Transcript
A (0:00)
There's a lot of pressure to choose the perfect gift. But with Omaha Steaks, you can put all that gift anxiety aside from effortless holiday hosting to unforgettable gifts. Omaha Steaks delivers the world's best steak experience. When you gift Omaha Steaks, you're gifting USDA certified tender steaks, premium proteins, elegant sides and decadent, indulgent desserts. Omaha Steaks offers unrivaled quality and variety and every bite is backed by their 100% guarantee. Every steak is perfectly aged to maximize tenderness and hand cut by master butchers in America's heartland. Grass fed grain finished beef has more marbling for exceptional flavor and is the choice of steakhouses and professional chefs around the world. Right now is the perfect time to save on delicious gifts and holiday hosting favorites. Save big on gourmet gifts and more holiday favorites with omaha Steaks. Visit OmahaSteaks.com and for an extra $35 off, use code T bone at checkout Terms app site for details. That's Omaha Steaks.com promo code T boned holiday PSA from DSW. This is a reminder that shoes are a gift. Literally. So unwrap something good like boots that inspire your next big adventure or cozy slippers that give you an excuse to stay in or sneakers that feel like pure joy. Because shoes aren't just shoes, they're exactly what you wanted. Let us surprise you so you can surprise them. Find shoes that get you and everyone on your list at prices that get your budget at DSW stores or dsw.com. It's a horrible way to live. Were you worried? Looking over your shoulders? Always. Every minute of every day. In Revere, Massachusetts, a quiet blue collar town just Outside of Boston, 54 year old Lee Brown was keeping a dark secret. I am not in the habit of talking to people about my life. She would just come in, she'd say hello to those that knew her. Lee was a sweet, quiet woman. And my shop is right there. Print shop owner Vince Laporta was Lee's neighbor. She'd probably come in like two or three times a week and make copies. She was very pleasant. She was basically like a grandmother, you know, very soft spoken, very, very nice. A nice lady. Just one of the regulars, Jackie Mello served Lee coffee at his Blues Diner. There was just something about her. She was more classy, you know, a more well spoken, well educated kind of girl. No one ever knew Lee Brown was really Margaret Rudy, a woman suspected of murder in Nevada. This is just unbelievable, you know, I don't believe she was capable at all of doing something like this. Massachusetts State Trooper Mark lynch got a tip from Nevada authorities that Margaret Rudin was living in Revere. It was that beige one over there. Lynch tracked Margaret down to this apartment. And with one of his officers disguised as a pizza delivery man, a Domino's shirt, baseball cap, and a Domino's pizza box, he gained entry and made the arrest. We opened the door, and then she's hiding, basically either in the tub or right next to the tub. The statement was made. Margaret, do you know why we're here? And she says, yeah. This is about Las Vegas, isn't it? Las Vegas, the strip, the shows, a high stakes gambling mecca. But to Margaret Rudin, Las Vegas meant murder. She's brought back to Las Vegas to stand trial for the 1994 murder of her husband, Ron Rudin. Let me ask you point blank, did you kill your husband? Absolutely not. Ron Rudin disappeared December 1994. Back then, he was a successful real estate developer and gun dealer who was worth an estimated $12 million. 60% of Ron's millions of dollars would have gone to her. Jimmy Vaccaro and Phil Ramos were homicide detectives assigned to the case. We know there was this real rocky rollercoaster relationship between Margaret Rudin and her husband. Was there a strain in the relationship? Many. Margaret Rudin admits there were problems, but that wasn't reason to kill him. I don't have a history of staying with somebody if I'm really unhappy. I have a history of divorcing them. And so did Ron when They married in 1987. It was the fifth marriage for both. He was extremely mysterious, very charismatic. Did you fall in love with him? Yes, he needed me. But soon after they were married, Margaret says she began to see another side of Ron. I thought I'd made a terrible mistake, you know, by then I knew that he was drinking a lot and he was having an affair. Did that upset you, that he was having extramarital affairs? Did it make you angry? No. You know why? It's because 99% of the men that I've ever had in my life had affairs. I believe that about 90% of the men do. He might as well expect it. But in spite of everything, she says she loved Ron and was determined to make her marriage work. I still thought that I could have an influence on him, that I could make a difference. When ron disappeared in 1994, Margaret was preparing for the grand opening of her antique shop. I