Suspicion: Murder on Mount Olive
Suspicion is the Toronto Star’s investigative true crime podcast. In season 4, Chief Investigative Reporter Kevin Donovan, who brought you the Billionaire Murders, is back with Murder on Mount Olive, an investigation of a crime the courts closed the book on in 2012. On a sunny day in August, 2009, a man is shot three times at a barbecue. What happens that day will put a budding young soccer star turned carpenter behind bars for life for a crime he says he didn’t commit. This is the story of Christopher Sheriffe and his fight for justice. Season 3, "40 Years Cold," looks at a ca...
Episodes
It could happen to you
Kevin Donovan’s conversation with Canada’s Dean of lawyers who advocates for the wrongfully convicted. James Lockyer talks about the new federal plan that could one day free Chris Sheriffe.
Smokescreen
There can be problems when using confidential informants and hearsay evidence, especially when a man’s freedom is at stake. Lawyer Dean Embry’s conversation with Kevin Donovan provides a back story for our Murder on Mount Olive investigat…
Colour Blinded
In this bonus episode, we hear a top cop’s story of being Black and on the job in one of Canada’s biggest police forces. Listen to Keith Merith’s conversation with Kevin Donovan, providing a back story for our Murder on Mount Olive investi…
Choices
It’s now been 13 years. Chris reflects on decisions he made. The friends he had. Staying out that hot night in August instead of going home. And on what he would do if he is ever released. In the final episode of the series, we offer him a …
Trial and Error
A trial scheduled for one month becomes two. The Judge is not pleased. It’s now down to 12 jurors to determine Chris and Awet’s fate – but the lone Black juror gets sick so now it’s 11. Among the evidence the jury hears: false DNA evidence …
The Third Man Theory Rocks Trial
The day of the murder from all sides. Chris, Awet Asfaha, two young women — each give a different perspective on the events leading up to Kim Golaub’s brutal murder. What they did. What was said. You’ve heard Chris’s story before, but now a…
Two Down, One To Go
Chris is out on bail leading up to the trial. Toronto Police show up at his house one night. They end up assaulting his father, arresting his brother, and not long after Chris’s bail is revoked when a new charge is laid against him. Marjori…
Why did Kevin Donovan investigate this case?
Kevin Donovan talks about why he decided to look at Chris Sheriffe's case. Hear from him, and catch up on the series so far, while getting a glimpse of the weeks ahead. Subscribers get access to episodes one week early.
Bodies To His Name
Bombshell. On the eve of the murder trial, a young Toronto police officer emerges with two confidential sources, one of them purporting to be a gang member, who tell a very different story about Chris Sheriffe. It throws Chris’s defence tea…
The Story So Far...
This Friday, April 4, the second half of Murder on Mount Olive's season starts with episode 6, Bodies To His Name, as well as episode 7, one week early for subscribers. If you haven't heard the first five episodes to date, get caught up wit…
Playing For Your Country
Who is Chris Sheriffe? Elite soccer player. Aspiring carpenter. Good family. We hear from the people who knew him best, mother, sister, coach. We also learn about his experience growing up as a young Black teen in Toronto – the frequent pol…
Where's The Gun?
The forensics. How three bullets killed a man. The gun shot residue. Where it landed and where it didn’t land gives homicide detectives some help, but not much. It turns out the case against Chris Sheriffe and Awet Asfaha is weak. Plus, the…
Gladiator School
Twelve years into his life sentence for murder, Chris Sheriffe is a model prisoner. He’s doing all the courses available behind bars, plus weekly meetings of the prison public speaking club. He does conflict resolution, helping guards and p…
Video: Kevin Donovan talks with Chris Sheriffe behind bars
Watch or listen to this bonus video footage, where Kevin Donovan sits down with Chris Sheriffe in prison at Collins Bay. Listen to episode 3 of Murder on Mount Olive, Gladiator School, for more from this interview.
