Susan Clairmont: Trial begins Wednesday for son accused of killing his mom and stepdad in Dundas fire

It was deep into a still summer night on the friendly little street.

The neighbours woke to someone on their porch. A figure so badly burned as to be nearly unrecognizable.

It was Alan Rutherford.

His house was on fire. Flames shot out of the bedroom roof and burned a hole through the floor.

His wife, Carla, was still in there.

Carla, 64, was pronounced dead at her home on Greening Court in Dundas. She had been asleep in bed, next to Al, 63, when their bedroom burst into flames.

Al, who somehow managed to escape to summon help for Carla, died in hospital hours later. Family was at his side.

The couple are buried in the cemetery on the other side of their backyard fence.

Now, nearly four years after their bedroom was set ablaze on July 9, 2018, Carla's son Richard Taylor is on trial for the first-degree murders of his mother and stepfather. He has pleaded not guilty.

The Crown team of Janet Booy and Mark Dean will open its case Wednesday in front of the six women and eight men of the jury.

Taylor was the executor of Carla and Al's will, The Spectator has previously reported. Police have described the homicides as financially motivated."

Taylor was a 42-year-old married father of two young children on Jan. 23, 2019, when he was arrested while driving to his house in Oakville from his job at Hess Street Elementary School. He taught physical education and ran the library.

His trial is expected to last six weeks in front of Justice Toni Skarica and will hear testimony from family members. Carla had two grown sons from her first marriage - Richard and Chris Taylor. Alan had daughters, Allison Plato and Amelia Ryan.

Witnesses are generally excluded from the courtroom until they testify, so some of Carla's and Alan's relatives will not be present when the trial opens.

Other witnesses will include neighbours and first responders.

During jury selection, Taylor sat at a table near his counsel, Jennifer Penman and Kristen Dulysh. His sparse hair was shaved close. He wore a grey suit, white shirt and tie. On the orders of the judge, he looked each juror in the eye.

Choosing a jury proved challenging. Last week, 12 jurors and two alternates were chosen. Later, five of those jurors begged off - well after they had been given multiple opportunities to do so - citing anxiety and work commitments. Skarica was not pleased and let that be known as a half-day of valuable court time and resources were spent selecting replacements.

Al and Carla met while working together in a lab at Hamilton Health Sciences, The Spectator has previously reported. They were married in the spring of 2007 and Al moved into the Greening Court ranch house where Carla had raised her boys.

The couple enjoyed life. They walked their chocolate labs around the neighbourhood and hosted backyard parties. They were members of the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club and travelled extensively.

And they loved being grandparents.

Just days before they died, the couple posted photos to social media of Richard's children frolicking in their pool.

Susan Clairmont is a justice columnist at The Spectator. sclairmont@thespec.com