1 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:08,241 - In the criminal justice system, 2 00:00:09,309 --> 00:00:12,278 detectives and prosecutors face daunting challenges 3 00:00:12,312 --> 00:00:14,748 when money is the motive for murder. 4 00:00:14,781 --> 00:00:16,549 [dramatic sting] 5 00:00:16,583 --> 00:00:17,784 [dramatic music] 6 00:00:17,817 --> 00:00:19,486 - Have you seen this man? 7 00:00:19,519 --> 00:00:22,589 He's Ron Rudin, a 64-year-old realtor 8 00:00:22,622 --> 00:00:23,857 well-known in Las Vegas. 9 00:00:23,890 --> 00:00:27,827 - The mysterious disappearance of a Las Vegas millionaire 10 00:00:27,861 --> 00:00:29,295 dominates the headlines. 11 00:00:29,329 --> 00:00:32,165 - This case certainly shook Las Vegas. 12 00:00:32,198 --> 00:00:34,401 - Detectives find evidence of murder 13 00:00:34,434 --> 00:00:36,202 deep in the Nevada desert. 14 00:00:36,236 --> 00:00:38,738 - Finding that gun really changed this case. 15 00:00:38,772 --> 00:00:42,142 We were able to finally file charges. 16 00:00:42,175 --> 00:00:43,643 - For prosecutors, 17 00:00:43,677 --> 00:00:45,612 the bizarre trial of the Black Widow 18 00:00:45,645 --> 00:00:47,547 is the longest in Nevada history. 19 00:00:47,580 --> 00:00:49,115 - We had the police department's 20 00:00:49,149 --> 00:00:50,650 best detectives on the case. 21 00:00:50,684 --> 00:00:52,285 If you need a piece of evidence, 22 00:00:52,318 --> 00:00:53,353 you're gonna get it. 23 00:00:53,386 --> 00:00:54,788 - The Margaret Rudin story... 24 00:00:54,821 --> 00:00:56,856 - And now, 20 years on, 25 00:00:56,890 --> 00:00:59,659 new evidence casts the trial in a different light. 26 00:00:59,693 --> 00:01:03,563 - It really had the earmarks of a mob hit. 27 00:01:03,596 --> 00:01:07,267 - These men and women dedicate their lives to law and order. 28 00:01:07,300 --> 00:01:10,070 - At the end of the day, I believe 29 00:01:10,103 --> 00:01:12,305 justice was served for the family. 30 00:01:12,339 --> 00:01:15,308 - These are their true stories. 31 00:01:20,146 --> 00:01:21,948 [dramatic sting] 32 00:01:21,981 --> 00:01:24,951 [somber music] 33 00:01:24,984 --> 00:01:28,321 * * 34 00:01:28,355 --> 00:01:31,324 - In 1994, Ron and Margaret Rudin 35 00:01:31,358 --> 00:01:33,960 were making big plans for the future. 36 00:01:33,993 --> 00:01:35,762 However, as Margaret was holding 37 00:01:35,795 --> 00:01:39,232 a grand opening celebration for her new antique store, 38 00:01:39,265 --> 00:01:43,169 Ron never showed. 39 00:01:43,203 --> 00:01:46,272 - That morning, Ron had explained to her 40 00:01:46,306 --> 00:01:49,142 that he was gonna close on this business deal, 41 00:01:49,175 --> 00:01:52,545 which was gonna pay him, like, $8 million. 42 00:01:52,579 --> 00:01:56,483 So she thought that Ron just had something come up, 43 00:01:56,516 --> 00:01:59,219 and he ended up going. 44 00:02:01,121 --> 00:02:04,324 - Margaret worked late that night. 45 00:02:04,357 --> 00:02:08,061 When she finally went home at 1:30 in the morning, 46 00:02:08,061 --> 00:02:11,564 Ron and Ron's car was missing. 47 00:02:11,598 --> 00:02:14,067 - Margaret called Metro Police, but they said, 48 00:02:14,067 --> 00:02:16,302 "We can't do anything until he's gone for 48 hours. 49 00:02:16,336 --> 00:02:17,671 "He's an adult. 50 00:02:17,704 --> 00:02:19,339 "A lot of times, they just come back. 51 00:02:19,372 --> 00:02:20,940 He can do whatever he wants to." 52 00:02:20,974 --> 00:02:23,576 [tense music] 53 00:02:23,610 --> 00:02:27,814 - I was a deputy sheriff in Iowa for 2 1/2 years. 54 00:02:27,847 --> 00:02:29,249 And after patrolling 55 00:02:29,282 --> 00:02:31,384 the cornfields of Iowa at night, 56 00:02:31,418 --> 00:02:33,520 I figured, if I'm gonna stay in law enforcement, 57 00:02:33,553 --> 00:02:36,923 maybe I should go somewhere where there's more going on. 58 00:02:36,956 --> 00:02:39,526 It seems like Las Vegas attracts criminals 59 00:02:39,559 --> 00:02:41,795 from all around the world. 60 00:02:45,098 --> 00:02:49,569 [dramatic sting] 61 00:02:49,602 --> 00:02:52,639 - The second morning Ron Rudin failed to show up at work 62 00:02:52,672 --> 00:02:54,908 was unusual for his employees, 63 00:02:54,941 --> 00:02:58,578 because Ron was always on time. 64 00:02:58,611 --> 00:03:00,513 When he didn't show up for work, 65 00:03:00,547 --> 00:03:03,249 actually, two of his employees went down to the police 66 00:03:03,283 --> 00:03:05,585 to file a missing person report. 67 00:03:12,525 --> 00:03:17,297 - Ron Rudin's persona wasn't to be in the casinos. 68 00:03:17,330 --> 00:03:19,065 He was a businessman. 69 00:03:19,065 --> 00:03:20,300 He was a mover and a shaker. 70 00:03:20,333 --> 00:03:21,935 He could get things done. 71 00:03:21,968 --> 00:03:24,738 Everyone always thought how lucky he was. 72 00:03:24,771 --> 00:03:27,440 You've got a millionaire real estate mogul 73 00:03:27,474 --> 00:03:29,442 with a good-looking wife. 74 00:03:29,476 --> 00:03:32,412 I heard of him before I ever had 75 00:03:32,445 --> 00:03:34,748 the opportunity to meet him. 76 00:03:34,781 --> 00:03:37,384 My family did some deals with Ron Rudin, 77 00:03:37,417 --> 00:03:39,619 and he was a character. 78 00:03:39,652 --> 00:03:44,290 - Ron's wife, Margaret, was a sweet Southern belle, 79 00:03:44,324 --> 00:03:47,427 but she also had nerves of steel. 80 00:03:47,460 --> 00:03:49,429 And she had a tough life too. 81 00:03:49,462 --> 00:03:51,331 She came from nothing. 82 00:03:51,364 --> 00:03:55,402 She married badly, divorced badly, 83 00:03:55,435 --> 00:03:59,639 and, with Ron, is on husband number five. 84 00:03:59,673 --> 00:04:01,708 - Ron Rudin was married five times also. 85 00:04:01,741 --> 00:04:04,244 So these two were encouraged to go out with each other. 86 00:04:04,277 --> 00:04:07,047 And eventually, they decided to go ahead and get married. 87 00:04:07,047 --> 00:04:09,182 [dramatic sting] 88 00:04:12,552 --> 00:04:13,820 - Detectives at the time, 89 00:04:13,853 --> 00:04:16,056 in the missing persons section, 90 00:04:16,056 --> 00:04:19,059 they went to talk to Margaret right away. 91 00:04:19,059 --> 00:04:22,796 She also let them walk through their house. 92 00:04:22,829 --> 00:04:26,299 - The search didn't turn up any evidence of foul play, 93 00:04:26,332 --> 00:04:29,336 and investigators were left without any obvious leads 94 00:04:29,369 --> 00:04:31,137 as to Ron's disappearance. 95 00:04:31,171 --> 00:04:34,140 [tense music] 96 00:04:34,174 --> 00:04:36,076 * * 97 00:04:36,076 --> 00:04:40,080 - Several days after Ron had gone missing, 98 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,116 his Cadillac was found behind the Crazy Horse Too 99 00:04:43,149 --> 00:04:46,086 on Industrial, a topless joint 100 00:04:46,086 --> 00:04:49,089 known to be kind of connected to the mob. 101 00:04:49,089 --> 00:04:53,626 * * 102 00:04:53,660 --> 00:04:55,562 Ron's car was covered in dirt, 103 00:04:55,595 --> 00:04:57,764 and there was dirt inside the car. 104 00:04:57,797 --> 00:05:01,401 That would not be the way Ron would drive it. 105 00:05:04,204 --> 00:05:08,475 - They go inside, and it's been wiped clean. 106 00:05:08,508 --> 00:05:10,377 There are no fingerprints from Ron Rudin, 107 00:05:10,410 --> 00:05:11,711 no fingerprints from Margaret. 108 00:05:11,745 --> 00:05:16,049 But there are four muddy footprints. 109 00:05:16,082 --> 00:05:19,185 There immediately are whispers that, you know, 110 00:05:19,219 --> 00:05:23,890 is the mob somehow involved in his disappearance? 111 00:05:23,923 --> 00:05:26,926 - Considering the possibility that Ron's disappearance 112 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,629 could be connected to organized crime, 113 00:05:29,662 --> 00:05:33,800 investigators scrutinized his business dealings. 114 00:05:34,901 --> 00:05:38,171 - What they found out was, Ron was working on a land deal 115 00:05:38,204 --> 00:05:40,573 called Lee Canyon, which is 116 00:05:40,607 --> 00:05:42,776 probably about 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas, 117 00:05:42,809 --> 00:05:45,078 up in the hills towards Mount Charleston. 