Posted on 01/10/2020 5:19:59 PM PST by nickcarraway
UPDATE 8:20 A.M. Margaret Rudin, 76, was just seen being released from a prison in Las Vegas after serving nearly 20 years.
Attorney Greg Mullanax gave a statement on behalf of Rudin, saying that she is happy to be out of prison and plans to go to Illinois to be with her family and is looking forward to getting to know them. Her attorney also talked about Rudin's trial, calling it a fraud and a sham and insisting that his client is innocent. He also said that they are hoping that the federal court will grant her a new trial to prove her innocence.
MULTI-PART SERIES: Some terrified as infamous killer Margaret Rudin set to be released from prison
EARLIER STORY Margaret Rudin, who is known as the Black Widow, could be released from prison today.
Rudin, who was born in Memphis, Tennessee, was married 4 times before she met Ronald Rudin at the First Church of Religious Science in Las Vegas. The couple was married on Sept. 11, 1987.
According to friends and family, the couple had a very stormy relationship and Rudin was insanely jealous.
Joe Bartels ✔ @Joe_Bartels RUDIN WATCH 2020: Infamous convicted killer Margaret Rudin, dubbed the Black Widow, could be released any second from prison. We have every enterance and exit covered at the Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Facility. @KTNV
View image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on Twitter 5 7:56 AM - Jan 10, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy See Joe Bartels's other Tweets Ronald Rudin was reported missing on Dec. 19, 1994, when he did not show up for work. His body was discovered Jan. 21, 1995, near Lake Mojave. He had been more than once in the head.
Police found blood spatter in the couple's home and a blood-soaked mattress. A gun was found in 1996 in Lake Mead.
A murder indictment was for Margaret was handed down in April 1997, but she had already left the state. She spent 2-1/2 years in hiding until she was arrested in November 1999 in Massachusetts.
She was brought back to Las Vegas to face trial, which began in March 2001. She was found guilty on May 2, 2001, and sentenced to life in prison in August of that year.
Rudin has challenged her conviction several times over the year without success. In October 2019, she was granted parole.
13 Action News investigator Joe Bartels and photojournalist Rudy Garcia produced several special reports about Rudin. Click here to read the entire story.
the fact she fled for 2 1/2 years before being caught makes me believe they made the correct decision.
I’d want to know more than that - like direct evidence.
(Fleeing, alone, isn’t really proof of anything. Even innocent people can get all kinds of crazy when they feel trapped by circumstance.)
From the wiki history of the case.
Ronald Rudin disappeared on December 18, 1994 after walking to Margaret’s antique shop which was in the same strip mall as his real estate office. On January 21, 1995, his charred dismembered remains were discovered near Lake Mojave along with the burnt remains of an antique steamer trunk. He had been shot in the head at least four times with a .22 caliber gun. Police later searched the Rudin residence and found blood spatter in the bedroom as well as a blood-soaked mattress that had been removed from the home. On July 21, 1996 a .22 caliber Ruger handgun was found in Lake Mead and was traced back to Ron Rudin. The handgun was later confirmed to be the murder weapon. Ron Rudin had reported the gun missing in 1988, shortly after he married Margaret.
On April 18, 1997, the grand jury handed down a murder indictment against Margaret, but by this time, she had left the state. She spent the next 2 1/2 years in hiding until she was arrested in Massachusetts in November 1999 and was extradited to Nevada to face murder charges in the death of her husband. Margaret Rudin went on trial on March 2, 2001. Her defense claimed that her husband was killed due to illegal activities he was involved in. The prosecutor argued Margaret killed her husband to prevent him from divorcing her and losing what she would inherit from his estate. She was found guilty on May 2, 2001, and on August 31 she was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years.
I believe all of thatis far more greater than mere coincidence.
But you didn’t include anything about the concerns that have been raised about incompetent representation in the original trial.
(I think some of us here have become aware of other, more high-profile, people, who have been sorely misrepresented in recent years...)
Ok so the evidence is damning and the only thing left is to blame your own attorney. That’s the only thing left she had to go on. And a bad attorney doesn’t change the evidence or circumstances of the crime.
you do know good attorneys lose cases as well. The quality of her representation doesnt address her guilt.
I’ve known people who had lousy attorneys, and spent weeks in jail because of it - totally *innocent* people.
And a ‘Bad’ or imcompetent attorney can certainly fail to perceive and address issues that are being misrepresented by the prosecutors!
I’m 7 years younger than her. She’s too old. lol
So you’re telling me there’s a chance.
Met a gal online who was on her 2nd husband both had died as had a live-in boyfriend. She gained a home, had it remodeled, lots of SS, and full VA health benefits. Set for life.
I have a friend who I tease about being a black widow. Every guy she permanently hooks up with dies....through no fault of hers. First husband was an alcoholic and died in their bed while she was packing for them to leave for Vegas. He had bought insurance that paid off everything if he died. Then a couple of years later she got engaged to a guy she had been seeing 3 or 4 months and he had a heart attack and died after their Christmas party at his house. Every time she starts seeing someone for awhile I tell her....but are they ready to assume the risk? lol
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