expected him to come in, and he didn't. We knew something was wrong. Sharon Melton Ron's close friend and bookkeeper. After 10 years, I think I knew him well. Immediately became concerned when Ron failed to show up at work the next morning. He would just not, not show up and let anyone know. One month later, Ron did show up. Charred remains of a body had been discovered in the desert 40 miles outside of Las Vegas. So this is where Ron Rudin stopped. Right here. Not a very fitting end for anyone. They told me that Ron's remains had been found. I think I was numb more than anything else. Amongst the remains was the framework of an antique trunk. And about 35ft that way towards the river was where the head rolled to the human skull. It was right in that area, right there. Bullet holes in the skull. The medical examiner felt there was a possibility of decapitation having occurred postmortem. Is Margaret Rudin capable of murder? Is she capable of murder? Without a doubt. It's unjust. It's not fair. If she is innocent, why then did this pleasant, soft spoken grandmother go on the run for almost three years? When you're helpless and you're totally alone, you do tend to maybe panic. That's next. There's nothing like gaining a fresh perspective from experts who've seen it all and have the wisdom to prove it. With Masterclass, you can learn from the best to become your best. With plans starting at $10 a month billed annually, you get unlimited access to over 200 classes taught by the world's best business leaders, writers, chefs and more. With Masterclass, you get thousands of bite sized lessons across 13 categories that can fit into even the busiest of schedules. And the classes really make a difference. Three in four surveyed members feel inspired every time they watch masterclass. And 83% of surveyed members have applied something they've learned from Masterclass to their lives. Masterclass always has great offers during the holidays, sometimes up to as much as 50% off. Head over to masterclass.com audio for the current offer. That's up to 50% off@masterclass.com audio masterclass.com audio hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half the price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means a half day. Yeah. Give it a try@mintmobile.com switch. Upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to 15 per month required new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speed slow. 135 gigabytes of networks busy, taxes and fees extra. Cmobile.com. Right through here is where the trunk got dragged. And then here's the burn spot right here where the fire actually took place. Las Vegas homicide detectives Phil Ramos and Jimmy Vaccaro have seen their share of murder. Somebody's dead. We want to know who did it. But nothing compares to what they believe happened to Ron Rudin. Shot, possibly decapitated, hauled some 45 miles outside of town. Does that sound like overkill? It does to me. I did not kill my husband. Now Ron's wife Margaret will stand trial for his murder. This is my handsome husband on her way to church. I want to remember him during the good times. Do you still love him? Yes. So does Ron's cousin, Brenda Woods. We were very close, who was like a sister to Ron. We just kind of had a special relationship. This was taken in 1956 in our backyard. He would have been all of 27 years old there. Oh, it's on, huh? Yeah. Ron was a kidder. Ron was fun. And that's what I remember most about him, is that he was always teasing and always making us laugh. Brenda watched Ron become a successful real estate developer. He had the plates RRR1 Ron Rudin Realty, but worried about him failing at four marriages. Until she met Margaret. The first time I met her, I loved her. I did. We all did. A completely happy Christmas. She was so sweet and had that sweet voice and so soft spoken. Brenda saw in Margaret a caring mother and grandmother who doted over Ron. It was the kind of person that you'd say, you're welcome in my home at any time. But when Ron mysteriously disappeared seven years later, Brenda's attitude changed. The more information we got, the more we started adding it up and the more we thought she had something very much to do with it. Whether she pulled the trigger or not, police felt exactly the same way. She's given us bad signals right from the start. They turned their attention to Margaret. Everything keeps bringing us back to her. After she showed what seemed like a lack of concern for Ron's whereabouts. I think that was part of the reason why people were looking at Margaret right away. I saw him about 6:30. They say it took Margaret two days to file a missing persons report and that she did so only after Ron's co workers informed police first. Generally speaking, if the spouse is missing, the wife's the one reporting him. One month later, when the detectives told Margaret that Ron had