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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.