Richard Taylor double-murder trial: Crown asks “why would someone fake a leg injury two days before the fire?”

Richard Taylor’s double-murder trial continued today and the court heard that sometimes he was seen by police limping and walking with a cane. Other times he was seen walking with ease.

The Crown is trying to prove that Taylor’s injury was all part of a plan.

On July 7th, 2018, two days before his parent’s house went up in flames, medical records show Richard Taylor went to an Oakville hospital on crutches. He said he fell down his mother’s stairs and hurt his knee.

The next day, hours before the fire, he was seen walking around a Shoppers Drug Mart with ease.

On July 9th, 2018 there was a fire at his mother and stepfather’s Dundas home.

Investigators say it was arson and Taylor immediately became a suspect.

Before he died, his stepfather Alan Rutherford told several people “Rich did it.”

Hours after the fire, Taylor was called to the police station for an interview. He was back to using a cane and had a limp.

The Crown asked the jury, “why would someone fake a leg injury two days before the fire?” This important detail of the Crown’s case took up the majority of today’s testimony.

Hamilton police officers were surveilling Taylor for weeks after the incident. Several officers testified that for the most part, Taylor was walking just fine, even on the same days that he would later show up at the police station with a cane.

The trial by jury continues Thursday, May 19th.