been murdered, again, Margaret's reaction raised suspicion. We've notified a lot of People that their loved one is dead. I've never seen a non reaction like Margaret's. And then there was the antique trunk. Police say Ron was burned in. Margaret had an antique store and she was an antique dealer, but it was information coming from this man. He's the guy that tells us everything that sent up a red flag. He's the one that really takes us and brings us straight on focus with Margaret. This is actually the master bedroom. Margaret hired Augustine Lovato to remodel the bedroom before Ron's body had been found. This is what I turned into an office for. Why, detectives ask, would Margaret Rudin do so before she knew the fate of her husband? This is all done before we even make the death notification. If Ron's coming home, where are they going to sleep? Detectives say Margaret was trying to clean up the murder scene by removing furniture and carpeting. There was what I thought was blood on the carpet and when I was cutting through it, this like scabby type material kept sticking to me. It looked like dried blood, but there was more. Lovato also noticed a portrait of Margaret hanging over the bed. It gave me a creepy feeling, like it was like staring at me on it. There appeared to be blood. I saw brownish red splatters going up the whole picture. And then when I saw that, I put the carpet and those two together and went, wow. Based on Lovato's statement, detectives searched the bedroom. The carpeting had long since been thrown out. They could only find tiny traces of blood on the ceiling, walls and the portrait. Police failed to find a sample of Ron's DNA, so they couldn't tell if it was his blood. But detectives believe it was and say this is where Margaret shot Ron and killed him. All of this movement of the trunk and everything. Ron Rudin was a 6 foot plus man at about 2:20. Detectives have a theory Margaret didn't act alone. We know there's a co conspirator, we know there's some help in this, but is Margaret capable of sliding up behind Ron while he's sleeping in bed and shooting him? No doubt in my mind. And Ron's friend and bookkeeper, Sharon Melton, says Ron thought so too. One time he stood in my office and screamed at me, she won't shoot me, Sharon. She wouldn't get anything. But guess what? None of us knew about the directive but Ron Rudin. The directive. Something Margaret knew nothing about. An unusual provision Ron put in his will to protect his assets. It was a signal to investigators that if he died by violent means, they should look at his beneficiaries. Do you think he was speaking from his grave? I think he was saying, yeah, in the event that somebody murders me, take a look at these people. Including my wife. Including my wife. While detectives were certain Margaret was the killer, the district attorney's office was concerned about the lack of hard evidence. We don't know we've got enough to take to a jury here. And they didn't. A grand jury failed to indict Margaret for the murder of her husband. But then prosecutors Gary Guiman and Chris Owens caught a break. Quite honestly, it was concealed it in a garbage bag. A gun was found so it looked like trash at the bottom of the lake, 14 miles from where Ron Rudin's body was discovered. Ballistics showed that it was the murder weapon. Incredibly, the gun was owned by Ron Rudin. No question about that at all. No question at all. Records from the ATF have absolutely confirmed that that was his gun. And Rudin had reported the gun missing six years before he was murdered. Are you saying basically that Margaret Rudin took his gun and waited all this time to kill him? That's what the evidence suggests. One year after the gun was found, two years after Ron's murder, the second grand jury handed down an indictment. But before prosecutors could arrest Margaret Rudin, she fled. You're telling us that you've been flying, framed. I think it all boils down to greed. On whose part? That will definitely come out of trial. If you're not guilty, why do you run next? I have so many memories of this place. When I was a kid, my mom spent a lot of her time here. We laughed a lot. I know it's her all time favorite place is here by the water. 34 year old Christina Mason remembers the good times growing up with her mother, Margaret in Zion, Illinois. She's just a wonderful person and I'm proud to say that she's my mother. Christina says her mother has been accused of a crime she did not commit. I miss my mom very much and we just want her to come home. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. How does your family feel about you being in jail? I don't think anyone could ever, ever know how hard it is for a. This is Margaret when she was, I think four years old. And this one, she was five. Margaret's mother, Eloise Frost. If you could be with her right now, what would you tell her? I love you more than anything. Happy birthday to you. Today is Eloise's 80th birthday. The scary thing about being 80 is that I want to live long enough to see Margaret pronounced innocent, because she is innocent. But prosecutors Chris Owens and Gary Gaiman ask, if you're not guilty, why do you run? Just weeks before she was to be indicted, it's real clear that she left because she was soon to be held accountable. Margaret Rudin argues she left Las Vegas nearly two years after Ron's murder and that she had no alternative but to run. I was terrified at that point. I had no attorney. I had no money. It didn't seem like anybody was going to help me. It didn't seem like anybody was even going to care. Far from the bright lights of Las Vegas, Margaret traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico, where she worked teaching English. It was a wonderful adventure because I had never been alone before. To avoid detection, Margaret Rudin changed her identity. How many aliases did you have, do you know? I really don't know. There were quite a few. After several months in Mexico, Margaret moved on to Phoenix, Arizona, and another alias. There was a net boat ride. She worked in a hotel gift shop and lived at a ymca. Her last stop, Revere, Massachusetts, where Margaret Rudin was finally arrested. I wanted my life back. I wanted to be with my children. I wanted to be with my grandchildren. Why did she run? She was scared. Defense attorney Michael Amador says Margaret was forced to run by a police department that had rushed to judgment within days after the missing persons report was given. They immediately targeted Margaret as the perpetrator. You're saying law enforcement in this case used tunnel vision? Absolutely. Item. Police say Ron's employees were the first to report him missing, not Margaret. Since his employees were immediately concerned that he didn't show up for work, why wouldn't Margaret be concerned? But Margaret says she did call police and was told to wait. They had said that the majority of them always come home. They had a policy that it was 48 hours to wait. And Margaret didn't stop there. I started calling everyone that I ever knew to see if anybody had heard from him or if anybody had heard him say anything. Oh, Margaret called very distressed. Barbara Orcutt's mountain lodge was located next to property Ron Rudin owned. I asked Barbara if she had seen Ron. I said, I also was worried that something might have happened to him over on the property. She was very worried, very concerned that Ron hadn't come home. This was not a usual thing. Item. The bedroom, you know, what kind of a wife, when her husband is missing under suspicious circumstances, remodels her entire master bedroom and turns it into an office. There were so Many reasons why for that, too. Margaret explains. Ron was missing for almost a month before she changed her bedroom. I didn't really believe that Ron would be coming back once his car was found. I believed it was foul play. And there was another reason. I had never liked being in the bedroom. Because I had been told Peggy had committed suicide in there. Peggy is Peggy Rudin, Ron Rudin's third wife, who shot herself in the head in that very bedroom. That was always something that bothered me. Item, the murder weapon. Ron's own gun. There's no way that they could say I was the only person that had access. Did you take the gun? No, I did not. So if Margaret Rudin didn't kill her husband, who did? Margaret was framed for the murder of her husband, in my opinion. Amador points to these two people, Sharon Cooper and Harold Biscutti, longtime friends of Ron Rudin and and trustees of his estate. They're the ones who had a far greater motive to kill Ronald Rudin than Margaret did. You're looking at what attorney Michael Amador calls the motivation for murder. Ron Rudin's land. Cooper and Boscotti, along with Margaret Rudin, were all beneficiaries of the estate. Amador believes that Cooper and Boscutti arranged Ron Rudin's murder, framing Margaret so that they would be the only beneficiaries of of the estimated $12 million fortune. Prosecutors say that's absurd. Trustees were not the individuals who had access to that deadly weapon, the gun. They're not the individuals who fled in this investigation. They're not the persons, people that changed the room and altered the bedroom. Michael Amador has his work cut out for him. This is a private document. So does co defense counsel Tom Petaro. There's been nothing simple in this case. Their strategy? Prove Ron Rudin wasn't killed in his bedroom. There is absolutely no possible way that he was shot in that room. If they can prove that, they say the entire state's theory falls apart. The blood that they describe is not the result of a high velocity spray as a result of a gunshot wound to his head. I want somebody to believe me, but I want