Canada - Carla, 64, & Alan Rutherford, 63, Dundas Ontario, 9 July 2018- *ARREST*

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^^^ Lots of interesting information in this article.

Speculation that Carla was in a the spare room, Rich could have paid his bills but didn’t, yes he was a liar and terrible money manager but not even at the house And def. not a murderer.

There is NO forensic or hard evidence to prove Richard Taylor committed this crime.

The crown says his financial status ‘points towards’ him being the murderer.

MOO, IMO

I was seriously convinced that he did it but now? Not so sure. Uh oh.

ETA. It’s now up to the jury.
 
JDG said:
^^^ Lots of interesting information in this article.

Speculation that Carla was in a the spare room, Rich could have paid his bills but didn’t, yes he was a liar and terrible money manager but not even at the house And def. not a murderer.

There is NO forensic or hard evidence to prove Richard Taylor committed this crime.

The crown says his financial status ‘points towards’ him being the murderer.

MOO, IMO

I was seriously convinced that he did it but now? Not so sure. Uh oh.

ETA. It’s now up to the jury.
Click to expand...
Interesting how a few things in that article had never been reported on before, and highlights how important it is to go to the dang trial oneself to get the true scoop. There seems to have been one main reporter writing on this trial, would have been great to have more takes on what was deemed to be important enough to write about. Verdict will sure be interesting. imo.
 
Woot!
He received the maximum sentence....life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

How could someone burn two people alive, including their own mother??
 
OMG, I've never heard anything from a judge quite like this before, after the verdict was read. Wow.

Spec article available to read on PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions
(search Richard Taylor)

-jury wept as they read their verdict; jury began deliberations at 1pm Wed and reached their verdict at 2:50pm Friday, and had no questions in between.

-Judge: called the killer a “monster” and “pathological liar” who lit the victims' bedroom on fire then likely held the door shut while they burned alive. “You were a very unusual criminal. … How you turned out this way with your background is beyond me. You’re a monster and you should never see the light of day.”

-Judge: told the full court that if he'd been the trier of fact in this case, he too would have found Taylor guilty on both counts. He spoke directly to Taylor, who sat expressionless, saying he believes Taylor broke into the home and poured a flammable liquid on their bedroom floor. “You threw that match,” he said emotionally. When Alan later said it was Rich who did it, and the door had been blocked: “I infer that he saw you and he went to the door and you closed that door and those two people burned alive. … How you could do that to your loving mother and Alan Rutherford is beyond imagination.”

-Judge: “In times of tragedy, real heroes reveal themselves. He couldn’t get that door open because you were on the other side, blocking it. He went out that window and he did everything he could to return, knowing he was going to die, to save his wife. … He even thought about his dogs. … He was brave enough and strong enough to go to the neighbour’s door to tell all of us with his dying breath that you did it. If he hadn’t done that, you would have got away with this.”

-Judge: spoke to Alan’s daughter, Amelia, who is expecting Alan’s grandchild. “You should tell his grandchildren that he is as fine a man as ever could be,” Skarica said.

-Alan's two daughters left no dry eyes when reading their victim impact statements. Jurors, court staff and police officers wiped away tears. Both women recalled they weren’t allowed to touch Alan at the hospital because police told them his body was evidence. “He died around 3 p.m., July 9, without being hugged goodbye,” Alison said.

-Judge: told the court there was another hero in this case, and asked Det. Troy Ashbaugh of HPS to stand; Ashbaugh looked overwhelmed as he stood. Judge said in his 40 years as a lawyer and judge, “that interview is the most skilled and professional interview I have ever seen.” Ashbaugh, is an expert interrogator brought in to interview the accused in many homicide cases. Ashbaugh interviewed Taylor for 8 hours when he was arrested in 2019, drawing out much of the evidence that laid the groundwork for this trial and conviction.

-Taylor's wife sat in the middle of the courtroom throughout the trial, and sobbed loudly when the verdict was read. The judge told Taylor he was likely the cause of his wife’s depression - “We heard that your wife suffered from depression,” he said. She had zero control over money and for years, despite working fulltime, she had no bank card or credit card. “You inflicted great pain on her as well, she’s still in love with you in my opinion.” Taylor's wife flipped the bird at the judge.

