'We are desperate': Family of slain Toronto tech CEO renews $250,000 reward in unsolved murder case
Nearly five years after Matthew Staikos was gunned down in Toronto, the family of the tech CEO has renewed a $250,000 reward in the unsolved murder case.
“To say that the last four years, eight months, and 10 days have not been easy would be a gross understatement. Every day has been excruciating, insufferable, seemingly unsurvivable,” the family said in a statement at a news conference Tuesday.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“Today is no different. And yet, here we are. We don’t want to be here. It is incredibly difficult for us to once again be standing in front of the cameras, sharing our pain with the world. But we are desperate.”
Staikos, a former BlackBerry employee and CEO of the Toronto-based Vleepo, was shot and killed while he was walking in the area of Yorkville Avenue and Bay Street on the night of May 28, 2018.
Surveillance video released at the time shows Staikos walking in the affluent neighbourhood at approximately 11:30 p.m. with another person when the pair passed a Mercedes-Benz that was parked on the street.
A man appeared to exit from the passenger side of the vehicle and follow the two men out of the surveillance camera’s view. Then, the man is seen running back to the Mercedes and fleeing southbound on Bay Street.
One witness described hearing loud gunshots before he discovered Staikos’s body. The 37-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our lives will never be the same. We will never be as joyful, as calm, or as complete as we once were when our sweet, brilliant Matthew was with us and living his beautiful life. But being able to bring Matthew’s killer to justice, to understand why this happened, to take the next step forward in this most unfortunate process will, we think, bring us some peace,” the family said Tuesday.
Matthew Staikos is seen in this photo taken from his Facebook page.
Days after Staikos's death, police described the shooting as an “unprovoked attack on a defenceless man.”
Speaking at Tuesday's news conference, Det. Sgt. Terry Browne said as far as motive goes, police are still in the dark.
“We’ve looked deeply into the background of Matthew Staikos. He was exactly as he’s being described. Loved by all. A successful businessman. In a loving relationship…The reason this happened to him is still dumfounding to us,” Browne said.
While police maintain the shooting was targeted, Browne admitted investigators still aren’t "100 per cent" sure that Staikos was the intended target and may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Det. Sgt. Terry Browne speaks at a news conference on Feb. 7, 2023 in Toronto.
“Did the shooter, perhaps mistakenly shoot the wrong person? That may be a piece of information that we don’t have that we’re looking to seek right now,” Browne said.
“There’s no doubt in our mind that whoever did this, it was a planned and deliberate incident…There were steps that were taken by the shooter to look in the general area, to be around that area for a period of time. It wasn’t something that happened, in our opinion, off the cuff where they just happened to come across Mr. Staikos and do what they did.”
Neither the suspect, nor the driver of the vehicle, have ever been identified by police.
The silver or titanium-coloured suspect vehicle, which Browne described as a “crucial” element in the case, is believed to be either a 2017 or 2018 Mercedes-Benz C43 Series or 2016 C45 or C450. The vehicle was never recovered.
A Mercedes-Benz, which police have identified as a suspect vehicle in the deadly shooting of Matthew Staikos, is seen on May 28, 2021. Toronto Police Service)
The private reward of up to $250,000 will go to anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest of Staikos'skiller or killers, a spokesperson for the family said in a statement.
The family previously announced a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for Staikos’s murder back in 2021.
That reward has since expired and is being reissued by way of Tuesday's announcement.
Anonymous tips made through Crime Stoppers will also be eligible for the reward money.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.