118 00:05:45,111 --> 00:05:48,915 And he had long envisioned having a resort-type area. 119 00:05:48,948 --> 00:05:54,120 - And there was rumor that Ron went through organized crime, 120 00:05:54,154 --> 00:05:56,923 trying to get the money. 121 00:05:56,956 --> 00:05:59,793 - Detectives learned from Ron Rudin's employees 122 00:05:59,826 --> 00:06:01,728 that there were a number of reasons 123 00:06:01,761 --> 00:06:04,497 why Ron might have turned to organized crime 124 00:06:04,531 --> 00:06:07,033 to finance his development. 125 00:06:08,635 --> 00:06:12,072 - At the time of his deal up at Mount Charleston, 126 00:06:12,105 --> 00:06:14,908 Ron had lost his real estate license. 127 00:06:16,910 --> 00:06:20,780 And he had several complaints on him 128 00:06:20,814 --> 00:06:23,383 from the real estate board. 129 00:06:23,416 --> 00:06:25,251 But it didn't slow him down. 130 00:06:25,285 --> 00:06:27,454 He was still conducting business. 131 00:06:30,724 --> 00:06:33,093 - Of course, people have to wonder, you know, did-- 132 00:06:33,126 --> 00:06:36,062 did Ron not pay somebody back? 133 00:06:36,062 --> 00:06:37,697 Did a deal go south? 134 00:06:37,731 --> 00:06:40,600 Did he somehow run afoul of organized crime? 135 00:06:42,969 --> 00:06:44,804 - What's interesting about that was that 136 00:06:44,838 --> 00:06:47,240 Ron Rudin was a paranoid individual. 137 00:06:47,273 --> 00:06:50,477 And he also had over 1,000 guns in his house. 138 00:06:50,510 --> 00:06:52,579 He always had guns with him. 139 00:06:52,612 --> 00:06:54,180 The local sheriff here had given him 140 00:06:54,214 --> 00:06:55,648 a concealed carry permit. 141 00:06:55,682 --> 00:06:57,951 And he not only carried a pistol in his boot, 142 00:06:57,984 --> 00:07:01,054 but he carried a shotgun in the back of his car. 143 00:07:01,087 --> 00:07:04,290 He had a high-level security system installed at his home, 144 00:07:04,324 --> 00:07:06,893 and he was always looking over his shoulder. 145 00:07:11,898 --> 00:07:14,634 - One month after Ron Rudin's disappearance, 146 00:07:14,668 --> 00:07:18,038 a gruesome discovery was made 100 miles away. 147 00:07:24,911 --> 00:07:26,813 - These fishermen are night fishing. 148 00:07:26,846 --> 00:07:28,481 So it's the middle of the night. 149 00:07:28,515 --> 00:07:30,116 They're out fishing the Lake Mohave. 150 00:07:30,150 --> 00:07:31,685 They can barely see what they're doing. 151 00:07:31,718 --> 00:07:33,053 They're in the middle of nowhere, 152 00:07:33,053 --> 00:07:35,055 and they're walking back to their car 153 00:07:35,055 --> 00:07:39,225 with their flashlights, and the beam hits something, 154 00:07:39,259 --> 00:07:41,327 and it's a human skull. 155 00:07:41,361 --> 00:07:43,930 They found the remains of a human being. 156 00:07:45,298 --> 00:07:48,702 Police get a phone call from a young man, 157 00:07:48,735 --> 00:07:51,171 and he has quite a story to tell. 158 00:07:51,204 --> 00:07:54,607 - Ron Rudin had multiple extramarital affairs. 159 00:07:54,641 --> 00:07:57,344 - Ron's third wife suffered from depression 160 00:07:57,377 --> 00:07:59,546 and committed suicide. 161 00:07:59,579 --> 00:08:03,216 Other people may have had motive to do harm to Ron. 162 00:08:12,025 --> 00:08:13,026 - Detectives investigating the disappearance 163 00:08:13,827 --> 00:08:16,496 of real estate millionaire Ron Rudin 164 00:08:16,529 --> 00:08:20,166 received a tip about a body in the Nevada desert. 165 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:23,136 [tense music] 166 00:08:23,169 --> 00:08:25,772 * * 167 00:08:25,805 --> 00:08:29,809 - Two of the fishermen that found the skull 168 00:08:29,843 --> 00:08:33,079 near Nelson's Landing were military officers. 169 00:08:33,113 --> 00:08:36,049 And they knew not to disturb the scene 170 00:08:36,082 --> 00:08:39,185 and told others to leave the skull there. 171 00:08:39,219 --> 00:08:44,758 * * 172 00:08:44,791 --> 00:08:48,161 They found the skull about 70 yards off the main road. 173 00:08:51,331 --> 00:08:54,067 [dramatic sting] 174 00:08:54,067 --> 00:09:01,007 * * 175 00:09:02,409 --> 00:09:06,046 At the scene, there was the burnt skull, 176 00:09:06,079 --> 00:09:09,115 but it was fairly well-preserved still. 177 00:09:09,149 --> 00:09:10,850 The rest of the remains were found 178 00:09:10,884 --> 00:09:13,186 where this fire had taken place. 179 00:09:15,321 --> 00:09:19,726 - In this burn pit, they see human body parts... 180 00:09:19,759 --> 00:09:21,828 [dramatic music] 181 00:09:21,861 --> 00:09:24,631 Intermingled with what looks like hardware. 182 00:09:24,664 --> 00:09:26,399 You know, like, hinges and a clasp 183 00:09:26,433 --> 00:09:29,536 and, like, metal straps. 184 00:09:29,569 --> 00:09:30,704 - It was one of the craziest crime scenes 185 00:09:30,737 --> 00:09:32,105 I've ever heard about. 186 00:09:32,138 --> 00:09:34,774 And they found what they alleged were drag marks. 187 00:09:34,808 --> 00:09:37,043 So it looked like someone had pulled up in a vehicle 188 00:09:37,077 --> 00:09:39,145 and dragged something down to this place, 189 00:09:39,179 --> 00:09:42,382 where it was ultimately burned up. 190 00:09:42,415 --> 00:09:44,818 The question is, who put it there? 191 00:09:44,851 --> 00:09:48,755 - Well, police already kind of wondered 192 00:09:48,788 --> 00:09:51,424 if these are the remains of Ron Rudin. 193 00:09:51,458 --> 00:09:55,061 Then they see a very expensive bejeweled bracelet. 194 00:09:55,061 --> 00:09:57,697 And in jewels are three letters-- 195 00:09:57,731 --> 00:10:00,600 R-O-N. 196 00:10:03,670 --> 00:10:06,773 [dramatic sting] 197 00:10:10,477 --> 00:10:13,179 [tense music] 198 00:10:13,213 --> 00:10:16,316 - At the autopsy, dental records were compared, 199 00:10:16,349 --> 00:10:20,353 so that we knew that the skull was for sure Ron. 200 00:10:20,387 --> 00:10:23,056 And then they discovered four bullet holes 201 00:10:23,089 --> 00:10:26,393 in the skull and evidence that seemed like 202 00:10:26,426 --> 00:10:28,595 he had also been decapitated. 203 00:10:28,628 --> 00:10:32,932 There were some knife marks on some of the bones. 204 00:10:34,668 --> 00:10:37,771 So now we had a confirmed homicide. 205 00:10:39,839 --> 00:10:44,344 - It really had the earmarks of a mob hit. 206 00:10:44,377 --> 00:10:45,879 I don't know who would have gone through 207 00:10:45,912 --> 00:10:48,715 that much trouble, other than the mob, 208 00:10:48,748 --> 00:10:51,484 just did it the way they did it. 209 00:10:51,518 --> 00:10:53,887 The people that he was doing business with, 210 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:57,490 that put up the money for him to do that deal, you know, 211 00:10:57,524 --> 00:11:01,928 "You've got this amount of time to make good on this. 212 00:11:01,961 --> 00:11:04,431 You'd better come across on your end." 213 00:11:04,464 --> 00:11:07,334 I think people have been killed for a lot less. 214 00:11:07,367 --> 00:11:11,071 - Certainly, no one deserves to be killed like that 215 00:11:11,071 --> 00:11:14,374 and then have your body mutilated and burned. 216 00:11:14,407 --> 00:11:17,277 Someone wanted to cover up evidence. 217 00:11:17,310 --> 00:11:19,212 [dramatic sting] 218 00:11:21,281 --> 00:11:26,086 * * 219 00:11:26,086 --> 00:11:28,855 - Detectives notified Ron's wife, Margaret Rudin, 220 00:11:28,888 --> 00:11:31,424 of her husband's murder. 221 00:11:31,458 --> 00:11:34,160 Her response was unexpected. 222 00:11:37,163 --> 00:11:38,298 - Detectives sit down with her, 223 00:11:38,331 --> 00:11:39,933 and they watch her very closely. 224 00:11:39,966 --> 00:11:42,502 Now, different people react differently 225 00:11:42,535 --> 00:11:44,237 to that kind of news, 226 00:11:44,270 --> 00:11:46,973 but this is something they had never seen before. 227 00:11:47,007 --> 00:11:50,477 Margaret takes her fist and she starts 228 00:11:50,510 --> 00:11:53,546 kind of grinding it into her eye. 229 00:11:53,580 --> 00:11:56,950 And at first, the detectives are like, "What is she doing?" 230 00:11:56,983 --> 00:11:58,284 And then it occurs to them, 231 00:11:58,318 --> 00:12:02,489 she's trying to make herself cry. 232 00:12:02,522 --> 00:12:04,457 - If you look at all the circumstances, 233 00:12:04,491 --> 00:12:07,794 Margaret claimed that she contacted the police. 