them to believe me on the evidence. With the trial fast approaching, attorneys on both sides are cautiously confident. To me, a trial is a street fight with neckties. Please state your name. But the street fight is about to get nasty. Donna Cantrell, with explosive testimony from the state's star witness. You are the sister of Margaret Rudin, is that correct? Yes, I am. That's next. Can you tell me what it is, Margaret would say about her relationship with. Just got a new puppy or kitten. Congrats. But also yikes. Between crates, beds, toys, treats and those first few vet visits, you've probably already dropped a small fortune. Which is where Lemonade Pet Insurance comes in. It helps cover vet costs so you can focus on what's best for your new pet. The coverage is customizable, sign up is quick and easy, and your claims are handled in as little as three seconds. Lemonade offers a package specifically for puppies and kittens. Get a'@lemonade.com pet. Your future self will thank you. Your pet won't. They don't know what insurance is. Welcome to Radio Rental. The scariest stories you've ever heard in your life, all told by real people. And off we go. This wasn't a human being that I saw. There's something here in this house, something out of this world. There was a woman moving through the hall. I stepped back and I was completely alone. Radio Rental is available now. Listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Hiring isn't just about finding someone willing to take the job. It's about getting the right person with the right background who can move your business forward and to find candidates who match what you're looking for. Trust Indeed Sponsored Jobs Stop struggling to get your job Post even seen on other sites. Give your job the best chance to be seen with Indeed Sponsored Jobs. They help you stand out and hire quality candidates who can drive the results you need. Sponsored Jobs Boost your post for quality candidates so you can reach the exact people you want faster. Join the 1.6 million companies that sponsor their jobs with Indeed. Spend more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. Now with Indeed Sponsored Jobs and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves. @ Indeed.com listen. Just go to Indeed.com listen right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com listen. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring do it the right way with Indeed. In the city of high stakes gamblers. Money, power, Crime, Fear Attorneys Michael Amador and Tom Potaro are taking a chance. The evidence doesn't support the theory. They can prove Margaret Rudin didn't kill her husband, Ron. There's nothing really tangible that you're knocking out. You have a right to, patero admits. Circumstantial cases like this one are hard to defend. To defend it, you're defending Against a wisp of smoke, it's Mike Amador. Okay, go ahead. But lead defense attorney Michael Amador appears ready. Once they get our expert, we're going to kick their ass. And confident the entire state's case is nothing but a house of cards, waiting for just the slightest breeze to knock it down. Mike's had some really grandiose statements. I mean, he's been sure, you know, that he has what he has. Prosecutor, the State has the burden to prove, and we've gotta shoulder that. Are my shoulders broad enough? We'll find out. All rise. District Court Department six now in session. The Honorable Judge T. Bonaventure presiding. Be seated, please. All right, counselor, stipulate to the presence of the jury. Yes, you, Honor. All right, call your next witness. The State starts with one of the motives. Sue Iles. Please, Mr. Bailiff. Jealousy of this woman. Did you have feelings for Ronald Rudin in November of 1994? Ron Rudin's mistress? Yes. Sue Lyles. And can you describe those feelings for the jury as you felt them then? I cared very deeply for Ron weeks before Ron disappeared. I don't mean to embarrass you, ma'. Am. Vulgar. Anonymous letters were mailed to Lyles children. They are dripping with venom and anger. I quote from the letter. Your mother has been screwing Ronald Rudin, the realtor, for over a year, and she screws him on dirty carpet floors. Prosecutors believe Margaret felt was going to steal Ron and his money. Did you write the letters? No, I did not. There is absolutely no way that Sue Lyles was ever a threat to my marriage in any way, shape or form. Margaret does admit knowing all about Lyles. How? According to police, she tapped Ron's phone. Can you tell me what his reaction was to the letters? He was angry. He talked about confronting her. That confrontation, prosecutor Chris Owens theorizes, sent Margaret into a rage ending in Ron's murder. And the last thing he'd said to this girlfriend was, I'm going to go talk to Margaret about these. And so next night, he disappears. According to prosecutors, Margaret