Morbid

On the morning of March 20, 1995, millions of rush hours commuters boarded trains across Tokyo, just as they countless other mornings. Unbeknownst those millions of riders, five of those trains were carrying large quantities of a nerve agent called Sarin, a colorless, odorless liquid that, when released into the air, can cause extreme respiratory problems and eventually death. As the trains traveled to their respective destinations through the underground system, the bags of Sarin became punctured and released the gas into the packed trains cars and within seconds, the first victims began dropping to floor, choking and vomiting. 

The Tokyo gas attacks killed thirteen people and injured nearly 6,000 others, and they remain the worst case of domestic terrorism in Japan’s history. Yet beyond the obvious trauma of the incident, the attack has left a deep wound in the nation’s psyche. When the perpetrators of the attack, a doomsday cult known as Aum Shinrikyo, were apprehended, the nation was shocked that a small religious cult had managed to cause such tremendous damage. Even now, thirty years later, the impact of Aum Shinrikyo and the sarin gas attacks are still felt around Japan.

References

BBC News. 2018. Aum Shinrikyo: The Japanese cult behind the Tokyo Sarin. July 6. Accessed July 16, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35975069.

Kristof, Nicholas D. 1995. "In shrine of Japan cult, police find labratory." New York Times, March 27: 2.

—. 1995. "Japanese police raid the offices of a sect linked to poison gas." New York Times, March 22: 1.

Monterey Institute of International Studies. 2016. Chronology or Aum Shinrikyo's CBQ Activities. Timeline , Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Murakami, Haruki. 2001. Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche. Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Philip Gabriel. New York, NY: Vintage.

Watanabe, Teresa. 1995. "Police seize toxic chemicals in raid on Japanese sect." Los Angeles Times, March 23: 1.

—. 1995. "Raid on sect spurs civil-liberties worries." Los Angeles Times, March 23: 4.

WuDunn, Sheryl. 1995. "Fear stalks Tokyo: safe no more." New York Times, March 21: 13.

—. 1995. "Sect says government staged the gas attack." New York Times, March 22: 10.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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Weirdos! We are 7 days away from PUB DAY for THE BUTCHER LEGACY, and we're celebrating with a special sneak peak of the audio title! We are thrilled to introduce you to the newest member of the cast, Cary Hite, who is narrating for detective John Leroux! Keep an eye on Instagram for additional clips with Sophie Amoss and Joe Knezevich! 

Preorder the Audiobook now!

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When a realtor entered the Toronto home of Barry and Honey Sherman on December 15, 2017, she expected the couple to be out of town and the house to be empty. The agent showed a young couple around the massive home, room by room, and when they reached the bottom floor, where the pool was located, they found the bodies of the Shermans, leather belts cinched around their necks and secured to a metal railing.

To the Toronto Police Homicide Squad, the deaths of Barry and Honey were suspicious, but they were hesitant to label the deaths a homicide and thought it was possible they were dealing with a case of murder-suicide. There was no sign of forced entry, nothing appeared to be missing, and other than the belts around their necks, only Honey had suffered obvious injuries. 

It took multiple autopsies and significant advocacy from the family, but eventually the Sherman’s deaths were labeled a homicide. But the question remained, who would have wanted to kill the older couple, and if not for money, why?

Mentioned in this Episode

Preorder THE BUTCHER LEGACY! 

Can’t make it to The Butcher Legacy Book Tour in person? Buy a Virtual ticket and get a signed copy and stream the Event live on 8/11!

References

Campbell, Matthew. 2018. The unsolved murder of an unusual billionaire. October 24. Accessed July 26, 2026. https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2018-apotex-billionaire-murder/.

Donovan, Kevin. 2019. The Billionaire Murders: The Mysterious Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman . New York, NY: Viking.

—. 2025. "'I'm playing blind' on who killed Barry and Honey Sherman, lead Toronto police detective admits." Toronto Star, October 28.

—. 2019. "Police have working theory in Sherman case, court told." Toronto Star, April 25: 1.

—. 2020. "Sherman probe focuses on video evidence." Toronto Star, Janaury 18: 1.

Donovan, Kevin, Wendy Gillis, and Emma McIntosh. 2018. "Targeted." Toronto Star, January 27: 1.

Friscolanti, Michael. 2018. What’s slowing the cops down at Apotex headquarters. January 29. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://macleans.ca/news/barry-and-honey-sherman-murders-whats-slowing-the-cops-down-at-apotex-headquarters/.

Gibson, Victoria , and Janet Kerr. 2017. "Billionaire and his wife found dead in home." Toronto Star, December 16.

Gillis, Wendy, and Tamar Harris. 2017. "Family of Apotex drug founder blast Toronto police, call for a 'thorough, objective' investigation ." Toronto Star, December 17.

Kingston, Anne. 2018. The other side of Barry Sherman. April 5. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://macleans.ca/news/canada/barry-honey-sherman-murders/.

Lancaster, John. 2021. Court documents reveal more details about 2017 homicides of Barry and Honey Sherman. January 5. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/barry-honey-sherman-murder-2021-1.5860527.

McKeen, Alex. 2017. "'I have always been very conscious on my personal mortality'." Toronto Star, December 21: 1.

Tsekouras, Phil. 2022. Relative believes 'someone was making a statement' in murder of Barry and Honey Sherman, unsealed documents show. January 14. Accessed July 26, 2026. https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/article/relative-believes-someone-was-making-a-statement-in-murder-of-barry-and-honey-sherman-unsealed-documents-show/.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For this month's bonus episode, we are joined by one of our favorite storytellers, Aaron Mahnke of Lore Podcast, to discuss his upcoming book  Exhumed: Unearthing the History of the American Vampire. We discuss this fascinating book which dives into one of history's strangest rabbit holes: the New England vampire panic. We touch on the tragic story of Mercy Brown, corpse medicine, pseudoscience, folklore, and the very real fears that led ordinary people to do some truly diabolical things!  Aaron shares the inspiration for the book, some unconventional  home theft deterrents, and talks about his favorite moments from his incredible podcast!

Preorder Exhumed: Unearthing the History of the American Vampire

Purchase tickets to see Aaron Mahnke in conversation with Alaina Urquhart at the Wilbur in Boston on 8/4/26!

 

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Weirdos! Let's pack up the MORBID family station wagon and get ready to go on a little vacation! This time, Deb has found vacation tales that will have you freaked out AND cackling with laughter. OH! And these tales are BY you FOR  you and ALL ABOUT YOU! So, buckle your seatbelt and hold onto your butts, friends! Check out the YOUTUBE version is packed with extra Nicholas footage!

If you’ve got a listener tale please send it to Deb by emailing us at  Morbidpodcast@gmail.com with “Listener Tales” somewhere in the subject line, and if you share pictures, please let us know if we can share them with fellow weirdos! :)

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.