234 00:12:07,827 --> 00:12:10,830 But it was Ron Rudin's employees 235 00:12:10,864 --> 00:12:12,565 that went to the police department 236 00:12:12,599 --> 00:12:13,900 to report him missing. 237 00:12:13,933 --> 00:12:16,069 And that was obviously suspicious. 238 00:12:19,472 --> 00:12:22,075 - Ron's remains are eventually sent back 239 00:12:22,075 --> 00:12:24,244 to his hometown in Illinois. 240 00:12:24,277 --> 00:12:26,312 Ron's family, they are devastated. 241 00:12:26,346 --> 00:12:30,583 They can't believe that Ron came to this kind of an end. 242 00:12:30,617 --> 00:12:32,585 Based on Ron's activities 243 00:12:32,619 --> 00:12:34,320 and his business and his wealth, 244 00:12:34,354 --> 00:12:37,924 they wonder if money has to be the motive here. 245 00:12:37,957 --> 00:12:39,859 - The family waited for an answer. 246 00:12:39,893 --> 00:12:41,194 And it wasn't long 247 00:12:41,227 --> 00:12:43,897 before their suspicions were confirmed. 248 00:12:46,232 --> 00:12:50,303 - Margaret starts battling with the trustees of Ron's estate, 249 00:12:50,337 --> 00:12:54,407 trying to get a larger portion of his estate. 250 00:12:54,441 --> 00:12:57,744 At first, she was given 60% of everything. 251 00:12:57,777 --> 00:13:00,747 But Margaret wanted to increase the percentage 252 00:13:00,780 --> 00:13:04,050 and inherit most of Ron's estate, 253 00:13:04,050 --> 00:13:06,486 which I think was estimated to be 254 00:13:06,519 --> 00:13:08,188 $10 million to $12 million. 255 00:13:11,558 --> 00:13:14,361 - Metro really put their best detectives on this case. 256 00:13:14,394 --> 00:13:16,229 And that's because of who Ron Rudin was. 257 00:13:16,262 --> 00:13:17,597 He was a pillar of the community. 258 00:13:17,630 --> 00:13:22,969 And when the emperor is slain, you need to find the slayer. 259 00:13:23,069 --> 00:13:26,106 So whenever you're dealing with a murder trial, 260 00:13:26,139 --> 00:13:28,074 the good thing for a prosecutor is, 261 00:13:28,108 --> 00:13:30,510 you're usually getting the police department's 262 00:13:30,543 --> 00:13:32,312 best detectives on the case. 263 00:13:32,345 --> 00:13:34,948 These are the guys who go through multiple marriages 264 00:13:34,981 --> 00:13:37,183 because they're married to their job. 265 00:13:37,217 --> 00:13:40,086 Margaret Rudin stood to gain financially from this. 266 00:13:40,086 --> 00:13:42,922 Now, as a prosecutor, that's a game changer. 267 00:13:42,956 --> 00:13:46,393 Investigators prepared to turn over every stone 268 00:13:46,426 --> 00:13:48,294 to try and figure out what happened to him. 269 00:13:48,328 --> 00:13:51,464 When detectives looked at Ron Rudin's will, 270 00:13:51,498 --> 00:13:54,100 there was a secret directive in the will that says, 271 00:13:54,134 --> 00:13:56,436 if he dies under suspicious means, 272 00:13:56,469 --> 00:13:58,538 that any beneficiary named in that will 273 00:13:58,571 --> 00:14:01,541 needed to be investigated. 274 00:14:01,574 --> 00:14:03,843 - That obviously started a lot of conversation 275 00:14:03,877 --> 00:14:05,545 with the trustees of his trust. 276 00:14:05,578 --> 00:14:07,580 They had business relationships with Ron 277 00:14:07,614 --> 00:14:09,683 over the years in Las Vegas. 278 00:14:09,716 --> 00:14:11,918 Trustees decided that Margaret was the one 279 00:14:11,951 --> 00:14:14,688 that was responsible for Ron's death, 280 00:14:14,721 --> 00:14:16,556 so they cut her off. 281 00:14:16,589 --> 00:14:18,925 She was getting paid a salary from Ron's business, 282 00:14:18,958 --> 00:14:20,393 and they cut that off. 283 00:14:20,427 --> 00:14:22,328 They even cut off her newspaper subscriptions 284 00:14:22,362 --> 00:14:23,329 at the house. 285 00:14:23,363 --> 00:14:24,831 They hired the biggest law firm 286 00:14:24,864 --> 00:14:27,067 in Nevada to represent them, 287 00:14:27,067 --> 00:14:30,704 and they went after Margaret with a vengeance. 288 00:14:30,737 --> 00:14:35,175 - The trustees of his estate put out a $25,000 reward 289 00:14:35,208 --> 00:14:38,311 for any information about Ron Rudin's death. 290 00:14:39,913 --> 00:14:41,948 A couple days after that, 291 00:14:41,981 --> 00:14:44,584 police get a phone call 292 00:14:44,617 --> 00:14:47,721 from a young man named Augustine Lovato. 293 00:14:47,754 --> 00:14:50,423 And he has quite a story to tell. 294 00:14:50,457 --> 00:14:53,126 - Augustine Lovato, he's a handyman. 295 00:14:53,159 --> 00:14:54,661 And what he tells investigators is that 296 00:14:54,694 --> 00:14:57,897 Margaret Rudin hired him to renovate the master bedroom. 297 00:14:57,931 --> 00:14:59,733 And then when he went to the bathroom, 298 00:14:59,766 --> 00:15:01,301 he saw what appeared to be blood 299 00:15:10,110 --> 00:15:11,778 - Detectives investigating the murder of businessman 300 00:15:12,645 --> 00:15:15,515 Ron Rudin received a tip from a contact 301 00:15:15,548 --> 00:15:18,818 with ties to his family. 302 00:15:18,852 --> 00:15:20,920 [dramatic sting] 303 00:15:20,954 --> 00:15:24,891 [dramatic music] 304 00:15:24,924 --> 00:15:26,559 - Augustine Lovato came forward 305 00:15:26,593 --> 00:15:28,928 and said that he was hired by Margaret 306 00:15:28,962 --> 00:15:31,464 to renovate the bedroom 307 00:15:31,498 --> 00:15:35,502 before Ron's body was even found. 308 00:15:35,535 --> 00:15:39,839 When he removed the bed, there was blood on the carpet. 309 00:15:39,873 --> 00:15:43,476 * * 310 00:15:43,510 --> 00:15:46,813 That changed the focus of the investigation 311 00:15:46,846 --> 00:15:48,682 to Margaret Rudin. 312 00:15:48,715 --> 00:15:51,351 She was the main suspect. 313 00:15:51,384 --> 00:15:54,187 - Based on Augustine Lovato's tip, 314 00:15:54,220 --> 00:15:56,856 the investigators are able to get a search warrant 315 00:15:56,890 --> 00:15:58,425 to search the Rudin house. 316 00:16:02,228 --> 00:16:04,431 - So when they do the forensic testing, 317 00:16:04,464 --> 00:16:06,099 they found blood in the bedroom 318 00:16:06,132 --> 00:16:07,701 and blood in the bathroom. 319 00:16:07,734 --> 00:16:10,603 - Samples were sent to the lab for processing 320 00:16:10,637 --> 00:16:13,306 to determine if the blood was that of Ron Rudin. 321 00:16:13,340 --> 00:16:16,576 The results were not what detectives expected. 322 00:16:18,745 --> 00:16:22,382 - Some of the blood found in the master bedroom 323 00:16:22,415 --> 00:16:24,718 was determined to be Ron's blood, 324 00:16:24,751 --> 00:16:26,586 but not all of it. 325 00:16:26,619 --> 00:16:31,057 Both Ron and Margaret had been married four previous times. 326 00:16:31,057 --> 00:16:33,626 Ron's third wife, Peggy June Lee, 327 00:16:33,660 --> 00:16:37,530 suffered from depression and committed suicide 328 00:16:37,564 --> 00:16:41,935 in the same room where we found the blood spatter on the wall. 329 00:16:43,169 --> 00:16:45,372 - So they've got this blood evidence. 330 00:16:45,405 --> 00:16:47,741 But the prosecutor Gary Guymon says, 331 00:16:47,774 --> 00:16:49,242 "No, we can't charge Margaret." 332 00:16:49,275 --> 00:16:51,378 Because they can't say for certain 333 00:16:51,411 --> 00:16:55,148 whether it's Ron Rudin's blood or Peggy's blood. 334 00:16:58,785 --> 00:17:00,420 There's just not enough here 335 00:17:00,453 --> 00:17:02,389 to convict beyond a reasonable doubt. 336 00:17:04,791 --> 00:17:07,494 - Prosecutors do need to err on the side of caution, 337 00:17:07,527 --> 00:17:10,230 because police came in and did a cursory search. 338 00:17:10,263 --> 00:17:13,166 They didn't see any blood on the walls. 339 00:17:13,199 --> 00:17:15,268 They didn't see blood in the bathroom. 340 00:17:15,301 --> 00:17:17,137 And that muddies the water up. 341 00:17:21,307 --> 00:17:23,943 - The prosecution was unwilling to hang the case 342 00:17:24,044 --> 00:17:27,347 on inconclusive blood results and witness accounts. 343 00:17:27,380 --> 00:17:32,352 Detectives continued to examine the evidence. 344 00:17:32,385 --> 00:17:36,122 - When you look at the scene where Ron was found, 345 00:17:36,156 --> 00:17:38,625 there were the burnt remains of Ron, 346 00:17:38,658 --> 00:17:42,128 along with what was left of this wooden trunk. 