shot Ron and used a trunk to get his body to the desert. Please state your name and spell your last name for the record. Donna, with one N. Cantrell, the state star witness, says she knows firsthand how anxious Margaret was to be free of her husband. I said, I thought you were going to divorce him. And she said to me that he's not in very good health. He can't even walk without being out of breath. And I think I will wait. But this isn't Just any witness. You are the sister of Margaret Ruth, is that correct? Yes, I am. Donna Cantrell, Margaret's own sister, is testifying against her. We have a long running history of not speaking. Now, have the two of you always had a close relationship with each other? No. What's it like for a mother to see one of her daughters do something like this? It's horrible. Cause I spent my whole life raising my family and it breaks my heart. Does Margaret ever talk to you about what you should say if the police contact you to tell them that she and Ron were getting along better than ever and that the girlfriend wasn't an issue? Now, did you know or believe Ron and Margaret to be getting along better than ever at the time of Ron's disappearance? No. Her testimony sends shockwaves through the defense and lead attorney Amador stumbling into cross examination. Let me try this. When was it in 1988, then, that you first went to a doctor and began getting a prescription for some sort of antidepressant? No, it was 1983. 1983. But his efforts to discredit Cantrell fall short. I want to know what you intend to elicit from this witness. I will only be crossing cross, examining her about specific incidents. In 1984, she slammed a glass up against a man's head at a bar because he called her a bitch because it was crowded and she pushed him. And there were other acts of violence that she perpetrated. It's going to be ridiculous. She's not on trial here. This woman is not on trial. This woman testified. You have a right to impeach her. But this is as Margaret watches on, she loses faith in her attorney. My attorney was not prepared. Mr. Amador was getting worse with every day that passed instead of better. Apartment 6. District Court is now in session. Please be seated. On the following day, Margaret does something about it. Ms. Reuten, stand up a minute. What is the issue here? I would like to ask for a mistrial because I don't believe that Mr. Amador is prepared enough. Amador supports his client's motion and admits defeat. The extensiveness of the case made it impossible given the time. But the judge doesn't buy it. Couldn't the same thing happen in any case? Couldn't a defendant say, oh, by the way, Judge, things are not going my way too much. Give me a mistrial? Let me get another second bite of the apple? He denies the motion. The trial of the State of Nevada versus Margaret Rudin will resume at 1:00'. Clock. The judge has Made his ruling and now we go forward. The defense team decides that co counsel Tom Pataro should step in and take the wheel. One of his first challenges. Prepare for the testimony of this man. The answer is Yehuda Sharon, a former Israeli military officer turned businessman. And he explained this business to us. He obtains this holy oil and then he bottles it and he sells it to the Catholic church. Now let me ask you this. Sharon helped Margaret manage her finances. Detectives believe Sharon was also Margaret's lover and somehow connected with the murder. Were you involved with him romantically? I was involved with him as a friend. I have a lot of male friends. That doesn't mean there's anything romantically involved. Sharon was given full immunity. Will he implicate Margaret Rudin? That's next. She could not have done it physically. Impossible for her to have done any of the things that are attributable to her by the state. Tom Potaro is convicted, convinced 58 year old Margaret Rudin isn't capable of committing the gruesome murder of her husband Ron. We've never believed that she did it by herself. We've always alleged that someone else had to have assisted her. Prosecutors say that someone else is Yeehuda Sharon, a 47 year old former Israeli intelligence officer. This was not a one person job to remove the body of a man that large and take him out to a remote spot. Yehuda Sharon, who is he? He was a friend. Margaret says she turned to Sharon to help her straighten out Ron's finances. After he disappeared. We had an agreement that he would do a lot of the paperwork for me that I did not know how to do. But detectives Ramos and Vaccaro insist Sharon was more than a friend. The huge amount of phone calls that were occurring between Yehuda and Margaret, I mean, she called him I don't know how many times. And now we're starting to think, uh, oh, now we have a boyfriend involved. And so did that make us start thinking that we need to go investigate him? You bet. Despite their