-When asked if he’d like to say anything, Taylor mumbled about not having anything prepared, then said, “No.” Shortly after, he was led away to commence his two automatic life sentences, served concurrently, with no chance of parole for 25 years. Judge: “Unfortunately, I have to make it concurrent,” he said, citing a recent Supreme Court of Canada decision that struck down consecutive life sentences. Judge said if that option was available, he'd make Taylor serve one life sentence followed by another. The judge saved his final words for the jury, “How could anyone do something like this?”
 
dotr said:
Thanks everyone for the links, my favorite is the one that says GUILTY!
Click to expand...
I've got to admit... I was starting to question it after reading the articles from closing statements, which had been discussed during trial but not reported on.
 
deugirtni said:
OMG, I've never heard anything from a judge quite like this before, after the verdict was read. Wow.

Spec article available to read on PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions
(search Richard Taylor)

-jury wept as they read their verdict; jury began deliberations at 1pm Wed and reached their verdict at 2:50pm Friday, and had no questions in between.

-Judge: called the killer a “monster” and “pathological liar” who lit the victims' bedroom on fire then likely held the door shut while they burned alive. “You were a very unusual criminal. … How you turned out this way with your background is beyond me. You’re a monster and you should never see the light of day.”

-Judge: told the full court that if he'd been the trier of fact in this case, he too would have found Taylor guilty on both counts. He spoke directly to Taylor, who sat expressionless, saying he believes Taylor broke into the home and poured a flammable liquid on their bedroom floor. “You threw that match,” he said emotionally. When Alan later said it was Rich who did it, and the door had been blocked: “I infer that he saw you and he went to the door and you closed that door and those two people burned alive. … How you could do that to your loving mother and Alan Rutherford is beyond imagination.”

-Judge: “In times of tragedy, real heroes reveal themselves. He couldn’t get that door open because you were on the other side, blocking it. He went out that window and he did everything he could to return, knowing he was going to die, to save his wife. … He even thought about his dogs. … He was brave enough and strong enough to go to the neighbour’s door to tell all of us with his dying breath that you did it. If he hadn’t done that, you would have got away with this.”

-Judge: spoke to Alan’s daughter, Amelia, who is expecting Alan’s grandchild. “You should tell his grandchildren that he is as fine a man as ever could be,” Skarica said.

-Alan's two daughters left no dry eyes when reading their victim impact statements. Jurors, court staff and police officers wiped away tears. Both women recalled they weren’t allowed to touch Alan at the hospital because police told them his body was evidence. “He died around 3 p.m., July 9, without being hugged goodbye,” Alison said.

-Judge: told the court there was another hero in this case, and asked Det. Troy Ashbaugh of HPS to stand; Ashbaugh looked overwhelmed as he stood. Judge said in his 40 years as a lawyer and judge, “that interview is the most skilled and professional interview I have ever seen.” Ashbaugh, is an expert interrogator brought in to interview the accused in many homicide cases. Ashbaugh interviewed Taylor for 8 hours when he was arrested in 2019, drawing out much of the evidence that laid the groundwork for this trial and conviction.

-Taylor's wife sat in the middle of the courtroom throughout the trial, and sobbed loudly when the verdict was read. The judge told Taylor he was likely the cause of his wife’s depression - “We heard that your wife suffered from depression,” he said. She had zero control over money and for years, despite working fulltime, she had no bank card or credit card. “You inflicted great pain on her as well, she’s still in love with you in my opinion.” Taylor's wife flipped the bird at the judge.

-When asked if he’d like to say anything, Taylor mumbled about not having anything prepared, then said, “No.” Shortly after, he was led away to commence his two automatic life sentences, served concurrently, with no chance of parole for 25 years. Judge: “Unfortunately, I have to make it concurrent,” he said, citing a recent Supreme Court of Canada decision that struck down consecutive life sentences. Judge said if that option was available, he'd make Taylor serve one life sentence followed by another. The judge saved his final words for the jury, “How could anyone do something like this?”
Click to expand...
Thank you for posting this.

Those comments are so powerful.
Of course we've heard what a hero Alan Rutherford was, but we also heard other things.

I love that Det. Ashbaugh was caught off guard when he was given credit. Hats off to Troy Ashbaugh!
And the most incredible hats off to Alan's daughters, who bravely stood there in front of the court, to help us understand what being a victim truly means. I've got tears in my eyes as I type this, but I'd love to give the each a hug.