347 00:17:42,162 --> 00:17:47,233 The analysis of the trunk matched a very specific type 348 00:17:47,267 --> 00:17:50,370 of antique humpback trunk. 349 00:17:50,403 --> 00:17:52,072 Well, during the investigation, 350 00:17:52,072 --> 00:17:54,474 we found a receipt at Margaret's store 351 00:17:54,507 --> 00:17:56,676 that she had purchased the same type of trunk 352 00:17:56,710 --> 00:18:00,647 from a gentleman in California by the name of Bruce Honabach. 353 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:04,718 * * 354 00:18:04,751 --> 00:18:07,821 - Police ask Margaret about the trunk, 355 00:18:07,854 --> 00:18:09,356 and she can't account for it. 356 00:18:09,389 --> 00:18:11,091 It's not in the inventory. 357 00:18:11,124 --> 00:18:13,526 She can't show that she's sold it anywhere. 358 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:16,596 She doesn't know where it is. 359 00:18:16,629 --> 00:18:19,299 This is powerful circumstantial evidence, 360 00:18:19,332 --> 00:18:22,569 that a trunk just like what she purchased 361 00:18:22,602 --> 00:18:25,038 ended up burnt up out in the desert 362 00:18:25,038 --> 00:18:28,508 along with her husband's remains. 363 00:18:28,541 --> 00:18:30,677 - The trunk represented a possible link 364 00:18:30,710 --> 00:18:33,046 between Margaret Rudin and the site 365 00:18:33,079 --> 00:18:36,516 where Ron Rudin's body was found. 366 00:18:36,549 --> 00:18:39,552 - Ron weighed 220 pounds. 367 00:18:39,586 --> 00:18:43,423 Margaret alone couldn't have loaded Ron into the trunk. 368 00:18:44,824 --> 00:18:47,360 She couldn't have loaded the trunk into a vehicle 369 00:18:47,394 --> 00:18:49,763 and then pulled it out of the vehicle 370 00:18:49,796 --> 00:18:52,832 and dragged it partway up the hill by herself. 371 00:18:52,866 --> 00:18:56,703 If she was responsible for the murder of her husband, 372 00:18:56,736 --> 00:18:58,438 she had some help. 373 00:19:00,407 --> 00:19:01,875 - There had to be an accomplice. 374 00:19:01,908 --> 00:19:04,377 So what the detectives do is, they start interviewing 375 00:19:04,411 --> 00:19:06,179 everybody that knew him, family and friends, 376 00:19:06,212 --> 00:19:08,515 to try and figure out who it is. 377 00:19:08,548 --> 00:19:12,118 - Margaret's sister said that Margaret was 378 00:19:12,152 --> 00:19:14,888 having an affair with this gentleman 379 00:19:14,921 --> 00:19:16,489 named Yehuda Sharon. 380 00:19:20,026 --> 00:19:21,628 - Now, Yehuda Sharon was a guy 381 00:19:21,661 --> 00:19:23,329 who used to hang around in Las Vegas. 382 00:19:23,363 --> 00:19:25,231 He was originally from Israel. 383 00:19:25,265 --> 00:19:28,034 Allegedly had been in the Mossad before, 384 00:19:28,068 --> 00:19:29,669 and he came to Las Vegas. 385 00:19:29,703 --> 00:19:32,872 He starts hanging out with these middle-aged women 386 00:19:32,906 --> 00:19:34,607 at the country club. 387 00:19:34,641 --> 00:19:36,776 So one of them he met was Margaret Rudin. 388 00:19:36,810 --> 00:19:38,745 And they got to know each other, 389 00:19:38,778 --> 00:19:42,048 allegedly having affairs and things like that. 390 00:19:42,082 --> 00:19:44,584 - So as the investigation continues, 391 00:19:44,617 --> 00:19:47,253 they find out that this infidelity 392 00:19:47,287 --> 00:19:48,455 wasn't a one-way street. 393 00:19:48,488 --> 00:19:50,256 It was a two-way street. 394 00:19:50,290 --> 00:19:52,726 Ron Rudin had multiple extramarital affairs. 395 00:19:55,862 --> 00:19:57,497 [indistinct chatter] 396 00:19:57,530 --> 00:20:00,533 - Margaret was obviously upset about Ron's activity, 397 00:20:00,567 --> 00:20:02,902 and they were known to fight. 398 00:20:02,936 --> 00:20:06,272 I think they'd actually had separated for a time 399 00:20:06,306 --> 00:20:08,441 and then gotten back together. 400 00:20:08,475 --> 00:20:10,410 If Ron was gonna divorce Margaret, 401 00:20:10,443 --> 00:20:13,246 she would lose out on all his wealth. 402 00:20:13,279 --> 00:20:15,782 So it certainly seemed 403 00:20:15,815 --> 00:20:19,319 that the money kept Margaret coming back. 404 00:20:20,620 --> 00:20:21,955 - The detectives thought that money 405 00:20:21,988 --> 00:20:23,857 has to be the motive here. 406 00:20:23,890 --> 00:20:25,625 If Ron divorces Margaret, 407 00:20:25,658 --> 00:20:29,295 the ramifications for her could be dire. 408 00:20:29,329 --> 00:20:32,799 She would be battling Ron in court. 409 00:20:32,832 --> 00:20:35,802 Margaret has divorced four times before, 410 00:20:35,835 --> 00:20:39,272 and each time, she was at the losing end of the divorce. 411 00:20:39,305 --> 00:20:41,341 Now she's looking at potentially 412 00:20:41,374 --> 00:20:43,276 losing out for the fifth time. 413 00:20:43,309 --> 00:20:45,979 She could lose everything. 414 00:20:46,012 --> 00:20:48,848 She's gonna be five times divorced 415 00:20:48,882 --> 00:20:49,749 and no money, 416 00:20:49,783 --> 00:20:51,851 and she's gotta start all over again. 417 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:56,256 - Investigators presented their findings 418 00:20:56,289 --> 00:20:57,924 to the district attorney's office 419 00:20:57,957 --> 00:21:02,495 in an attempt to bring charges against Margaret Rudin. 420 00:21:02,529 --> 00:21:04,497 - As a prosecutor, you got a really tough job. 421 00:21:04,531 --> 00:21:06,433 Because we want finality, you know, 422 00:21:06,466 --> 00:21:08,635 not 20 years of appeal and a vacated conviction. 423 00:21:08,668 --> 00:21:10,870 So you don't force the trial. 424 00:21:13,373 --> 00:21:16,142 With no further evidence than what they've found, 425 00:21:16,176 --> 00:21:20,547 they're not able to positively link Margaret Rudin 426 00:21:20,580 --> 00:21:23,083 to Ron Rudin's death in a way that would allow 427 00:21:23,083 --> 00:21:24,851 prosecutors to file charges. 428 00:21:24,884 --> 00:21:26,920 That's not gonna be enough to move forward 429 00:21:26,953 --> 00:21:29,556 with a murder prosecution. 430 00:21:29,589 --> 00:21:31,624 - The case seemed to hit a dead end. 431 00:21:31,658 --> 00:21:34,227 A full year passed with no leads 432 00:21:34,260 --> 00:21:36,296 into the murder of Ron Rudin. 433 00:21:36,329 --> 00:21:38,865 Then, in the summer of 1996, 434 00:21:38,898 --> 00:21:42,202 a new piece of evidence came to light. 435 00:21:42,235 --> 00:21:44,337 [dramatic sting] 436 00:21:44,371 --> 00:21:50,110 * * 437 00:21:50,110 --> 00:21:53,713 - In Lake Mead, some divers had found a firearm 438 00:21:53,747 --> 00:21:57,017 with a silencer a year prior. 439 00:21:57,117 --> 00:21:59,519 But it had been sitting in police storage for a year. 440 00:21:59,552 --> 00:22:01,721 And one of the detectives in the case 441 00:22:01,755 --> 00:22:04,891 finds out about this gun and decides to have it tested. 442 00:22:04,924 --> 00:22:10,063 - And they find out this gun once belonged to Ron Rudin. 443 00:22:11,765 --> 00:22:13,833 - This was the big break in the case 444 00:22:13,867 --> 00:22:16,369 that led to the suspects responsible 445 00:22:25,545 --> 00:22:26,613 [dramatic music] 446 00:22:27,414 --> 00:22:30,750 - Ron went missing December 1994. 447 00:22:30,784 --> 00:22:34,421 * * 448 00:22:34,454 --> 00:22:36,356 His remains were found out by the lake 449 00:22:36,389 --> 00:22:39,659 in January of '95. 450 00:22:41,561 --> 00:22:45,799 The gun wasn't discovered until July of '96. 451 00:22:48,101 --> 00:22:50,337 For whatever reason, that gun got 452 00:22:50,370 --> 00:22:53,673 lost in evidence until 1997. 453 00:22:56,276 --> 00:23:00,046 Ron was known to have a huge firearms collection, 454 00:23:00,046 --> 00:23:03,850 reported to be worth $2 million to $3 million. 455 00:23:03,883 --> 00:23:07,053 Shortly after Ron had married Margaret, 456 00:23:07,087 --> 00:23:11,458 he had a gun with a suppressor on it go missing. 457 00:23:11,491 --> 00:23:14,627 So he reported it at that time, 458 00:23:14,661 --> 00:23:17,464 that the gun was missing. 459 00:23:17,497 --> 00:23:20,066 - This gun is affixed with a silencer. 460 00:23:20,100 --> 00:23:22,869 Now, we see silencers all the time-- 461 00:23:22,902 --> 00:23:23,870 TV crime shows. 