Jury selection begins in bizarre murder case

Kim Smith

Monday, Feb. 26, 2001 | 11:26 a.m.

Jury selection in the Margaret Rudin murder trial began this morning after two attempts to get it halted failed.

The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Friday that its intervention in the case was unwarranted and District Judge Joseph Bonaventure said this morning that allegations made against Chief Deputy District Attorney Gary Guymon were groundless.

Bonaventure told Rudin's attorney, Michael Amador, that he will not stand for any more frivolous motions and will consider sanctions if more are filed in the future.

Quoting William Shakespeare, Bonaventure said Amador owed Guymon an apology for trying to steal his "good name."

Rudin, 56, is charged with shooting her husband, Ronald, in the head numerous times on Dec. 18, 1994, then decapitating and burning his remains.

Prosecutors suspect Rudin killed her husband in a jealous rage over his infidelities and to get her hands on his multimillion-dollar estate.

Ronald Rudin's remains were found near Nelson's Landing on Lake Mohave one month after he was reported missing.

Amador said he intends to prove that Ronald Rudin's business associates killed him.

Amador had asked the Supreme Court to postpone the trial so it could reconsider Bonaventure's decision to allow the Clark County district attorney's office to try Rudin.

Amador argued that a special prosecutor should handle the case because District Attorney Stewart Bell once handled divorce proceedings for Rudin, who had been married four times before marrying Ronald Rudin.

Bonaventure said he didn't believe there was a conflict, because Bell doesn't remember Rudin and isn't handling the case personally.

The defense attorney also tried to get the charges against Rudin thrown out last week by claiming that Guymon had lied about a piece of evidence in the case in an attempt to influence potential jurors and withheld other information.

Amador also demanded Guymon's resignation.

Bonaventure said this morning that that is "no sound basis" to back Amador's allegations.

Amador said he would refile the motions "100 times" because he believes his allegations to be true, but conceded the resignation request was "inappropriate."

Amador turned to Guymon and asked if they could get past the "stress" he inflicted upon him.

Guymon did not respond, and Bonaventure said he didn't have to answer.

The trial is expected to last at least four weeks.