suspicion, they were never able to prove Sharon was involved. They looked at Yehuda Sharon and thought he knows something. But he's not telling us. Why not? Well, maybe he's afraid that he's going to get prosecuted. So the district attorney's office granted Charon full immunity, hoping he would implicate Margaret. But he didn't. All right, call your next witness. Yehuda Sharon. Yehuda Sharon. Now prosecutors are trying again on the stand on Monday night. You rented the van? Yes. Sharon rented a van. The day after Ron Rudin disappeared, prosecutors believe he used it to dispose of the body. Isn't it true that you went to Nelson's Landing with that van in 1994? No. You are sure of that? I'm very sure. Once again, Sharon gives the state nothing. And the defense jumps at the chance to make that clear to the jury. Did you kill Ron Rudin? No, I did not. Did you help kill Ron Rudin? No, I did not. He was the only person that could have said I killed Ron Rudin and could have walked out the door. But even with immunity, he said no. The defense begins to build momentum wherever you start measuring from there, raising doubt as to where Rudin was killed. They say that he was shot in his bedroom while he was asleep. Well, we say the objective evidence doesn't support that in any way, shape, manner or form. And while handyman Augustine Lovato says he saw blood in the bedroom, I. A month after Ron Rudin disappeared, and one of the things you thought was very important was to look down at the floor, this police detective searched the house just days after Ron disappeared and saw nothing. You were down there on the carpet, weren't you? Similar to that position? Yes. Do you see any big stains down there that struck you as being unusual? No. After Rudin's body was found, the room was searched again, this time by forensic specialist Mike Perkins. And this time, a small amount of blood spatter was found. The size of these is consistent with a gunshot wound. But Pitaro argues the blood found in the bedroom doesn't make a crime scene going to make a right. To prove it, he brings the bedroom to the jury. We literally rebuilt the bedroom so that the jury could see specifically what we're talking about. The whole body would have to go this way to get the head now facing the back to the eaves. Is that correct? Yes. Bataro also brings in his own expert who says the small amount of blood makes it difficult to prove anything at all. What you're telling us then, is that when we put all these stains that are there in total, that we come up with how much volume, I think, is less than a drop. Less than a drop total? Yes. The amount of blood was found was very minute. It would not be consistent with someone that would have been shot in the bed. That would have been a great deal of blood. Nobody ever said that that's all the blood that there was. We just said when the Police got there 30 days later, after she'd done a remodel top to bottom, that's what was left. Michael Amador says from the very beginning, investigators had the wrong person. Were you ever questioned by detectives Vaccaro and Ramis about Your whereabouts on December 18th of 1994? I don't recall. Who should they have been following? I mean, think about it. Follow the money. Where does the money lead? Sharon Cooper and Harold Boscuti. Sharon Cooper and Harold Boscuti, trustees and beneficiaries of Ron's estate. The people Margaret says took control of Ron's fortune. Within a week of Ron's disappearance, the trustees had already started putting every asset that he had in their name. After the trust was dispersed, all the monies were dispersed. How much did you get? A million and a quarter. Million and a half. The death of Ron Rudin made some people millionaires. One of them was not Margaret Rudin, his wife. But prosecutors say Cooper and Biscutti were simply following the instructions in Ron's will. These are not killer people. They're just nice people that got surprised by situation and dealt with it the best way they could. After almost 100 witnesses, eight weeks of testimony, and more than 500,000 taxpayers dollars, Margaret Rudin is a good and decent woman. The trial goes to the jury. Margaret Rudin chooses not to take the stand. The cases are now submitted to you ladies. Ladies and gentlemen, I've been doing this 26 years and the one thing I know is I have no idea what's going through the jury's mind right now. When we come back, this is wrong. No juror should ever, ever have to go through what I went through. An amazing turn of events. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of fish. 