462 00:23:23,903 --> 00:23:26,373 But in real life, they're actually very rare. 463 00:23:26,406 --> 00:23:30,377 And in fact, you have to have a special license from the ATF 464 00:23:30,410 --> 00:23:31,878 to have a silencer. 465 00:23:31,911 --> 00:23:34,881 Investigators found out that Ron had gotten 466 00:23:34,914 --> 00:23:37,083 the license for that silencer. 467 00:23:37,117 --> 00:23:38,485 It was on file. 468 00:23:38,518 --> 00:23:45,658 * * 469 00:23:50,096 --> 00:23:54,367 - Through forensics testing, the ballistics on the bullets 470 00:23:54,401 --> 00:23:57,871 found in Ron's skull matched the gun that was found 471 00:23:57,904 --> 00:24:00,940 at the lake, which is significant 472 00:24:01,041 --> 00:24:04,310 because other people may have had motive 473 00:24:04,344 --> 00:24:06,780 to do harm to Ron, 474 00:24:06,813 --> 00:24:10,850 but they didn't have access to that weapon. 475 00:24:10,884 --> 00:24:13,853 - It seems like whoever stole that firearm is the killer. 476 00:24:13,887 --> 00:24:17,657 This is definitely a key piece of evidence. 477 00:24:17,691 --> 00:24:20,226 It was hard for anybody else to have an opportunity 478 00:24:20,260 --> 00:24:22,829 to get that particular firearm. 479 00:24:22,862 --> 00:24:24,330 Margaret Rudin is really the only one. 480 00:24:24,364 --> 00:24:27,567 * * 481 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,403 - Police now have the murder weapon. 482 00:24:30,437 --> 00:24:31,905 The discovery of the gun 483 00:24:31,938 --> 00:24:33,640 and the identification of the gun 484 00:24:33,673 --> 00:24:36,076 is a game changer. 485 00:24:36,109 --> 00:24:39,112 They can put this murder weapon in the home 486 00:24:39,145 --> 00:24:40,613 where Margaret lives, 487 00:24:40,647 --> 00:24:43,350 within arm's reach of Margaret. 488 00:24:43,383 --> 00:24:45,318 They have a financial motive. 489 00:24:45,352 --> 00:24:48,555 They have an emotional motive in the infidelity. 490 00:24:48,588 --> 00:24:50,657 They feel like they have all the pieces 491 00:24:50,690 --> 00:24:52,525 to charge Margaret with murder. 492 00:24:54,961 --> 00:24:57,497 [dramatic sting] 493 00:24:57,530 --> 00:25:03,036 * * 494 00:25:03,036 --> 00:25:04,738 - Detectives presented the case 495 00:25:04,771 --> 00:25:08,842 to Assistant District Attorney Gary Guymon, 496 00:25:08,875 --> 00:25:11,778 and the grand jury finally indicted Margaret Rudin 497 00:25:11,811 --> 00:25:13,546 for the death of her husband, 498 00:25:13,580 --> 00:25:17,884 murder in the first degree with use of a deadly weapon. 499 00:25:17,917 --> 00:25:20,820 At that time, we were finally able to obtain 500 00:25:20,854 --> 00:25:22,522 an arrest warrant. 501 00:25:25,625 --> 00:25:27,560 - A lot of times, as a prosecutor, 502 00:25:27,594 --> 00:25:28,762 you have a good relationship 503 00:25:28,795 --> 00:25:29,829 with the defense attorneys on the case. 504 00:25:29,863 --> 00:25:32,432 Everybody knew who Margaret Rudin's attorney was. 505 00:25:32,465 --> 00:25:34,200 So prosecutors contact her attorney 506 00:25:34,234 --> 00:25:35,602 and say, "Look, we indicted. 507 00:25:35,635 --> 00:25:37,103 "We got the arrest warrant. 508 00:25:37,137 --> 00:25:38,872 Let's go ahead and bring your client to surrender." 509 00:25:38,905 --> 00:25:40,807 And what the defense attorney says is, 510 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,176 "My client left town a month ago. 511 00:25:43,209 --> 00:25:45,578 I don't know where she is." 512 00:25:45,612 --> 00:25:48,782 - Detectives' inquiries as to Margaret Rudin's whereabouts 513 00:25:48,815 --> 00:25:50,383 were unsuccessful. 514 00:25:50,417 --> 00:25:52,686 Margaret had disappeared. 515 00:25:52,719 --> 00:25:55,088 - On the lam. That's what we call it. 516 00:25:55,088 --> 00:25:57,457 That's the slang for being a fugitive, 517 00:25:57,490 --> 00:25:58,458 for being on the run. 518 00:25:58,491 --> 00:26:00,627 She was on the lam. 519 00:26:00,660 --> 00:26:03,797 She got a fake ID. She got a fake passport. 520 00:26:03,830 --> 00:26:06,833 She got documents. 521 00:26:06,866 --> 00:26:09,169 - Margaret ends up in Guadalajara. 522 00:26:09,202 --> 00:26:11,671 She's in a house with some other Americans. 523 00:26:11,705 --> 00:26:12,739 Some of them happen to be 524 00:26:12,772 --> 00:26:14,674 fugitives from justice as well, 525 00:26:14,708 --> 00:26:16,242 and they teach her the ins and outs 526 00:26:16,276 --> 00:26:19,546 of how to stay off the grid. 527 00:26:19,579 --> 00:26:21,481 - She was a pretty good fugitive, 528 00:26:21,514 --> 00:26:22,882 for somebody in her mid-50s 529 00:26:22,916 --> 00:26:26,219 who had never had a speeding ticket before. 530 00:26:26,252 --> 00:26:27,954 She was on the lam for two years. 531 00:26:28,054 --> 00:26:29,255 She moved from place to place. 532 00:26:29,289 --> 00:26:30,924 I think she was in Mexico for a while, 533 00:26:30,957 --> 00:26:34,060 she was in Phoenix, and maybe some other places. 534 00:26:34,060 --> 00:26:36,196 She was on "America's Most Wanted," I think, 535 00:26:36,229 --> 00:26:39,599 more than any other female had ever been on that show before. 536 00:26:42,302 --> 00:26:44,537 - Eventually, somebody spots her 537 00:26:44,571 --> 00:26:46,906 one day in Arizona. 538 00:26:46,940 --> 00:26:48,875 A cop actually goes to investigate, 539 00:26:48,908 --> 00:26:49,976 and she sweet-talks him. 540 00:26:52,946 --> 00:26:56,850 - She convinced them that she was not Margaret Rudin. 541 00:26:56,883 --> 00:26:59,786 She was living under an alias 542 00:26:59,819 --> 00:27:01,855 and had changed her appearance, 543 00:27:01,888 --> 00:27:04,224 and Phoenix police actually let her go. 544 00:27:07,027 --> 00:27:08,828 - Margaret told me this. 545 00:27:08,862 --> 00:27:11,297 She said, "The day the cops showed up 546 00:27:11,331 --> 00:27:13,299 "and questioned me at the door 547 00:27:13,333 --> 00:27:18,071 is the very day I just got that ID issued in Arizona." 548 00:27:18,104 --> 00:27:23,043 And the minute they walked away, 549 00:27:23,043 --> 00:27:25,478 she grabbed her suitcase, called a limousine service, 550 00:27:25,512 --> 00:27:29,182 walked out the back door, was in the limousine and gone. 551 00:27:31,751 --> 00:27:33,687 She outsmarted them. 552 00:27:35,689 --> 00:27:37,924 Out of desperation comes innovation. 553 00:27:42,095 --> 00:27:44,698 - So Margaret's successfully stayed off the grid 554 00:27:44,731 --> 00:27:46,232 for two years at this point. 555 00:27:46,266 --> 00:27:47,901 But the Massachusetts State Police 556 00:27:47,934 --> 00:27:50,570 get a tip that Margaret Rudin is 557 00:27:50,603 --> 00:27:52,605 mailing packages from a post office 558 00:27:52,639 --> 00:27:54,307 in Revere, Massachusetts. 559 00:27:54,341 --> 00:27:57,110 And so they send some officers to go down to that post office 560 00:27:57,143 --> 00:27:58,645 and show her picture to see if they can 561 00:27:58,678 --> 00:28:00,347 confirm that she was there. 562 00:28:00,380 --> 00:28:03,249 A post office employee confirms that, "Yes, 563 00:28:03,283 --> 00:28:05,352 that woman has been here at the post office." 564 00:28:05,385 --> 00:28:08,922 And they show police exactly where she lived. 565 00:28:09,022 --> 00:28:12,258 - Police there were able to enter 566 00:28:12,292 --> 00:28:13,927 the apartment where she was found 567 00:28:14,027 --> 00:28:17,731 by posing as a pizza delivery person. 568 00:28:17,764 --> 00:28:19,099 - They went up there and knocked on the door, 569 00:28:19,132 --> 00:28:20,633 and the door was open, and they found Margaret, 570 00:28:20,667 --> 00:28:22,035 I think, in the bathroom. 571 00:28:22,035 --> 00:28:24,704 And that's how they apprehended her. 572 00:28:39,152 --> 00:28:41,554 [dramatic sting] 573 00:28:42,555 --> 00:28:47,060 - Margaret Rudin doesn't go to trial until 2001. 574 00:28:47,093 --> 00:28:51,064 It's a big media circus around the courthouse. 575 00:28:51,064 --> 00:28:53,933 There's media trucks all around the courthouse. 576 00:28:53,967 --> 00:28:57,337 It was a very publicized trial. 577 00:28:57,370 --> 00:29:00,106 - We as a jury did not know what to expect. 578 00:29:00,140 --> 00:29:01,207 For I think all of us, 579 00:29:01,241 --> 00:29:02,809 this was our first murder trial. 580 00:29:02,842 --> 00:29:04,678 You think, OK, whatever. 