I am curious as to why Taylor's wife flipped the bird at the judge. Was it because she loved her husband or because she disagreed with the judge and was definitely not still in love with Taylor? I don't have the context.
 
JDG said:
^^^ Lots of interesting information in this article.

Speculation that Carla was in a the spare room, Rich could have paid his bills but didn’t, yes he was a liar and terrible money manager but not even at the house And def. not a murderer.

There is NO forensic or hard evidence to prove Richard Taylor committed this crime.

The crown says his financial status ‘points towards’ him being the murderer.

MOO, IMO

I was seriously convinced that he did it but now? Not so sure. Uh oh.

ETA. It’s now up to the jury.
Click to expand...
It was speculation (i.e. defense speculation) that Carla was in spare room.
Just watch the video of Rich being interviewed by police. He held his cane tightly in front of him (while he was sitting!) exaggerating his disability. He was a poor actor.
Also, his murdered step father said he was the person who was the arsonist. The guy was dying a painful death and he called Rich Taylor out. I think that's pretty strong evidence!
I have to disagree with you. This guy is guilty.
 
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Link to police interview with Richard Taylor.

Interview - Part 1
Interview - Part 2
Interview - Part 3

Interview the next day
When LE showed Richard Taylor video of himself going to a ballfield. He tried to justify why he was there ("papers flew out of my car the day before so I went back to look for them"). And when he was asked why his limp had suddenly dissapeared he went to show his bad leg, but pulled up the wrong pant leg! What a fake.
 
From Interview Part 1....

Rich said that 'he always joked with his brother that his mother always thought she was right...even though she wasn't.

And then he said that Al was a nerdy guy, "and we always joked about it with my brother".
 
Snoopster said:
It was speculation (i.e. defense speculation) that Carla was in spare room.
Just watch the video of Rich being interviewed by police. He held his cane tightly in front of him (while he was sitting!) exaggerating his disability. He was a poor actor.
Also, his murdered step father said he was the person who was the arsonist. The guy was dying a painful death and he called Rich Taylor out. I think that's pretty strong evidence!
I have to disagree with you. This guy is guilty.
Click to expand...
By the same token, it seems it was prosecution speculation that Carla was in the marital bedroom. She was reportedly found by firefighters backing away from the spare bedroom. Her body was burned 55%, and her COD was smoke inhalation - in comparison to Alan, whose body was 95% burned and he died of burns. I think since Carla wasn't found in any bed or bedroom, both sides have speculated as to their sleeping arrangements that night? Upon reflection at the end of this trial and after reading a different, and fuller, reporting from someone other than the main reporter who attended and reported each day, if Carla was in the marital bed/bedroom, I am wondering how Carla managed to:

i)suffer 55% burns (seems substantially less than Alan's even though she would have been right in the ring of fire for longer) - if she was in the marital bed, which had gasoline apparently poured all around the foot of the bed and then ignited - it seems Alan got out the window, but seems Carla must've taken longer to awaken and to move, and how could she have less burns considering there would've been fire all around her?

ii)get out of the marital bedroom - because it was said that Alan said the bedroom door was 'blocked'; I'm having trouble with the prosecution saying that Taylor held the door shut so the parents could not get out of the bedroom - that totally doesn't make any sense to me. Taylor needed to run the hell out of there as fast as possible before the fire/smoke was noticed by neighbours, as he had a chance of getting seen, and getting burned, why would he hang around to hold the door shut? And how did he not smell like smoke or gasoline (his (ex) wife reported he did not smell); what happened to his clothes? if I learned my husband's parents had died in a tragic fire two days before I was leaving for Greece and my husband had to go to the police station for questioning, and he was being questioned and cautioned as a suspect, I sure would've taken notice if my husband had washed his clothes that morning/day. Also, if Taylor held the bedroom door closed - how? The door opens inward toward the bedroom, and Taylor was on the OTHER side, it's not like he could've put his weight against the door to hold it shut; he would've had to just grip the door handle stronger than alan's grip on the other side. That is just unthinkable to me.

iii)be found in a backing-out-position out of the spare bedroom - why go to the spare room instead of the front door or back door, whichever was closest?

To me, it does sound like Carla was in the other bedroom, and how could Taylor be confident she would die if she wasn't in the bed around which he poured accelerant.

