Rudin’s husband may have seen his violent death coming

Kim Smith

Friday, Feb. 16, 2001 | 10:39 a.m.

Jurors in the Margaret Rudin murder trial will learn that her husband may have foreseen his violent death.

District Judge Joseph Bonaventure ruled Thursday that prosecutors will be allowed to tell jurors about a directive Ronald Rudin put in his will three years after he married Margaret.

Ronald Rudin directed his trustees to investigate his death if he died violently. He wrote: "Should said death be caused, directly or indirectly, by a beneficiary of my estate, said beneficiary shall be totally excluded from my estate and/or any trusts I may have in existence."

Margaret Rudin, 56, is scheduled to go on trial Feb. 26 in the December 1994 death of Ronald Rudin although her attorney, Michael Amador, has asked the Nevada Supreme Court for an emergency stay of the proceeding.

Prosecutors suspect Rudin and an unknown accomplice shot Ronald Rudin, 64, in the head multiple times, then decapitated and burned his remains, which were found in a trunk in the Lake Mead National Recreational Area.

They say Rudin was enraged to learn that her husband was having an affair, and she also wanted to get her hands on his fortune, estimated to be between $5 million and $10 million.

Amador has said Ronald Rudin, a real estate developer, was involved in shady business deals and didn't lack for enemies.

Bonaventure met with the attorneys Thursday to announce his decision on a number of evidentiary issues.

In addition to allowing prosecutors to use the directive at trial, Bonaventure also ruled they can use portions Rudin's diaries and logs at the trial as long as they can prove they are hers and are not "cumulative, repetitive or their prejudicial value outweighs their probative value."

Joining Amador in the courtroom for the first time was defense attorney Tom Pitaro and private investigator Thomas Dillard. Both men have joined the defense team within the last week.

Many believe it was Dillard's work for Ted Binion's estate that resulted in the arrest and convictions of Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish in the death of Binion.

Amador has asked the Supreme Court to halt the trial until they review Bonaventure's decision to allow the Clark County District Attorney's Office to prosecute Rudin.

Amador says that because District Attorney Stewart Bell represented Rudin in a prior divorce, a conflict of interest exists.

Amador said he'd like to see a special prosecutor or the attorney general's office handle the case.