Court hears of matches found at crime scene and Richard Taylor’s home

Richard Taylor’s double-murder trial continued today. Richard Taylor is Carla’s son and Alan’s stepson and he is standing trial for the murder of the couple.

The day after the fire that killed Carla and Alan Rutherford, police began seizing items of interest from the scene.

The court heard today that matches were found in the couple’s home, and in another spot in their Dundas neighbourhood.

Hamilton police officer Christopher Grimo was working on the forensic unit at the time Carla and Alan Rutherford’s house went up in flames.

Grimo was called to the Rutherford’s home on Greening Court to seize items of interest that were found in and around the home in July of 2018.

On Cameron Avenue, about a one-minute walk away from the Rutherford’s house, investigators found matches. Both burnt and unburn. Grimo collected those matches.

The Rutherford’s bedroom area was destroyed by the blaze but other areas of the home remained intact. Grimo found a box of matches at the front of the home as well.

Grimo told the jury that the matches appear to be the same kind of matches that he collected from Cameron Avenue.

Matches that appear to be the same as the ones found inside the Rutherford’s home and neighbourhood were found at Richard Taylor’s Oakville home days later.

Alan’s daughter, Ameila Ryan testified today that Taylor had a good relationship with his mother and stepfather. Ryan seemed genuinely surprised when police began to suspect that he was their killer.

The jury also heard from a forensic pathologist who conducted Carla and Alan’s autopsies.

The forensic pathologist testified that 90 to 95 percent of Alan Rutherford’s body was covered in burns and 50 percent of Carla’s body was burnt.

The forensic pathologist concluded through the autopsies that both died from smoke inhalation and Alan’s extensive skin loss, also contributed to his death.

Both of them were alive when the fire started she testified.

The trial by jury resumes on Tuesday, May 24th.