I find it difficult to come to terms with all the different variations in witness accounts of what Alan said exactly. And I also question whether Alan would've had the opportunity to see the killer in the bedroom? He was sleeping, he awoke to fire, presumably Taylor wasn't hanging around watching them sleep, watching the fire light up to the point where someone woke up? So how can Alan have witnessed that?

We didn't hear any evidence about cellphone towers pinging nor vehicle GPS in regard to Taylor's whereabouts that night, which is normally done nowadays. Also, if he carried accelerant in his vehicle to the crimescene, I'm sure LE had the vehicle forensically examined - did they find any evidence of accelerant in the back? We didn't hear about any?

I have found (so moo) that in the past, many times, when the main reporter on this case reports on trials, she seems very biased, always in support of the victim's side... which is fine.. she is an opinion columnist, not a 'reporter of news', I guess? I prefer reading more even reporting, which is difficult if not many reporters are reporting details on the trial every day. It would be great to be able to attend the trial oneself.

In any event, the jury WAS there every day, so I do trust they made the right decision based on all they heard. Just saying that for me, based ONLY on what I've been able to read based on others' reporting, I have reasonable doubt... so they're fortunate I wasn't on the jury, as they may have been deliberating all weekend! jmo

ETA: Sorry to go on about this... but there has been little discussion on this case. Another thing is... normally 'nowadays', LE is able to find a path of travel, and seek out CCTV from establishments along the way, to get timestamps of the perp travelling in a certain direction. We also heard none of that in this case. Why? From past cases, it seems that often LE will get a theory in their minds, and they can tend to become tunnel-visioned (my opinion only), and I truly hope they fully checked out everything in this case.
 
Last edited:

Richard Taylor appeals double murder conviction​

Richard Taylor, the man who murdered his mother and stepfather Carla and Alan Rutherford, wants to appeal his conviction saying his trial judge made several mistakes.

In his writing, Taylor says the jury should have never been allowed to hear about his stepfather’s dying words. “Trial judge errored in admitting hearsay statements of the deceased as dying declarations,” Taylor wrote.
...
In his notice of appeal, Taylor also writes that the trial judge, Toni Skarica, errored in jury selection and his final charge to the jury.

Richard Taylor appeals double murder conviction

Richard Taylor, the man who murdered his mother and stepfather Carla and Alan Rutherford, wants to appeal his conviction.
www.chch.com www.chch.com

 
Kingston Pen is closed. More poor reporting from CHCH.

Perhaps he’s at Millhaven….
 
Last edited:
deugirtni said:
OMG, I've never heard anything from a judge quite like this before, after the verdict was read. Wow.

Spec article available to read on PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions
(search Richard Taylor)

-jury wept as they read their verdict; jury began deliberations at 1pm Wed and reached their verdict at 2:50pm Friday, and had no questions in between.

-Judge: called the killer a “monster” and “pathological liar” who lit the victims' bedroom on fire then likely held the door shut while they burned alive. “You were a very unusual criminal. … How you turned out this way with your background is beyond me. You’re a monster and you should never see the light of day.”

-Judge: told the full court that if he'd been the trier of fact in this case, he too would have found Taylor guilty on both counts. He spoke directly to Taylor, who sat expressionless, saying he believes Taylor broke into the home and poured a flammable liquid on their bedroom floor. “You threw that match,” he said emotionally. When Alan later said it was Rich who did it, and the door had been blocked: “I infer that he saw you and he went to the door and you closed that door and those two people burned alive. … How you could do that to your loving mother and Alan Rutherford is beyond imagination.”

-Judge: “In times of tragedy, real heroes reveal themselves. He couldn’t get that door open because you were on the other side, blocking it. He went out that window and he did everything he could to return, knowing he was going to die, to save his wife. … He even thought about his dogs. … He was brave enough and strong enough to go to the neighbour’s door to tell all of us with his dying breath that you did it. If he hadn’t done that, you would have got away with this.”

-Judge: spoke to Alan’s daughter, Amelia, who is expecting Alan’s grandchild. “You should tell his grandchildren that he is as fine a man as ever could be,” Skarica said.

-Alan's two daughters left no dry eyes when reading their victim impact statements. Jurors, court staff and police officers wiped away tears. Both women recalled they weren’t allowed to touch Alan at the hospital because police told them his body was evidence. “He died around 3 p.m., July 9, without being hugged goodbye,” Alison said.

