State puts Miami Police DNA expert on stand

Kim Smith

Monday, April 23, 2001 | 10:57 a.m.

A criminalist with the Miami Dade Police took the stand this morning as the final rebuttal witness for the state in the Margaret Rudin trial.

Toby Wolson, an expert in the areas of blood stain pattern analysis and DNA, was expected to testify that he supports the idea that Ronald Rudin was shot to death in his bed six years ago.

Rudin's defense attorneys are expected to put on their rebuttal witness Tuesday, and closing arguments are slated for Wednesday.

Jury selection in the case began Feb. 26, and opening arguments were held March 2. The case had been expected to take only four to six weeks.

Authorities believe Ronald Rudin, 64, a wealthy real estate developer, was shot in the head four times as he slept Dec. 18, 1994. His decapitated and burned remains were found about a month later near Lake Mohave, 45 miles southeast of Las Vegas.

Prosecutors Gary Guymon and Chris Owens hope to convince jurors Margaret Rudin, 56, killed her husband to inherit her share of his $11 million estate. They also contend she was upset after learning of an affair he was having with an IRS agent.

Rudin's defense attorneys have tried to cast doubt on the state's theory. Their experts have testified that Ronald Rudin did not die in his bed, nor were his remains cremated at Lake Mohave.

Defense attorneys have suggested the police ignored other possible suspects, including Ronald Rudin's trustees, who collected nearly all of Ronald Rudin's money after a civil trial was held in January 1996.

On Friday Metro Detective Larry Hanna testified he did investigate a report in which a man, Leonard Castle, told police his life and the life of Ronald Rudin had been threatened just two months prior to Ronald Rudin's disappearance.

While speaking with Castle, Hanna said he learned that only Castle had been threatened. He also found that the man making the threats had an alibi for the time of Ronald Rudin's disappearance.

Also on Friday defense attorney Thomas Pitaro asked District Judge Joseph Bonaventure to refrain from making "snide" comments to the attorneys in front of the jury.

"If you want to yell at me, go ahead. Just don't do it in front of the jury, that's all I ask," Pitaro said.

Bonaventure said he has always made sure to keep his tone level when jurors are present. However, he said it is his job to keep the trial moving.

Although he didn't mention the O.J. Simpson trial specifically, he recalled a "famous California case" that took nine months to finish because the judge "took a back seat."

"I'm not going to take a back seat to defense counsel or to the state," Bonaventure said. "I'm going to exercise my discretion as a judge. I've been a judge for 22 years, and I'm not going to stop now.

"I ain't changing, if you want to know the truth. This is my responsibility to run this trial and if you don't like it, that's fine. You made a record on it."