581 00:29:04,711 --> 00:29:07,347 We're gonna be here for several days, if not weeks. 582 00:29:07,380 --> 00:29:10,316 And we'll just see how it all plays out. 583 00:29:10,350 --> 00:29:12,085 What we did not know at the time 584 00:29:12,118 --> 00:29:13,820 was that this would be 585 00:29:13,853 --> 00:29:16,656 the longest trial in Nevada history. 586 00:29:16,690 --> 00:29:18,024 - All rise. 587 00:29:18,058 --> 00:29:19,359 District Court Department 6 now in session, 588 00:29:19,392 --> 00:29:21,361 the Honorable Judge Joe Bonaventure presiding. 589 00:29:21,394 --> 00:29:23,530 Be seated, please. 590 00:29:23,563 --> 00:29:25,699 - The media is all over this case. 591 00:29:25,732 --> 00:29:27,033 They start calling Margaret Rudin-- 592 00:29:27,033 --> 00:29:28,535 they dub her the Black Widow. 593 00:29:28,568 --> 00:29:31,538 You know, the female spider that eats her mate. 594 00:29:31,571 --> 00:29:34,374 She's notorious. 595 00:29:34,407 --> 00:29:37,310 - The evidence will show that, like an individual 596 00:29:37,344 --> 00:29:39,913 in the center of her own soap opera, 597 00:29:39,946 --> 00:29:42,315 she sat and manipulated, almost like a puppeteer 598 00:29:42,349 --> 00:29:44,918 pulling strings. 599 00:29:44,951 --> 00:29:47,687 - The prosecution's theory is that Margaret thought 600 00:29:47,721 --> 00:29:51,057 Ron was going to divorce her, leave her no money. 601 00:29:51,057 --> 00:29:52,258 And that's why she murdered him, 602 00:29:52,292 --> 00:29:55,495 so that she would have a chance of inheriting his estate. 603 00:29:55,528 --> 00:29:56,896 And then the defense is 604 00:29:56,930 --> 00:29:58,898 a classic reasonable doubt defense. 605 00:29:58,932 --> 00:30:01,067 They say there's no direct evidence 606 00:30:01,101 --> 00:30:02,635 that Margaret did anything. 607 00:30:02,669 --> 00:30:04,904 Money was not an issue. 608 00:30:04,938 --> 00:30:08,208 This was an organized crime hit. 609 00:30:08,241 --> 00:30:10,944 - Ladies and gentlemen of the jury... 610 00:30:14,414 --> 00:30:19,953 Margaret, Tom, Michael, gentlemen... 611 00:30:23,990 --> 00:30:26,026 This is a great day. 612 00:30:26,059 --> 00:30:28,962 - If you watch Michael Amador's opening statement, 613 00:30:28,995 --> 00:30:31,097 you would be hard-pressed to find 614 00:30:31,131 --> 00:30:32,365 a coherent defense theory. 615 00:30:32,399 --> 00:30:33,867 - Perhaps I'm a little different, 616 00:30:33,900 --> 00:30:36,169 sometimes, than other people might be. 617 00:30:39,439 --> 00:30:41,141 I look for passion. 618 00:30:41,174 --> 00:30:44,444 - And Michael Amador gets lost in the weeds. 619 00:30:44,477 --> 00:30:46,446 - This opening statement, which normally takes 620 00:30:46,479 --> 00:30:49,082 15 or 20 minutes, is going on forever. 621 00:30:49,115 --> 00:30:51,985 We're over an hour, and he's still talking. 622 00:30:52,018 --> 00:30:54,187 - There are things about our lives today 623 00:30:54,220 --> 00:30:58,792 and the place where we live... 624 00:30:58,825 --> 00:31:02,228 they're like no other place and no other time in history. 625 00:31:02,262 --> 00:31:06,166 - Amador continues by speaking mostly about himself. 626 00:31:06,199 --> 00:31:09,469 Judge Bonaventure actually admonishes Amador. 627 00:31:09,502 --> 00:31:11,604 - And I let you get away with a lot, Mr. Amador, 628 00:31:11,638 --> 00:31:14,274 but the purpose of an opening statement 629 00:31:14,307 --> 00:31:16,476 is just indicate what the evidence is 630 00:31:16,509 --> 00:31:17,911 gonna tend to show. 631 00:31:17,944 --> 00:31:21,181 - And then calls for a recess. 632 00:31:21,214 --> 00:31:23,817 - But after the recess, it didn't get any better. 633 00:31:23,850 --> 00:31:27,354 It started on tilt, and it never got straightened up. 634 00:31:27,387 --> 00:31:30,657 I've never seen an attorney conduct himself in such a way. 635 00:31:30,690 --> 00:31:32,492 This is supposed to be the evidence 636 00:31:32,525 --> 00:31:36,096 that you're gonna bring forth in regards to Margaret. 637 00:31:36,129 --> 00:31:38,765 - I think he talked about soccer at one point 638 00:31:38,798 --> 00:31:41,401 during his open, rambling on about, 639 00:31:41,434 --> 00:31:43,503 "I'm a soccer dad, and when my kid plays soccer," 640 00:31:43,536 --> 00:31:47,107 and he's going off in a tangent, 641 00:31:47,107 --> 00:31:50,510 and we're just along for the ride. 642 00:31:50,543 --> 00:31:52,779 - Michael Amador was not well-prepared. 643 00:31:52,812 --> 00:31:56,182 And something we didn't see is that Amador allegedly 644 00:31:56,216 --> 00:31:59,019 negotiated media rights to the story 645 00:31:59,119 --> 00:32:01,888 while he was representing Margaret. 646 00:32:01,921 --> 00:32:04,958 - Michael Amador was just going for the publicity 647 00:32:05,058 --> 00:32:06,092 of Margaret's case. 648 00:32:06,126 --> 00:32:09,863 And it wasn't really for her defense. 649 00:32:09,896 --> 00:32:13,066 - At that point, the power rests in Judge Bonaventure. 650 00:32:13,099 --> 00:32:14,100 He could have declared a mistrial 651 00:32:14,134 --> 00:32:16,803 after he saw that outrageous opening statement. 652 00:32:16,836 --> 00:32:17,971 But he didn't do it. 653 00:32:18,071 --> 00:32:19,539 He allowed the trial to go forward. 654 00:32:19,572 --> 00:32:22,142 [dramatic sting] 655 00:32:22,175 --> 00:32:24,511 - Early in the case, the prosecution present 656 00:32:24,544 --> 00:32:25,712 a key witness. 657 00:32:25,745 --> 00:32:27,080 He's an antique dealer. 658 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:28,915 His name is Bruce Honabach. 659 00:32:28,948 --> 00:32:32,218 What he testifies to is that he bought a humpback trunk 660 00:32:32,252 --> 00:32:34,387 from a Donald Schaupeter, 661 00:32:34,421 --> 00:32:36,856 and that he provided that trunk 662 00:32:36,890 --> 00:32:38,992 to Margaret Rudin for her antique store. 663 00:32:39,092 --> 00:32:42,295 - The inside of it had a pattern of, um, 664 00:32:42,328 --> 00:32:45,565 a light--a light blue, if you will, flower design. 665 00:32:45,598 --> 00:32:48,368 - What Honabach testifies to is that matches 666 00:32:48,401 --> 00:32:50,403 the interior of the humpback trunk 667 00:32:50,437 --> 00:32:53,239 that he gave to Margaret Rudin. 668 00:32:53,273 --> 00:32:54,741 - So here we got a guy who said, 669 00:32:54,774 --> 00:32:57,510 "I sold her the trunk that Ron's body was found in." 670 00:32:57,544 --> 00:33:01,581 That points right at Margaret Rudin. 671 00:33:01,614 --> 00:33:05,752 And Margaret had dealt with Bruce Honabach 672 00:33:05,785 --> 00:33:07,787 over many transactions. 673 00:33:07,821 --> 00:33:11,491 About 10 or 12 times, according to his testimony, 674 00:33:11,524 --> 00:33:14,094 she told him, 675 00:33:14,127 --> 00:33:16,696 "I wish my husband was dead. 676 00:33:16,730 --> 00:33:18,965 He doesn't give me any money. I wish he was dead." 677 00:33:19,065 --> 00:33:22,369 And it bothered Bruce so much that he made an appointment 678 00:33:22,402 --> 00:33:24,270 and went and saw Ron Rudin, and he said, "Hey, 679 00:33:24,304 --> 00:33:26,406 I think your wife wants to kill you." 680 00:33:26,439 --> 00:33:28,608 And he wasn't surprised at that. 681 00:33:28,641 --> 00:33:31,144 He kind of already knew that. 682 00:33:31,177 --> 00:33:33,113 So to me, that was huge. 683 00:33:33,146 --> 00:33:36,616 [dramatic sting] 684 00:33:36,649 --> 00:33:39,786 - After weeks of testimony from multiple witnesses, 685 00:33:39,819 --> 00:33:42,589 the prosecution's case was strong. 686 00:33:42,622 --> 00:33:46,192 But a potential stumbling block needed an explanation. 687 00:33:46,226 --> 00:33:48,161 - One of the problems that we had 688 00:33:48,194 --> 00:33:50,397 in the prosecution of the case was, 689 00:33:50,430 --> 00:33:53,266 Margaret Rudin was not gonna be physically capable 690 00:33:53,299 --> 00:33:55,101 to carry out the execution 691 00:33:55,101 --> 00:33:58,571 and also dispose of the body in the way that it was done. 692 00:33:58,605 --> 00:34:00,640 And so the prosecution's theory was, 693 00:34:00,674 --> 00:34:02,642 there had to be an accomplice. 694 00:34:02,676 --> 00:34:05,111 - The prosecution was so certain 695 00:34:05,145 --> 00:34:07,414 it was Yehuda Sharon. 