt. And, true, TPS has been the main victim of tunnel-vision, but the bias, of course, extends to anyone theorizing on the facts of the case.
Also, on point two, don’t we have good reason to believe that Toronto Police have contained the estate? That is to say that they have video surveillance of all potential access points to the home itself on the evening of December 13th, 2017.
Consider what Price said his December 2021 TPS press conference: “So in our exhaustive video canvas, we were able to get images from nearby, on either side, kind of, and around the Sherman household. And this individual walks into that area, does not continue to walk through, but remains in that area that is not covered by video footage, but remains in there, and then comes back out some time later. And that’s how we’ve been able to sort of narrow this individual’s location down.”
So they have video nearby, on either side, and around the Sherman household. As always, the police tells are always found in the details.
Here, the key detail is that he comments on the fact that the individual does not walk through, implying they would have picked that up on tape as well. Is this in reference to the front of the house, the area covered by surveillance across the street? Who knows.
All that to say, however, it seems unlikely that someone accessed the home that night without leaving a trail on the many tapes the police have around the house.
The “fairly defined” area Price speaks of? Likely the tennis court or the area between the house and the low barrier dividing the Sherman estate from its neighbor estates (the area near the unlocked side door is a major suspected point of entry and/or exit).
Now if you really don’t buy this argument, okay, but I have more.
At the outset of that mesmerizing press conference (I’ve watched it from beginning to end many times), Price is quite clear that the only unidentified person on the tape they have is the walking man. He even refers to our walking man’s unaccounted for presence as glaring.
Price states confidently as he reveals the walking man for the very first time: “We have been able to eliminate the vast majority of people on the video. We are left with one individual whom we have been unable to identify.”
Why is this important? This comment extends to evidence beyond the Sherman estate’s close surroundings (“tight” to the home as Price put the walking man’s location in another part of the press conference) and therefore includes the multi-kilometer video canvas around the Old Colony Road area.
The question then becomes: how did anyone else gain access without police knowledge? Did they teleport in and out? No, they did not.
Of course, it is possible police do have someone else on tape. But much like Honey’s supposed passenger, this seems like a reach, at least based on what we know.
The so-called integrity of the investigation is important, but so to is public trust in the police.
Not releasing this information would seem too egregious, even for what has been a troubled police service and investigation.
A lot more to come.
Det. Sergeant Brandon Price’s role remains an intriguing subplot in the double-homicide probe. His impact stretches from day one to the present day.
Until next time.