Margaret Rudin
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Margaret Rudin (nee Frost, in 1943) is an American woman who was convicted of the murder of her fifth husband, real estate magnate Ronald Rudin. Margaret Rudin is known as “The Black Widow”, a nickname given to her by locals in Nevada, where Ronald Rudin was found dead, and in neighboring states.
[edit] Biography
Margaret Lee Frost moved constantly as a young girl and until she was a young adult, living in as many as 15 different states in the same number of years before she met Gerald Mason, whom she married on February 2, 1962, in the city of Winthrop Harbor, Illinois. Mr. Mason was a carpenter, who, according to reports, made $300 a month at most. In 1964, they had a son, Michael. Daughter Kristina would follow in a few years. Ms. Rudin only had two children.
[edit] The trial
Margaret Rudin’s trial in 2001 received much media attention, especially in Nevada and surrounding states. Fifty-nine witnesses testified, including Ronald Rudin’s other three former wives and the youngster who had found Ronald Rudin’s skeleton. One of his former wives described Ronald Rudin as an abusive alcoholic, while another one had remained friends with him after their divorce. On May 1, 2001, Margaret Rudin was sentenced to life in prison with the opportunity for parole in 20 years. Her lawyer filed an appeal in 2002 but the appeal was denied. Ms. Rudin has since appeared on some Court TV shows, claiming her innocence in the murder of Ronald Rudin.
It was noted during her trial that blood samples had been taken by police both from the Rudins’ home and from Margaret Rudin’s antique store, and that these samples matched Ronald Rudin’s blood after DNA testing was performed. Margaret Rudin’s lawyer, however, made a point of telling the jury that Ronald Rudin’s blood pressure had been high for a period of time and that he also suffered from various health ailments which could cause him to bleed from his nose.