696 00:34:07,447 --> 00:34:10,517 He is supposedly involved with Margaret Rudin, 697 00:34:10,550 --> 00:34:13,787 and he was physically strong enough 698 00:34:13,820 --> 00:34:17,190 to drag a trunk containing a 6-foot-whatever man 699 00:34:17,223 --> 00:34:20,660 out to the desert and setting it on fire. 700 00:34:20,694 --> 00:34:23,229 - They called Yehuda Sharon and asked some questions. 701 00:34:23,263 --> 00:34:27,200 - Isn't it true that you received immunity in this case 702 00:34:27,233 --> 00:34:31,338 as this relates to the death of Ronald Rudin? 703 00:34:31,371 --> 00:34:33,073 - I know that I received immunity. 704 00:34:33,106 --> 00:34:35,875 From what, I have no idea. 705 00:34:35,909 --> 00:34:38,211 I mean, you ask me to tell you or to speculate 706 00:34:38,244 --> 00:34:40,080 about something that I have no idea of, 707 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:42,882 and I don't know what to tell you. 708 00:34:42,916 --> 00:34:45,685 - He was granted total immunity for any crimes 709 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:48,188 that were committed in exchange for his testimony. 710 00:34:48,221 --> 00:34:50,890 The problem is, it was never secured 711 00:34:50,924 --> 00:34:52,859 exactly what his testimony was gonna be. 712 00:34:52,892 --> 00:34:54,694 - He goes, "I'm not gonna answer these questions. 713 00:34:54,728 --> 00:34:56,196 I don't know what you guys are looking for." 714 00:34:56,229 --> 00:34:57,430 And he wouldn't answer his questions, 715 00:34:57,464 --> 00:34:59,699 which was very smart on his part. 716 00:34:59,733 --> 00:35:03,203 - Well, he could have nailed her coffin closed and walked. 717 00:35:03,236 --> 00:35:05,205 But this guy told them, 718 00:35:05,238 --> 00:35:08,108 "I am not having an affair with her. 719 00:35:08,141 --> 00:35:10,710 "I did not help her kill Ron Rudin. 720 00:35:10,744 --> 00:35:12,679 "To the best of my knowledge, she didn't. 721 00:35:12,712 --> 00:35:16,082 And if she did, it wasn't because I helped her." 722 00:35:16,116 --> 00:35:20,053 - It was a tactical error by the prosecution. 723 00:35:20,053 --> 00:35:22,722 Their once-star witness fizzled. 724 00:35:22,756 --> 00:35:24,724 And by giving him immunity, 725 00:35:24,758 --> 00:35:27,127 now they can't go after him for anything. 726 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:28,395 So the judge is baffled, 727 00:35:28,428 --> 00:35:31,331 and it just doesn't go anywhere. 728 00:35:31,364 --> 00:35:33,133 - I can't have objections 729 00:35:33,166 --> 00:35:35,201 on both sides of the room, all right? 730 00:35:35,235 --> 00:35:37,404 Make your mind up who wants to object. 731 00:35:37,437 --> 00:35:40,306 - It hurt the case to bring this witness to trial. 732 00:35:49,549 --> 00:35:52,085 - After damaging testimony from an intended star witness 733 00:35:52,952 --> 00:35:55,321 in the murder trial of Margaret Rudin, 734 00:35:55,355 --> 00:35:58,758 the defense quickly seized on the misstep. 735 00:35:58,792 --> 00:36:01,194 [dramatic sting] 736 00:36:01,227 --> 00:36:02,629 - Now the defense can try 737 00:36:02,662 --> 00:36:04,197 and insert some reasonable doubt. 738 00:36:04,230 --> 00:36:05,465 They really harp on them. 739 00:36:05,498 --> 00:36:07,567 A key witness for the prosecution, 740 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:10,937 the handyman Augustine Lovato, when he takes the stand, 741 00:36:11,037 --> 00:36:12,238 he testifies consistently 742 00:36:12,272 --> 00:36:13,773 with what he told police before. 743 00:36:13,807 --> 00:36:15,608 - What color was the spot? 744 00:36:15,642 --> 00:36:16,876 - Dark brown. 745 00:36:16,910 --> 00:36:19,512 - Did you attempt to clean that area at Margaret's request? 746 00:36:19,546 --> 00:36:20,647 - Yes. 747 00:36:20,680 --> 00:36:22,649 - The defense counters is, police came in 748 00:36:22,682 --> 00:36:24,150 and did a cursory search. 749 00:36:24,184 --> 00:36:25,652 They didn't see blood on the walls. 750 00:36:25,685 --> 00:36:27,654 They didn't see blood in the bathroom. 751 00:36:27,687 --> 00:36:29,556 And also, there was a reward out 752 00:36:29,589 --> 00:36:30,790 for any kind of information 753 00:36:30,824 --> 00:36:32,892 that's gonna help solve this crime. 754 00:36:32,926 --> 00:36:36,396 - Magically, this handyman drops down out of the sky. 755 00:36:36,429 --> 00:36:39,232 And he says, "Oh, I did this and this. 756 00:36:39,265 --> 00:36:41,368 "And by the way, I saw blood gurgling up 757 00:36:41,401 --> 00:36:43,670 from a drain," which I've never had a drain 758 00:36:43,703 --> 00:36:45,472 that bubbled up anything. 759 00:36:45,505 --> 00:36:47,907 Now they can tie the story together, 760 00:36:47,941 --> 00:36:49,676 and this guy gets $25,000. 761 00:36:49,709 --> 00:36:53,646 That's--that's a little too tidy for me. 762 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:56,549 - It was a very, very fierce and I would say 763 00:36:56,583 --> 00:36:58,985 pretty effective cross-examination. 764 00:36:59,085 --> 00:37:02,422 - Now, if anyone needed a reward back in 1995, 765 00:37:02,455 --> 00:37:04,057 it was you and your mother, wasn't it? 766 00:37:04,090 --> 00:37:05,492 - It didn't matter. I mean-- 767 00:37:05,525 --> 00:37:08,294 - Well, you--go ahead. It didn't matter? 768 00:37:08,328 --> 00:37:09,929 - There was never-- 769 00:37:10,030 --> 00:37:11,398 this was never about a reward. 770 00:37:11,431 --> 00:37:12,866 This was about a man that was dead, 771 00:37:12,899 --> 00:37:15,301 and that people loved him, and he was missing. 772 00:37:15,335 --> 00:37:17,937 - The defense was trying to make the case 773 00:37:18,038 --> 00:37:20,040 that he's lying because he got 774 00:37:20,073 --> 00:37:22,842 that $25,000 reward. 775 00:37:22,876 --> 00:37:26,646 - To cast further doubt on Augustine Lovato's testimony, 776 00:37:26,680 --> 00:37:29,716 the defense devised an elaborate plan. 777 00:37:29,749 --> 00:37:30,717 - The, uh, mattress, 778 00:37:30,750 --> 00:37:33,119 we've got the same size of what they did. 779 00:37:33,153 --> 00:37:36,456 We went out and actually bought the same size of things there. 780 00:37:36,489 --> 00:37:40,060 This is an actual representation of what it is. 781 00:37:40,093 --> 00:37:41,594 - They literally bring in a set, 782 00:37:41,628 --> 00:37:45,832 like a TV set, of part of Ron's bedroom. 783 00:37:45,865 --> 00:37:50,537 And they have the attorneys playing different parts. 784 00:37:50,570 --> 00:37:52,339 They're putting on their own little crime show 785 00:37:52,372 --> 00:37:54,174 in the courtroom. 786 00:37:54,207 --> 00:37:55,475 - Bang, bang. 787 00:37:55,508 --> 00:37:57,210 And then would have to run around 788 00:37:57,243 --> 00:37:59,679 the other side of the bed. 789 00:37:59,713 --> 00:38:02,749 - And we had Tom Pitaro fake shooting John Momot. 790 00:38:02,782 --> 00:38:04,918 He stood at the bed, and he's running around the bed. 791 00:38:05,018 --> 00:38:07,754 And it's like, what kind of garbage is this? 792 00:38:07,787 --> 00:38:10,323 [dramatic sting] 793 00:38:10,357 --> 00:38:12,025 - So on April 18th, 794 00:38:12,025 --> 00:38:13,693 the trial has been going on for about six weeks. 795 00:38:13,727 --> 00:38:16,029 Defense attorney Michael Amador receives a call 796 00:38:16,029 --> 00:38:17,864 from a guy, Donald Schaupeter. 797 00:38:17,897 --> 00:38:20,200 [tense music] 798 00:38:20,233 --> 00:38:22,035 - All right. [clears throat] 799 00:38:22,068 --> 00:38:24,337 My name is Don Schaupeter. 800 00:38:24,371 --> 00:38:26,339 - He's been watching the trial on TV. 801 00:38:26,373 --> 00:38:28,108 And he says that Bruce Honabach, 802 00:38:28,141 --> 00:38:29,509 the antique dealer, 803 00:38:29,542 --> 00:38:32,612 did not buy a humpback trunk from Mr. Schaupeter. 804 00:38:32,645 --> 00:38:34,381 - I said, Bruce must be mistaken. 805 00:38:34,414 --> 00:38:37,083 - "I sold him a box with some ice skates, 806 00:38:37,117 --> 00:38:39,352 not a humpback trunk." 807 00:38:39,386 --> 00:38:41,521 - That's a pretty big issue, because the prosecutors made 808 00:38:41,554 --> 00:38:43,323 a big deal about finding Honabach 809 00:38:43,356 --> 00:38:46,059 to show, you know, the source of the trunk. 