Ottawa man charged with murder after elderly man found dead on Good Friday
Ottawa police say a 69-year-old man is facing a second-degree murder charge after an elderly man was found dead on Good Friday.
Philippe Hebert is charged in the death of 87-year-old Richard Rutherford.
Officers responded to a call at a home in the 800 block of Smyth Road, near Haig Drive, at about 3 p.m. on Friday.
Police said Rutherford was found deceased at the home and that one person was in custody. How Rutherford died has not been released.
“I was pretty shocked when my family told me what happened,” neighbour Guilor Fernandez said. “My jaw just kind of dropped. I didn’t know that something could happen like this in the area.”
Several neighbours told CTV News Ottawa on Saturday, Hebert and Rutherford were a couple and had been together for years.
“We moved in here in about 1982 and we met Richard and Philippe seven years later,” Sandra Duggan said. “We have been fast friends .. friends ever since.”
Duggan says Rutherford was friendly and well-liked in the community.
“Richard was a very kind, generous, funny man and a great friend,” Duggan said. “Whenever you needed something, 'Oh yah, not a problem.' So generous and so kind.”
Easter decorations could be seen on the front door and porch of the home on Smyth Road on Saturday. Investigators were seen searching the home through the day.
Police have not released any more details about the investigation.
“He did go for a walk last week with Phil,” Duggan said. “My neighbour across the street saw them; he had his walker and they went for a short walk around the block.”
Rutherford was a dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, joining in 1957 and eventually becoming the principal dancer. He worked with the Canada Council for the Arts after moving to Ottawa.
Hebert appeared in court Saturday morning and remains in custody.
Anyone who may have information is asked to contact the Ottawa police homicide unit.
Correction
A previous version of this article identified the victim as Richard Rushford. Ottawa police issued a correction Saturday afternoon to say his name is Richard Rutherford.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.