'Vegas's Black Widow' Files Suit Against Wrongful Murder Conviction for Spouse
In Las Vegas, 80-year-old Margaret Rudin, who was convicted of murdering her husband in 1994, has filed a lawsuit against the State of Nevada for her wrongful conviction. This comes after her conviction was vacated in 2022, with her having already served 21 years in prison. The lawsuit, which was filed in Clark County District Court on Thursday, did not specify the damages sought.
Margaret was initially sentenced to life in prison in 2001, following her guilty verdict for killing her husband, millionaire Las Vegas real-estate developer Ron Rudin. After being indicted in 1997, she fled Nevada but was captured in Massachusetts 31 months later. Authorities alleged that money was her motive behind the murder, leading tabloids to label her the “Black Widow of Las Vegas.” Despite this, she's maintained her innocence and has been fighting for a new trial since her incarceration began.
Margaret was released on parole in 2020, and a federal judge granted her a conditional writ of habeas corpus on May 15, 2022, due to ineffective counsel at her trial that violated her constitutional rights. With prosecutors opting not to retry her, she's now looking to prove her innocence under a 2019 Nevada law that deals with the rights of people wrongfully convicted.
"Ron Rudin had many enemies from a complicated personal life, suspicious business dealings, and connections to criminal elements," her lawyer, Adam Breeden, said in a statement released Thursday. "There was no evidence like fingerprints, DNA, or eyewitnesses linking Margaret Rudin to Ron Rudin's murder. However, rookie homicide detectives exclusively focused on Margaret Rudin in a biased police investigation."
The Mysterious Case of Ron Rudin
Ron Rudin, aged 64, went missing on December 18, 1994, while walking to his wife's antique shop from his real estate office, both of which were located in the same strip mall. Almost a month later, his burned and headless body was discovered in a hiking area near Lake Mead in Boulder City, Nevada. The crucial point in Margaret's defense is where Ron's car was found.
The car was parked at Crazy Horse Too, a strip club known for its connections to Las Vegas gangsters dating back to the 1980s. In 1981, the club was acquired by mob figure Tony Albanese after the previous owner passed away. He renamed the club as a sequel to his other Los Angeles strip club, the Crazy Horse Saloon.
Three years later, Albanese disappeared, and his head was found in the desert near Needles, California. When the Crazy Horse Too was demolished in late 2022, no one mourned its fate.
Today, in her 80s, Margaret is determined to use a Nevada statute amended in 2019 to prove that she had no involvement in her husband's death and didn't commit the crime.
During the original investigation, police claimed they found blood spatters in the main bedroom of the Rudin household. In 1996, a .22 caliber handgun was discovered in Lake Mead. This gun was traced back to Ron Rudin and confirmed as the murder weapon. According to the police, he had reported it missing in 1988, shortly after marrying Margaret.
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Source: www.casino.org
