Richard Taylor has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his mother Carla, and stepfather Alan Rutherford. They both died as a result of a 2018 fire at their Dundas home, which fire investigators at the time said was arson.

Taylor took the stand today in his own double murder trial. He admitted that he lied to his wife, mom, dad, best friend and even to police. “I’m ashamed of what I did.” Richard Taylor told the court. Taylor lied to several people in his life, “I now know it was a horrible thing to do,” Taylor said.

The Crown argued that he killed his parents because his tangled web of lies was about to be exposed.

In the months leading up to his mother and stepfather’s death, things were getting worse for Taylor, the Crown suggested today.

Much of the Crown’s cross-examination today had to do with Taylor’s financial situation. Leading up to the fire Taylor was missing mortgage payments and bills. He had maxed out his credit cards and was borrowing thousands of dollars from friends and family. Taylor admitted that that was all true, but said it was normal to him. He said it was how he always lived and said while he knows it’s terrible now, it didn’t feel crushing at the time. But still, he lied about it to the closest people in his life.

“I did lie about it to family and friends and that is one of my biggest regrets in my life… I ruined a lot of good relationships I had with people,” Taylor said.

Taylor’s wife, Evangelia Taylor was perhaps lied to the most. Taylor kept her in the dark about their debt and even admitted to forging bank documents on a regular basis to make it seem like they had money in savings when really they didn’t.

In the days before the fire, text messages show Evangelia was growing increasingly frustrated because she didn’t have a debit or credit card.

“All of your lies, all of your deceit would be exposed.” Crown Mark Dean said in court today. “At this point in time, you come up with a plan… it’s a sinister plan,” Dean said.

Dean suggests Taylor killed his parents so that he could inherit his mother’s money to keep up the lies he had been telling the people in his life. Taylor responded “saying I’d kill my mother for that is ridiculous… what you are suggesting is horrible… and I didn’t do it. That never crossed my mind.”

Two days before the 2018 Dundas house fire that killed Carla and Alan Rutherford, Taylor says he hurt his leg and told police at the time that he couldn’t run, or even drive.

Taylor admitted today that he lied to investigators and said he could indeed drive with his leg injury.

The trial by jury continues tomorrow.