Susan Clairmont: ‘I didn’t ever lend him money’: Brother of accused talks finances at double murder trial

It was the house they grew up in.

Where they shared their early lives as brothers. Where they later brought their own children to swim in the pool and celebrate the holidays.

It was the house that, in the wee hours of July 9, 2018, erupted in flames while their mother Carla Rutherford and their stepfather Alan Rutherford slept.

After Carla, 64, and Alan, 63, burned to death, the brothers inherited the house. It would have gone to Alan, but he survived just 12 hours longer than Carla.

After the fire, the house had to be demolished. The property, along with Carla's investments, savings and insurance eventually worked out to a total of $843,000 to be split equally between her boys, Richard and Chris Taylor.

Except it didn't work out that way.

Chris received his half.

Richard was arrested on two counts of first-degree murder. He is on trial for allegedly firebombing his childhood home at 8 Greening Crt. in Dundas. He has pleaded not guilty.

Some witnesses have testified that, with his dying breath, Alan said Rich did it. For the money.

Chris, 41, took the stand Friday, never once looking at Rich, 46.

In 2018, Rich was the executor of their mom's will. He was deep in debt and allegedly keeping his financial woes a secret from his wife. His family refused to lend him any money.

I didn't ever lend him money," Chris told the jury. My response was I don't have $1,000 to lend you.'"

I had been made aware that there were some financial issues with some friends that had lent him money. And those funds had not been paid back, so I was reluctant to lend him anything myself."

Between the fire in July 2018 and his arrest in January 2019, Rich was executor of Carla's estate. Money began to go missing.

One account had withdrawals that were unaccounted for," Chris said. More than $10,000 was missing.

A $6,800 cheque Rich was supposed to have sent to the estate lawyer never got there.

Rich said it had been sent and it must have been lost."

Chris made the payment himself. Also, he paid the costs of Carla and Alan's wake, which his brother was supposed to have settled.

The Taylor boys had grown up in what Chris called a pleasant" home. Their parents divorced when the kids were teenagers and they stayed with their mom in Dundas but maintained a good relationship with their father.

The boys played a lot of sports and got along well together.

We were close," Chris told the court. We grew up in a very normal household."

Rich became an elementary school teacher in Hamilton, married, had two children and bought a house in Oakville. Chris became a chiropractor in Toronto, where he and his wife have a home and are also raising two children.

In 2015, Rich and Chris started their own hobby business" together, making and selling bar stools and Muskoka chairs out of old baseball bats and hockey sticks.

Chris said the business brought in, at most, $15,000 a year. He wasn't in it for the cash.

It was an excuse to get together and build stuff."

Rich was the woodworker at Taylor Bros. Chair Co., while Chris controlled the finances. They split any money they made. Several times" Rich asked his brother for money from the company account."

If the account was empty, he asked Chris to float him a loan, always for $500 or $1,000. He did that about half a dozen times, the trial heard, and Chris always said no.

One month before the fire, Rich texted Chris asking for money because he had to have his van towed.

Hey do we have any $ in our account or can you transfer $1000."

When Chris tells him the account is empty, his brother texted: Can you send me personally? ... I am sorry I don't know what else to do."

I don't have a grand sitting around ..." Chris texted back.

The day before the fire, Rich asked his mom for money. She had previously given him $6,000.

Just so you know, I gave him some money just now," Carla texted to Chris. I'm not going to get into this with him before they leave for Greece but I think you and I should have a discussion with him after they get back."

Court has heard Rich and his wife and kids were supposed to leave for Greece on July 11. His wife's family had paid for their plane tickets, but Rich wouldn't have had money for anything else once he was there, the Crown has suggested.

Okay," Chris texted. I'm not sure how to approach it, and not really confident he'll be forthright about it but I guess we'll see."

I'm his mother and your his business partner brother," she texted. If we don't intervene it'll just keep going on and probably get worse. The three of us were the family unit for many years. I've got to believe we can get through to him."

Twelve hours later, Carla was dead.

Rich's half of the inheritance currently sits in a trust fund.

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