HAMILTON—Richard Taylor had been keeping up appearances. He was a teacher and family man and had a nice home in Oakville.He was apparently desperate for money, though, and was poised to profit from the deaths of his mom and her husband, killed in a fire that started while they slept on July 9, 2018.Four days later, Hamilton police announced Al and Carla Rutherford were victims of homicide. Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk, the lead investigator, said he was focused on those closest to the beloved retired couple as possible suspects. Months later, he would call the homicides “financially motivated.”Read more:The dying man said a name: the haunting case of a Hamilton couple’s death by arsonThe Rutherfords’ Greening Court home in the Hamilton community of Dundas erupted in flames that began in their bedroom.Carla, 64, died in the blaze. Alan, 63, miraculously escaped and managed to utter a crucial message on his next-door neighbour’s porch.It was Rich. He did it for the money.Why did Al name Rich? Had there been a confrontation with Rich before the fire? A threat?Did Al see Rich that night? Outside the house? Maybe even in the house?Did Rich use his house key to let himself in? Hours later, Alan died in hospital, with family by his side.In recreating the night of the fire that killed Alan and Carla Rutherford, the search for a suspect in their deaths and the ripple effects the fire and the killings had on others, the Hamilton Spectator spent months speaking to multiple sources with knowledge of the family and the case, along with experts.Some sources are confidential because they fear reprisal.The Spectator independently verified all details.The Spectator has also examined public financial, property, court and employment records and sifted through social media posts. Members of Alan and Carla’s family declined to speak to the Spectator for this story.Richard Scott Taylor has a bachelor of arts degree from McMaster University, where ...
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