The Hunt
Homicide detectives get lucky. The best witness possible, and he’s talking, and he’s got a partial licence plate from a car that left the scene right after Kim Golaub was shot dead. But homicide cops are struggling for a motive. Did someone…
The Crime
On a hot, sunny day in August a man is shot three times. It happens outside a barbecue. Witnesses give different descriptions of the shooter; police flood the area looking for clues. What happens that day will end up putting a young soccer …
A second sneak peak: Suspicion Season 4, Murder on Mount Olive
Coming Friday, March 7, episodes 1, 2 and 3 (for subscribers) will be available for Suspicion Season 4, Murder on Mount Olive. Toronto Star Chief Investigative Reporter Kevin Donovan, who brought you the Billionaire Murders, investigates a …
Suspicion returns March 7 with Season 4, Murder on Mount Olive
Toronto Star Chief Investigative Reporter Kevin Donovan, who brought you the Billionaire Murders, is back with Murder on Mount Olive, an investigation of a crime the courts closed the book on in 2012. On a sunny day in August, 2009, a man i…
S2 The Billionaire Murders | E12 Domestic Troubles and More
In episode 12 of “The Billionaire Murders: The hunt for the killers of Honey and Barry Sherman” Kevin Donovan is joined by producer Raju Mudhar, as the two examine where the case is now and where it might go. But before that, voice actors r…
S2 The Billionaire Murders: E11 Gift Bags and Blood Stains Part 2
In episode eleven of “The Billionaire Murders: The hunt for the killers of Honey and Barry Sherman” Kevin Donovan uses what he knows about the killings to develop his theory of what the killers were after. Nothing was taken, not money, jewe…
S2 The Billionaire Murders | E10 Gift Bags and Blood Stains Part 1
In episode ten of “The Billionaire Murders: The hunt for the killers of Honey and Barry Sherman” Kevin Donovan examines crime scene photos, including the injuries to Honey’s face, and the interior of the Sherman home to help us understand w…
S3 40 Years Cold | E4 The Impact
With court decisions in place, do Tice and Gilmour’s families ever find closure? The complicated conclusion of how grief and relief live side by side for everyone involved. The following episode discusses sexual assault and murder. If you’r…
S3 40 Years Cold | Episode 4 preview - The Impact
Listen to a short expert from 40 Years Cold episode 4, The Impact, coming this Monday, July 8. With court decisions in place, do Tice and Gilmour’s families ever find closure? The complicated conclusion of how grief and relief live side by …
S3 40 Years Cold | E3 The Killer
Who is Joseph George Sutherland? What would lead him to such depraved acts? In Moosonee, Ontario, we learn of the horrific circumstances that shaped the man and how a close friend was shocked to learn the details of his secret criminal past…
S3 40 Years Cold | E2 The Science
A scientific breakthrough helped catch a notorious American serial killer. Could that same technology be used to catch Susan Tice and Erin Gilmour’s killer? It helps but the Toronto Police are looking for a needle in a haystack. As they get…
S3 40 Years Cold | Episode 2 preview
Listen to a short expert from 40 Years Cold episode 2, The Science, coming this Monday, June 24. A scientific breakthrough helped catch a notorious American serial killer. Could that same technology be used to catch Susan Tice and Erin Gil…
S3 40 Years Cold | E1 The Victims
Susan Tice and Erin Gilmour were living separate lives. One, a newly divorced mom of four; the other, in her early 20s with a love of fashion and her life ahead of her. Then something horrific and fatal happened to both of them, something o…
Introducing Suspicion Season 3, 40 Years Cold
On Monday, June 17, the Toronto Star's crime podcast Suspicion launches Season 3, "40 Years Cold." In 1983, two women – Susan Tice and Erin Gilmour – were killed in their Toronto homes. Despite their efforts, police couldn’t trace any leads…
S2 The Billionaire Murders | E9 Succession
The four children of slain billionaires Honey and Barry Sherman squabble over their new-found riches, but only two really want power. Hanging over all of this is the possibility that Honey had a will. This is the final episode of “The Billi…
S2 The Billionaire Murders | E8 Perfect Storm
Honey and Barry Sherman had nothing on their calendar, friends were away and Barry’s life was a who’s who of suspects. He also owed a lot of money. If there ever was a perfect time to commit a horrendous murder and get away with it, this wa…
S2 The Billionaire Murders | E7 Pointing Fingers
A long, winding road takes reporter Kevin Donovan to a most unusual meeting in a cold garage with Honey and Barry Sherman’s only son, the man who calls himself the “heir apparent” and whose sister suspects he was involved in the murders. In…
S2 The Billionaire Murders | E6 Family Matters
All the money in the world can’t buy happiness and the home of Honey and Barry Sherman tells that story. Honey was tough on the kids. Barry was a soft touch. Riches were doled out unevenly and there was division over each other’s lives. Th…
S2 The Billionaire Murders | E5 Wrong Turns
When the lead Toronto homicide detective avoids the crime scene and juniors can’t walk across the road to collect key surveillance video, that’s a sign of a poor investigation. And that was just day one after Honey and Barry Sherman were f…
S2 The Billionaire Murders | E4 King and Queen
Barry Sherman the Generous, the Brilliant, the Tough Negotiator. Honey Sherman the Ferocious, the Brave, the Fundraiser. It was love at first sight in the ‘70s and together they raised a family and built a business. Honey’s roots were in th…
S2 The Billionaire Murders | E3 The Day They Died
We follow the footsteps of Honey and Barry Sherman and the mysterious "Walking Man" as they converge on Old Colony Rd., in what became a horrible, murderous evening. But the day started with smiles and workouts. Hannukah had just begun. Hon…
Wannabe lawyer: The secret handshake and other tips to unseal Sherman secrets (bonus episode)
The Toronto Star’s Kevin Donovan brings you along for the ride as he argues in court to unseal documents related to the Sherman homicide investigation and the multi-billion dollar estate of Honey and Barry Sherman, which the police say is p…
Loosening lips: What Sherman friends and family might be trying to hide (bonus episode)
In this second bonus episode of “The Billionaire Murders,” we take listeners behind the scenes of reporter Kevin Donovan’s investigation and what it took to speak openly with family and friends, and get the inside story on the lives and de…
The Clintons did it? A bonus episode of ‘The Billionaire Murders’
In this bonus episode of “The Billionaire Murders,” we take listeners behind the scenes of reporter Kevin Donovan’s investigation into the murders of Honey and Barry Sherman. Titled “The Clintons Did It?” Donovan discusses some of the wild…
Excerpt: The Clintons did it? A bonus episode of ‘The Billionaire Murders’ at thestar.com
This episode is available to subscribers of the Toronto Star on February 24 at thestar.com/billionairemurders. Or it will be free in your feeds March 3. In this bonus episode of “The Billionaire Murders,” we take listeners behind the scen…
S2 The Billionaire Murders | E2 The Bodies
After Honey and Barry Sherman are found hanging, police sources say it is a murder-suicide and cause outrage among Sherman friends who believe otherwise. Veteran investigative reporter Kevin Donovan cold calls sources and gets a promising …