Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | 9:49 a.m.
For much of her testimony Tuesday, Magda Belen showed no emotion as she answered questions about her mother, Shirley Rundle, and the man accused of murdering her.
Belen calmly referred to William Rundle as Bill throughout her testimony, but broke down when Deputy Public Defender Nancy Lemcke showed her pictures of her family in happier times at Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland.
Belen admitted that Rundle appeared to have been a good father and always seemed to get along with her mother. Defense attorneys continued to contend that Rundle was a good man who did not plan to kill his wife.
Belen said she knew something was wrong in August 2002, when her husband found a terse note saying that the Rundles had suddenly left Las Vegas for the Philippines.
"I just didn't believe it," Belen said. "It was impossible for them to just leave the country. I was very close to my mother, and would see her probably three times a week.
"I'd talk to her almost every single day."
Prosecutors argue that Rundle planned the killing and is guilty of first-degree murder, while Rundle's attorneys say that the murder was not premeditated. If convicted of first-degree murder, Rundle could face the death penalty.
Shirley Rundle's body was found wrapped in a blanket on the side of a remote highway about 30 miles northwest of Susanville, Calif. The 63-year-old had suffered head wounds that were later revealed in an autopsy to be caused by repeated blows from a baseball bat.
Rundle was arrested in Orlando, Fla., after being on the run from police for six weeks.
Also testifying Tuesday was a Metro Police missing persons detective, a Metro crime scene analyst and a postal inspector.
Belen testified that Shirley Rundle's signature on a post office card to hold the couple's mail while they were allegedly in the Philippines is actually William Rundle's handwriting. Prosecutors are scheduled to call a handwriting expert to the stand later this week, who is expected to testify that the writing on the card is William Rundle's.
Rundle, who was once named father of the year by a local organization and garnered media attention in 1987 when his 11-year-old son, Richie, was killed by a drunken driver, could also testify in his own defense during the trial, which is expected to last at least two weeks.
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