810 00:38:46,059 --> 00:38:48,628 - It was clearly a setback for prosecutors. 811 00:38:48,661 --> 00:38:52,065 They lost this clean, direct connection 812 00:38:52,098 --> 00:38:54,234 between Margaret and the trunk. 813 00:38:58,138 --> 00:39:00,140 - The state went first, gave their closing argument. 814 00:39:00,173 --> 00:39:03,076 Their theory in the case was pretty simple. 815 00:39:03,109 --> 00:39:07,013 - Our theory as prosecutors was that Margaret Rudin 816 00:39:07,047 --> 00:39:09,516 killed Ron Rudin in his bed. 817 00:39:09,549 --> 00:39:11,551 He was shot multiple times in the head, 818 00:39:11,584 --> 00:39:13,620 and the body had to get transported 819 00:39:13,653 --> 00:39:15,155 with the help of an accomplice, 820 00:39:15,188 --> 00:39:18,358 and that her motive for doing so was financial gain. 821 00:39:18,391 --> 00:39:20,326 - Then it was up to Margaret's attorneys 822 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:21,561 to do their closing arguments. 823 00:39:21,594 --> 00:39:23,263 Michael Amador, the lead attorney, 824 00:39:23,296 --> 00:39:25,031 was gonna be allocated 30 minutes 825 00:39:25,031 --> 00:39:26,499 to make his argument. 826 00:39:26,533 --> 00:39:29,035 - Ask the right questions, and I'll tell you no lies. 827 00:39:29,035 --> 00:39:31,137 Is Margaret Rudin innocent of the charges presented 828 00:39:31,171 --> 00:39:32,839 to you by the prosecution? 829 00:39:32,872 --> 00:39:36,876 The answer is yes, she is innocent. 830 00:39:39,212 --> 00:39:41,181 - There was not a rational closing argument 831 00:39:41,214 --> 00:39:43,383 given by Margaret's attorney, which was a shame. 832 00:39:43,416 --> 00:39:45,585 - Gonna be a travesty of justice. 833 00:39:45,618 --> 00:39:48,054 - Michael Amador promises Judge Bonaventure 834 00:39:48,088 --> 00:39:50,323 he's gonna do a quick closing argument. 835 00:39:50,357 --> 00:39:52,058 He ends up going 90 minutes. 836 00:39:52,058 --> 00:39:53,960 Sets Judge Bonaventure off. 837 00:39:54,060 --> 00:39:55,862 - Amador, you sandbagged me. 838 00:39:55,895 --> 00:39:59,733 You lied to me, you lied to this DA, 839 00:39:59,766 --> 00:40:01,835 and you didn't live up to your bargain. 840 00:40:01,868 --> 00:40:04,537 You lied to the court. You sandbagged the court. 841 00:40:04,571 --> 00:40:07,507 [tense music] 842 00:40:07,540 --> 00:40:10,543 * * 843 00:40:10,577 --> 00:40:12,645 - The jury was left to deliberate. 844 00:40:12,679 --> 00:40:16,316 Days dragged on, and a stalemate emerged. 845 00:40:16,349 --> 00:40:18,284 - At first, we were nine to three. 846 00:40:18,318 --> 00:40:22,422 The whole case is just one strange thing after another. 847 00:40:23,590 --> 00:40:26,459 There was some conflict about the trunk. 848 00:40:26,493 --> 00:40:28,294 Some believed David Schaupeter did not 849 00:40:28,328 --> 00:40:30,797 sell Bruce Honabach the trunk. 850 00:40:30,830 --> 00:40:33,833 I think that Bruce Honabach sold Margaret Rudin 851 00:40:33,867 --> 00:40:34,801 an antique trunk. 852 00:40:34,834 --> 00:40:37,871 Might not have come from David Schaupeter. 853 00:40:37,904 --> 00:40:40,306 And after some deliberation, after a few hours, 854 00:40:40,340 --> 00:40:41,675 it was 11 to 1. 855 00:40:41,708 --> 00:40:43,610 And we stayed 11 to 1 for days. 856 00:40:46,146 --> 00:40:48,081 - When they actually delivered their verdict, 857 00:40:48,114 --> 00:40:49,349 what we come to find out is... 858 00:40:49,382 --> 00:40:51,184 - As to count two, 859 00:40:51,217 --> 00:40:53,386 for murder with the use of a deadly weapon, 860 00:40:53,420 --> 00:40:56,289 we find the defendant guilty. 861 00:40:56,322 --> 00:40:58,124 - [crying] 862 00:40:58,158 --> 00:41:01,695 - That one holdout juror changed her vote. 863 00:41:01,728 --> 00:41:03,830 - Margaret was convicted first degree murder, 864 00:41:03,863 --> 00:41:06,666 and she was sentenced to 20 years to life. 865 00:41:06,700 --> 00:41:09,903 - The prosecutors were unified with their story. 866 00:41:09,936 --> 00:41:11,571 And there was a mountain of evidence 867 00:41:11,604 --> 00:41:13,940 as to why we thought she did it 868 00:41:13,973 --> 00:41:17,911 and very little as to why she didn't do it. 869 00:41:17,944 --> 00:41:19,913 And I've said it before and I'll say it again-- 870 00:41:19,946 --> 00:41:22,382 this thing was a slam dunk with a stepladder. 871 00:41:22,415 --> 00:41:23,950 She did it. 872 00:41:23,983 --> 00:41:26,953 - I believe Margaret got what she deserved. 873 00:41:26,986 --> 00:41:27,921 Justice was served. 874 00:41:27,954 --> 00:41:33,226 Ron Rudin should be remembered as... 875 00:41:33,259 --> 00:41:36,363 remembered as a criminal. 876 00:41:36,396 --> 00:41:40,300 [dramatic sting] 877 00:41:40,333 --> 00:41:43,703 - Margaret Rudin served 19 years in prison. 878 00:41:43,737 --> 00:41:47,240 During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, 879 00:41:47,273 --> 00:41:49,509 she was released on parole. 880 00:41:51,277 --> 00:41:54,180 - Margaret got released from prison in January of 2020, 881 00:41:54,214 --> 00:41:57,751 and she's maintained her innocence the whole time. 882 00:41:57,784 --> 00:41:59,552 Then she started corresponding with me, 883 00:41:59,586 --> 00:42:01,554 and she started calling me, and then I agreed 884 00:42:01,588 --> 00:42:04,224 to represent her if she got a new trial. 885 00:42:04,257 --> 00:42:06,459 When I go back and read the trial transcript, 886 00:42:06,493 --> 00:42:08,862 I couldn't believe what I read. 887 00:42:08,895 --> 00:42:11,731 There was some more discussion that the jury didn't see, 888 00:42:11,765 --> 00:42:13,500 or the TVs didn't see, behind the scenes 889 00:42:13,533 --> 00:42:15,101 in Judge Bonaventure's chambers. 890 00:42:15,135 --> 00:42:17,937 It was recorded by a court reporter. 891 00:42:17,971 --> 00:42:19,906 Michael Amador, the lead attorney, 892 00:42:19,939 --> 00:42:22,308 admitted he wasn't prepared, he was in over his head, 893 00:42:22,342 --> 00:42:23,810 he hadn't been able to sleep, 894 00:42:23,843 --> 00:42:25,311 and, I mean, all this other kind of stuff. 895 00:42:25,345 --> 00:42:28,148 At that point, it should have been a mistrial. 896 00:42:28,181 --> 00:42:30,850 Margaret did not have effective assistance and counsel. 897 00:42:33,086 --> 00:42:36,389 - Based on these new findings, an appeal was filed 898 00:42:36,423 --> 00:42:39,592 on Margaret Rudin's behalf to reopen the case. 899 00:42:39,626 --> 00:42:42,729 [dramatic sting] 900 00:42:42,762 --> 00:42:45,131 - On May 16, 2022, 901 00:42:45,165 --> 00:42:47,967 Federal District Court Judge of Nevada Richard Boulware, 902 00:42:48,001 --> 00:42:51,938 he grants the post-conviction habeas corpus relief. 903 00:42:51,971 --> 00:42:53,773 Says that Margaret did not get 904 00:42:53,807 --> 00:42:55,275 effective assistance to that trial. 905 00:42:55,308 --> 00:42:57,644 He vacates her conviction. 906 00:42:57,677 --> 00:42:59,546 Clark County DA's office decide 907 00:42:59,579 --> 00:43:01,481 they're not gonna retry the case. 908 00:43:01,514 --> 00:43:02,749 She's already done her time. 909 00:43:02,782 --> 00:43:04,050 The only point would be to actually tag her 910 00:43:04,084 --> 00:43:05,652 with the conviction. 911 00:43:08,288 --> 00:43:11,224 - She's no longer on life parole. 912 00:43:11,257 --> 00:43:13,259 Her rights have been given back to her. 913 00:43:13,293 --> 00:43:15,729 So she can get a passport, she can travel. 914 00:43:15,762 --> 00:43:18,631 So she does have somewhat of her life back. 915 00:43:18,665 --> 00:43:21,067 But she's 79 years old now. 916 00:43:21,067 --> 00:43:22,469 You know, it's just unfortunate. 917 00:43:22,502 --> 00:43:23,837 There's no winners here. 918 00:43:23,870 --> 00:43:25,672 Ron Rudin lost his life. 919 00:43:25,705 --> 00:43:28,341 Margaret Rudin lost hers. 920 00:43:28,375 --> 00:43:29,809 Was law and order served? 921 00:43:29,843 --> 00:43:31,611 I don't believe so. 922 00:43:31,644 --> 00:43:35,515 We still don't have a convicted killer. 923 00:43:35,548 --> 00:43:38,852 So is Ron Rudin's murder a mystery still? 924 00:43:41,488 --> 00:43:43,256 Looks like it.