Richard Taylor’s friend testifies at murder trial about money loans

Dr. Jeremy Paikin could tell something was wrong with his lifelong friend Richard Taylor and wanted to help.

“I literally begged Rich to tell me what happened,” Paikin said in court Monday, remembering an emotional conversation from 2017.

He asked Taylor to tell him the truth. Paikin, a cardiologist, has known “Rich” and his younger brother Chris Taylor since they were kids growing up in Dundas. He offered to speak to people on Taylor’s behalf, help him get a lawyer, help pay off debts. But Taylor decline.

Paikin testified that he loaned his friend somewhere between $18,000 and $20,000 over months to help him launch a woodworking business that used reclaimed barn wood.

By the time fire erupted in the bedroom of Taylor’s childhood home at 8 Greening Crt. early on July 9, 2018, Paikin and Taylor’s friendship had been “severed.” It wasn’t so much that Taylor hadn’t repaid Paikin, it was that his friend wasn’t being transparent, Paikin said.

After the fire, Taylor texted Paikin and he went with the brothers to the police station. Paikin says Chris Taylor is still one of his best friends and he went with the brothers for support — but he also told police about his loans to Rich Taylor.

Taylor is on trial for two counts of first-degree murder in his mom’s and stepdad’s deaths. He has pleaded not guilty to killing Carla and Alan Rutherford. The Crown has argued that the arson murders were financially motivated, because Taylor’s finances were in a dire situation.

Paikin said he began loaning his friend money after a dinner they had together Dec. 1, 2016, at which Taylor spoke about being unhappy in his work as a teacher. He had a talent for woodworking and wanted to start a side business. Paikin offered to help. Over the following months, he loaned Taylor money — bank records show six loans of between $2,000 and $4,000 throughout 2017, but court heard that record is incomplete because it doesn’t capture cash loans or loans from 2016.

Paikin said he didn’t question anything at first. But as time went on he became concerned about a lack of communication about what was happening with the business. When Paikin confronted Taylor on the phone about it, Taylor cried, he told the court.

The final straw came when Taylor called with a story about his van being stolen out of his driveway. He asked Paikin for a loan, saying his bank accounts were frozen because his wallet was in the van. Paikin loaned him $3,500 but told Taylor he wanted the money back in 48 hours. When this didn’t happen, Taylor told him that there was a fraud investigation and that his accounts were still frozen. Paikin offered to help, vouch for him at the bank, hire a lawyer, but Taylor refused.

This culminated in a meetup at a Starbucks where Paikin said he again begged his friend to tell him what was really going on.

“I’ve been kicked around and bullied for one reason or another all my life, this is something I need to figure out for myself,” Paikin recalled Rich telling him.

After that conversation Taylor did pay back the $3,500 for the van. But he and Paikin stopped talking for months. They briefly texted once.

“I’ve wanted to call you almost every day,” Taylor wrote to Paikin. But he was “angry and hurt and embarrassed over the situation.”

Paikin was thrown by the message; Why was Taylor angry and hurt? He was the one who loaned Taylor money in good faith, he replied.

Taylor replied: “I’m going to get you every dime and profits too.”

The next messages between them was Taylor telling Paikin about the fire.

The trial Monday also heard from forensic officers who documented the fire damage and blood throughout the scene.

Court has already heard that after the fire started, Alan jumped out the bedroom window and then went back in the house to try to rescue his wife and their dogs. He couldn’t get to Carla through flames, but his “movements are documented in blood,” assistant Crown Mark Dean said.

There were seven swabs of blood taken from 8 Greening Crt., including from the back patio door, another rear door where the window was smashed but the door was locked, the door between the kitchen and a landing, a kitchen closet door, a phone found on the floor near the patio door, a wooden stick at the patio door and a chain on a side gate.

All of these swabs were found to be a DNA match for Alan Rutherford.

Sgt. Massimo Giuliani, who was in the forensic branch of Hamilton police in July 2018, walked the jury through photographs documenting the blood and the horrific fire damage that completely burned away the roof in the Rutherford’s bedroom. Aerial photos show just the wires from the box spring left. He also photographed the front porch of the Rutherford’s next-door neighbour where Alan went for help: bloodstains, a flashlight and a glass of water.

On cross-examination, Taylor’s lawyer Jennifer Penman suggested police photographed everything as it appeared when they arrived. Giuliani agreed. Penman pointed to an open basement window, just below the Rutherford’s bedroom window. Giuliani agreed that is how he found the scene after the fire.

The trial continues Tuesday.

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