Juror assures Nevadans ‘justice was served’

Kim Smith

Thursday, May 3, 2001 | 11:28 a.m.

As far as Ron Vest is concerned, prosecutors Gary Guymon and Chris Owens couldn't have done a better job prosecuting Margaret Rudin for the slaying of her husband.

Vest, the Rudin jury's foreman, said there were 97 pieces of evidence that pointed to Rudin's guilt.

"To me, you have to have means, motive and opportunity, and no one fit that better than Margaret Rudin," Vest said.

The jurors announced their verdict Wednesday, one week after closing arguments and two months to the day after opening statements.

"I thought we'd be done Thursday," Vest said. "To me, it was a slam dunk with a stepladder."

Vest held a one-man press conference Wednesday afternoon to tell members of the media why he voted to convict Rudin, what he thought of the tension in the courtroom and to provide a small glimpse into the deliberation process.

The special-education teacher began the conference by reading a statement in which he said all jurors were in agreement.

"This case was not about the jury, the attorneys or Judge (Joseph) Bonaventure. It was about Ronald Rudin and the evidence," Vest said. "In his opening remarks on March 2, (defense attorney) Michael Amador said, 'This is a great day.' I submit to you that today, May 2, is a great day. Ronald Rudin, his family and the people of the great state of Nevada can (take) comfort in the fact that justice was served today."

Vest then tried to address the question in everyone's mind: Why did Juror 11 change her mind from "not guilty" to "guilty?"

Everyone watching the Rudin case was well aware that for four days Juror 11 was the only thing standing between Rudin and prison, and many were shocked when she cast her guilty vote Wednesday morning.

There were those who thought the jury would end up hanging because of her, and still others thought the jurors would convict Rudin of accessory to murder as a compromise verdict.

Vest said he was so concerned about Juror 11's stance he even asked her if she had been threatened or bribed to become the lone hold-out.

In the end, however, Vest said the jurors came together as a team, and Juror 11 "came to the decision of her own free will."

He said she was "absolutely not" forced to change her mind. She changed it on her own after some "swearing" and a "fast and furious" discussion of the evidence was held Wednesday morning, Vest said.

As for the defense team, Vest said he didn't "buy any" of their theories. He didn't believe Rudin had been targeted by the upper echelon of Metro, that Ronald Rudin's death was related to land deals or that Ronald Rudin wasn't shot in his bedroom.

And, despite the defense's contentions to the contrary, Vest said none of the jurors allowed the bickering and shouting that took place during the trial to affect them.

They focused on the evidence, Vest said.

In fact, Vest said, Bonaventure should probably have been harsher with the defense attorneys because they dragged out the trial for too long.