Fugitive held in Massachusetts for husband’s death

Tom Kirchofer

Monday, Nov. 8, 1999 | 1:27 a.m.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - A Las Vegas woman on the lam for two years after being indicted in the murder of her millionaire husband plans to fight extradition to Nevada.

Margaret Rudin, who was taken into custody Friday, was ordered held without bail in Framingham District Court today. The 56-year-old was indicted on a murder charge in 1997 for the 1994 shooting of real estate agent Ron Rudin.

His bullet-ridden and burned body was found by a fisherman near the Colorado River in Lake Mohave, Nev., in January 1995, nearly a month after his wife reported him missing.

Rudin's lawyer, Randall Power, said she plans to fight a return to Las Vegas.

Rudin was arrested by police disguised as pizza delivery men in the Boston suburb of Revere on Friday night. Authorities had been tipped off to her whereabouts following an airing late last month of the television show "America's Most Wanted."

Authorities believe Rudin had been staying in Revere since at least December. While here, she was trying to become a cobbler's apprentice, said State Police Sgt. Mark Lynch.

Police had been staking out the house when a Domino's pizza delivery man showed up Friday. Authorities followed the employee back to his shop and showed him a photograph of the fugitive.

When the delivery man said he believed he saw the woman at the Yeamans Street house, police borrowed a Domino's shirt, a pizza box and a company sign to put on top of the car.

Authorities said they arrested Rudin - who was hiding in the bathroom - without incident. Police were apparently concerned because the man with whom she was staying, Joseph Lundergan, had a firearms permit.

Police say Lundergan knew Rudin was a fugitive. He was not charged with any crime as of midday today.

"There's no doubt that he knew she was at least a suspect if not the suspect," Lynch said.

In asking that Rudin be held, prosecutor Maura Murphy said the woman "has led the police through the states of Arizona, Illinois and New Mexico."