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means a half day. Yeah. Give it a try@mintmobile.com switch up front payment $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed Flow Hacker 35 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra. See mint mobile.com meet the computer you can talk to with Copilot on Windows working, creating and collaborating is as easy as talking. Got writer's block. Share your screen with Copilot Vision to help spark inspiration and use Copilot voice to have a conversation and brainstorm ideas. Or maybe you need some tech help with Copilot Vision. Copilot sees what you see. Let Copilot talk you through step by Step guidance so you can master new apps, games and skills faster. Try now@windows.com copilot. It's still too early to guess what the jury might be thinking at this point, almost nine weeks after her trial began. Have you talked to Margaret? Margaret Rudin must now wait for the jury to decide her fate. I did not kill my husband, and I have total confidence that's what the jury will return. As days pass, it's clear the jury is struggling to reach a verdict. Well, once again, we're hearing about problems in the jury room. But finally, after five long days, they get a verdict, and they're going to announce it at 12. Ms. Rudin, will you stand up, please? The wait is over. Have you arrived at a verdict? Yes, sir, we have. Almost seven years after Ron Rudin was brutally murdered, we find the defendant guilty. His wife Margaret is guilty of murder. I was numb. I was totally numb. And as she has been throughout the trial, Margaret remains stoic. What were you thinking? That I'm dreaming. This isn't real. It can't be real. Through it all, you never showed any emotion. How could you do that? You know, I don't think it's a choice. I don't think you deliberately say, I'm not going to show any emotion to the camera. But you were hurt. Definitely. Yeah. It was complete shock and disbelief, disappointment. I mean, it broke my heart. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is those your verdict says read? So say you won. So say you all? Yes. For Tom Potaro, it's a disappointing end to an exhausting fight. In the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln, I'm too old to cry and it hurts too much to laugh. But for prosecutor Gary Gaiman, justice is served. This was a long time coming, and it was nice to see that this jury was now holding her accountable for a premeditated deliberate act. It all came back to Margaret. Jury foreman Ron Vest. To me, this was a slam dunk with a stepladder. What was it? It's Mike Amador. Just hours after the verdict, a stunning allegation. I just got off the phone with juror number 11. They forced her into voting that way. I changed my vote. I never changed my mind. Corrine Kovacs is juror number 11, the lone holdout during deliberations. Do you think Margaret Rudin is guilty of murder? No, I don't. I think I've read these notes a total of 16 times from start to finish. Kovacs believes prosecutors failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. They said Margaret killed Ron Rudin. In that bed, and I don't believe that happened. She told 48 Hours she was pressured into voting guilty. I was told to my face, we're going to deliberate until we reach a verdict. And when she refused to change her mind, she says the other jurors became nasty and belligerent. They went off on me. I mean, they went off screaming and yelling and pointing and sticking fingers in my face. But the jurors we talk to dispute Kovach's claims. There was no pointing fingers. There was nobody in her face. It scared me to think that I had already voted and that wasn't going out of that room. And nothing was going out of that room until I agreed with the other 11 jurors. On the fifth day of deliberations, Kovacs changed her vote. Guilty. I'm sorry I buckled. I'm sorry I didn't stick by my guns, and I'm sorry I couldn't take it anymore. And I will have to live with that for the rest of my life. Had Corrine Kovacs voted her conscience, it would have meant a hung jury and a new trial, which is what Margaret Rudin wants most. I will keep fighting. I will fight back in every way possible I can to overrule the verdict. Absolutely. Justice was done where his mom and dad are. But for Brenda woods and the rest of Ron Rudin's family, this case is closed. I'd like to see Margaret go to prison and stay there. It was a horrible, horrible thing. No one should die the way Ron died. In 2020, Margaret Rudin was released on parole after serving 20 years of her life sentence. In 2022, a federal judge vacated her conviction, citing ineffective counsel at trial that violated her constitutional rights. If you're an H vac technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat. With Grainger's easy to use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Paramount plus is the new home of ufc. It isn't just combat, it's cinema. Unbelievable. Every strike is a frame. What a shot. Every rivalry a story. Oh, my goodness. This canvas is more than a stage. Are you not entertained? It's where legends are made. UFC on Paramount. Every fight one subscription streaming this.
