The Most Wanted Olympian from Suspicion

For reporter Calvi Leon, the story of Ryan Wedding began at a suburban house outside Toronto - where a horrific shooting left Jaspreet Sidhu's parents dead. Now, Calvi understands exactly what led to the events that night: revenge.

For the victims and family members caught in the crossfire, what does justice look like? Will Wedding face the consequences of his alleged actions - and will his arrest make a difference in a world still hungry for drugs?

Ryan Wedding is led off a US Department of Justice plane, flanked by law enforcement on either side. In late 2025, his alleged crime syndicate began to fall apart after a series of blockbuster arrests: including a jeweller, a hitman and a lawyer who goes by the social media handle "Cocaine Lawyer."

The fugitive Olympian is now in custody. But how, exactly, was one of the world's most wanted men captured?

On a warm afternoon in Medellín, Colombia, a man is shot point-blank while eating lunch. The assailants flee, and a photo of the man's body - still holding a fork - is shared online. It's clear that this is a targeted killing. The victim is Jonathan Acebedo Garcia, a longtime associate of Ryan Wedding.

Reporter Calvi Leon and host Michelle Shephard visit Montreal, putting together the pieces of who Jonathan was. A family man. An alleged drug smuggler. And a confidential witness for the FBI.

Michelle Shephard travels to Mexico City, visiting the last known locations Ryan Wedding was spotted. After almost 10 years on the run, it's suspected that Wedding is operating his alleged empire from this sprawling metropolis - commanding killings and drug shipments thousands of kilometers away.

Alongside Miguel Vega, a 'fixer' with contacts inside the Sinaloa Cartel, they trace his footsteps to find out how an alleged narco kingpin could stay hidden for so long. But back in Canada, a lucky traffic stop and a bag full of cash start to break open the case against Wedding.

Former federal agent Brett Kalina is one of only a handful of law enforcement officers to come face to face with Ryan Wedding. In 2008, after years following the flow of money and drugs, Kalina arrests 'The Boss' and watches as the ex-snowboarder goes to trial.

But once behind bars, Wedding turns the tables. He makes prison work for him, using his time inside a violent Texas detention centre to allegedly make criminal connections and cartel contacts. And the next time the police come looking for him, he's already gone.

This podcast is a co-production of Suspicion from the Toronto Star and Uncover from CBC. All episodes are now available to subscribers.

Shots ring out in a neighbourhood north-west of Toronto. A father is dead and a mother and daughter are in hospital, battling for their lives. When Toronto Star reporter Calvi Leon arrives on the scene days later, witnesses tell her what really happened. What she learns starts her down a path she could never have imagined and leads to one man: former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding.

How does a small town Canadian kid, who was once called a labrador puppy by his teammates, find himself on the FBI's Most Wanted list?

This podcast is a co-production of Suspicion from the Toronto Star and Uncover from CBC. All episodes are now available to subscribers.

Ryan Wedding was once a promising young athlete, a snowboarder who reached the Olympics. Now captured after a decade on the run, he's accused of running a deadly international drug trafficking empire. How did a small town Canadian boy allegedly become an alleged narco kingpin?

In The Most Wanted Olympian, a new podcast from CBC and the Toronto Star, host Michelle Shephard and journalist Calvi Leon trace Wedding's descent into a violent criminal underworld. From his beginnings at his family ski hill outside Thunder Bay, to Toronto and the shocking murders he's accused of ordering, to Mexico where he was believed to be protected by the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, they uncover his illicit connections and the stories behind the victims caught in the crossfire.

Featuring on-the-ground reporting and original interviews, this podcast investigates the Canadian who the FBI called a "modern day El Chapo" and asks: what will it take to bring him to justice?

In less than five years, three people would end up dead in the same house. Toronto Star investigative reporter, Amy Dempsey Raven, spent more than a decade asking what really happened inside that house.

Suspicion is pleased to bring you episode one of What Happened to the Harrisons?

Episode 1: Sudden Death

In April 2009, Bridget Harrison comes home to find her husband of 40 years dead behind a locked bathroom door. Bill had been alone in the house. Police say he died naturally. But for his family, something's not adding up.

Listen to episodes as they are released each week right at the Star, or binge all episodes of What Happened to the Harrisons? by subscribing at Apple Podcasts.

The faint hope hearing in the Mount Olive murder case has concluded, but for Toronto Star chief investigative reporter Kevin Donovan, the outcome raises questions that go beyond one courtroom. In part two, we dig into the Crown's cross-examination, the weight of the victim impact statements, and why the fight for Christopher Sheriffe is far from finished.

For years, the legal fate of Awet Asfaha and his co-accused Christopher Sheriffe seemed sealed — appeals exhausted, the book closed. But Toronto Star chief investigative reporter Kevin Donovan reveals something that happened in a Toronto courtroom recently that has cracked the case wide open again.

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 investigation.

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 investigation.

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 potential lifeline. Tell us what really happened between you and Awet, what he said, what he was planning to do that day. Surely this was a drug deal gone wrong.

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 that's not corrected; a transcription of Chris's own words that is incorrect and not corrected; and the recollections of two police officers whose notes are strikingly similar. And then the jury comes in. At the end of the day, Chris knows that if he had stepped up and said he was involved in the shooting he'd have gotten a deal and would be out of prison by now. But there's a reason he will never do that.