-Judge: told the court there was another hero in this case, and asked Det. Troy Ashbaugh of HPS to stand; Ashbaugh looked overwhelmed as he stood. Judge said in his 40 years as a lawyer and judge, “that interview is the most skilled and professional interview I have ever seen.” Ashbaugh, is an expert interrogator brought in to interview the accused in many homicide cases. Ashbaugh interviewed Taylor for 8 hours when he was arrested in 2019, drawing out much of the evidence that laid the groundwork for this trial and conviction.

-Taylor's wife sat in the middle of the courtroom throughout the trial, and sobbed loudly when the verdict was read. The judge told Taylor he was likely the cause of his wife’s depression - “We heard that your wife suffered from depression,” he said. She had zero control over money and for years, despite working fulltime, she had no bank card or credit card. “You inflicted great pain on her as well, she’s still in love with you in my opinion.” Taylor's wife flipped the bird at the judge.

-When asked if he’d like to say anything, Taylor mumbled about not having anything prepared, then said, “No.” Shortly after, he was led away to commence his two automatic life sentences, served concurrently, with no chance of parole for 25 years. Judge: “Unfortunately, I have to make it concurrent,” he said, citing a recent Supreme Court of Canada decision that struck down consecutive life sentences. Judge said if that option was available, he'd make Taylor serve one life sentence followed by another. The judge saved his final words for the jury, “How could anyone do something like this?”
Click to expand...
Hello -- Very good analysis..we appear to live in a time where anything that gets published is believed to be truth.. and if it comes from the Criminal Justice System; then it must be true... Our brains have grown lazy and we wait on others to do our analysis.. then portray Sheep Mentality!

We've become a nation that's easily bought and sold -- Like you, I also like to do my own analysis, especially when I start reading and all the clues are miles apart. I first heard of the case on, May 09, 2022 (Juror selection compromised), and immediately started following the case.. then began writing and analyzing anything found online. Like you I found many holes in the Prosecution case.. and am Not convinced Richard Taylor murdered anyone!

However, I also found that Taylor's own Attorny Jennifer Pennman, gave him to the Prosecution.. Prosecution needed to show that, Taylor is capable of lying.. and from there they worked on the jury.. constant juror tampering occurred.. to ensure the verdict was conclusive.

I will Never do Jury duty, because I have degrees in Social Science and Criminal Justice.. Jurors are composed of individuals who have no formal training or experience in Law.. How fair is such a system? Trial/s Presided over by a Judge/s hold better expectation at truth finding..
Thanks for Posting!
 
Joy-PSE said:
Hello -- Very good analysis..we appear to live in a time where anything that gets published is believed to be truth.. and if it comes from the Criminal Justice System; then it must be true... Our brains have grown lazy and we wait on others to do our analysis.. then portray Sheep Mentality!

We've become a nation that's easily bought and sold -- Like you, I also like to do my own analysis, especially when I start reading and all the clues are miles apart. I first heard of the case on, May 09, 2022 (Juror selection compromised), and immediately started following the case.. then began writing and analyzing anything found online. Like you I found many holes in the Prosecution case.. and am Not convinced Richard Taylor murdered anyone!

However, I also found that Taylor's own Attorny Jennifer Pennman, gave him to the Prosecution.. Prosecution needed to show that, Taylor is capable of lying.. and from there they worked on the jury.. constant juror tampering occurred.. to ensure the verdict was conclusive.

I will Never do Jury duty, because I have degrees in Social Science and Criminal Justice.. Jurors are composed of individuals who have no formal training or experience in Law.. How fair is such a system? Trial/s Presided over by a Judge/s hold better expectation at truth finding..
Thanks for Posting!
Click to expand...

Lay person participation in the legal system, and most importantly, judgement by a jury of one's peers, is essential to a healthy democracy. Lawyers play a major role in making the laws. Judges then apply the laws. If juries weren’t used, law makers would have a monopoly over the law. Juries ensure that not only is the accused judged, but so is the very law itself.

It always frightens me when I see people who do not understand this, and who would willingly sacrifice the most vital process of democracy.
 
Richard Taylor is a self professed liar.

He openly admitted lying to everyone about everything.

I hope he remains in jail and serves his sentence.
 
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