Audio: CPAC, Ontario Jury Video, EatonCentreShooting, Global TV, Essex County News

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 at trial Awet comes out with a stunning story. There was someone else that day. A mysterious third man who was the killer. And Chris was the getaway driver, with Awet just along for the ride. This made the case a "cutthroat" defence — fingers pointing in different decisions.

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. Marjorie, Chris's mom, overhears police officers give an ominous warning about the men in her family and she goes into high gear – she's in the fight of her life against Toronto's finest. Then comes another bombshell. That young police officer with the gang information says Chris is the leader of a dangerous gang called "The Hustle Squad." A gang so mysterious, no members of the elite police Guns and Gangs Squad has ever heard of them.

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 team for a loop. And here's the problem. The judge won't let the lawyers attack this new information.

Audio: NBC's Law and Order, CTV, Toronto Police Video

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 with the stories and main players so far, with this short trailer. Or listen to the first half of the season in your feed.

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 police stops and his complaint about the most egregious one. He's in his Catholic school uniform, heading home from class at the end of the day and cops are tailing him for no reason at all. And that new prosecutor, she puts the first degree murder case back on track.

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 police screwed up the evidence collection. Things come to a head at the preliminary hearing, where a judge must decide if the charge of first degree murder – a planned killing – is the correct one. Plus, since Chris was just driving the car, did he really know what was about to happen? A judge said no and the case fell apart. Enter a new prosecutor. It was time for a full court press.

Audio sources: The science of gunshot residue analysis, The Royal Institution

Chief Investigative Reporter Kevin Donovan, who brought you the Billionaire Murders and Death in a Small Town, 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.

Subscribers can listen to episodes early each week, plus get exclusive access to bonus episodes.

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 prisoners get along. Which is intriguing, given that Toronto Police labelled him a hard knuckled killer. Also, he calls his Mom several times a day. In an interview at the notorious "Gladiator School" prison, Chris tells his side of the story. How his choice to stay out all night with a young woman, then drive a man home got him labelled a gangster.

Suspicion

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.

Subscribers can listen to episodes early each week, plus get exclusive access to bonus episodes.

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 have a grudge against the victim? Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time? Just a few hours after the murder homicide detectives have two young men in separate interview rooms. Their tactics? Lying to get a confession.

Audio sources: Global, Toronto Police, CTV

Chief Investigative Reporter Kevin Donovan, who brought you the Billionaire Murders and Death in a Small Town, 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.

Subscribers can listen to episodes early each week, plus get exclusive access to bonus episodes.

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 player 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.

Audio: CTV, Global, Doomstown movie trailer

Suspicion

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.

Subscribers can listen to episodes early each week, plus get exclusive access to bonus episodes.

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 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.

Subscribers can listen to episodes early each week, plus get exclusive access to bonus episodes. And be sure to check out the first three seasons of Suspicion.

Season 3, "40 Years Cold" Looks at a case that began four decades ago, when two women were killed in their Toronto homes. Wendy Gillis and Betsy Powell take you through the nights of the murders, the tragic circumstances of a murderer, and the stunning conclusion of a 40 years long cold case.

Season 2, "The Billionaire Murders: The hunt for the killers of Honey and Barry Sherman" Probes the case of the famous Toronto couple who were found strangled in their home in 2017. Kevin Donovan covered the Sherman case and fought court battles to access documents on the police investigation.

Season 1, "Death in a Small Town" What began as just another day for the McLellan family would end with their youngest son clinging to life in hospital and a cloud of suspicion hanging over his mother and father.

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 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.

Subscribers can listen to episodes early each week, plus get exclusive access to bonus episodes. And be sure to check out the first three seasons of Suspicion.

Season 3, "40 Years Cold" Looks at a case that began four decades ago, when two women were killed in their Toronto homes. Wendy Gillis and Betsy Powell take you through the nights of the murders, the tragic circumstances of a murderer, and the stunning conclusion of a 40 years long cold case.

Season 2, "The Billionaire Murders: The hunt for the killers of Honey and Barry Sherman" Probes the case of the famous Toronto couple who were found strangled in their home in 2017. Kevin Donovan covered the Sherman case and fought court battles to access documents on the police investigation.

Season 1, "Death in a Small Town" What began as just another day for the McLellan family would end with their youngest son clinging to life in hospital and a cloud of suspicion hanging over his mother and father.

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, jewelry, and none of Barry's electronic devices. The plan was to kill both Honey and Barry and stage their bodies.

The Billionaire Murders podcast is probing the strange case of the famous Toronto couple found strangled in their north Toronto home in 2017. For seven years, The Star's Kevin Donovan has covered the case for the Star, fought court battles to access documents on the police investigation and the Sherman estate, written a best selling book on it and produced a Crave documentary.

Listen for episode 12 this coming Friday, December 20.

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 what happened in the last hour of Barry and Honey Sherman's lives. He also looks again at the police mistakes that led them down the murder-suicide path.

The Billionaire Murders podcast is probing the strange case of the famous Toronto couple found strangled in their north Toronto home in 2017. For seven years, The Star's Kevin Donovan has covered the case for the Star, fought court battles to access documents on the police investigation and the Sherman estate, written a best selling book on it and produced a Crave documentary.

Listen to episode 11 now at thestar.com and episode 12 this coming Friday, December 20.