Years after prosecutors decided not to re-try ‘Black Widow,’ judge dismisses charges

A Las Vegas judge has agreed to formally dismiss criminal charges against Margaret Rudin, clearing the way for her to continue pursuing a lawsuit against the state of Nevada alleging she was wrongfully convicted of killing her husband 30 years ago.

Rudin, 81, was released on parole in 2020 after serving nearly 20 years in prison in the death of her husband. A federal judge had vacated her conviction after finding that she received ineffective counsel, and the Clark County district attorney’s office then declined to retry her.

In May, Rudin filed a lawsuit against the State of Nevada under a 2019 law allowing people to seek monetary relief and a certificate of innocence in wrongful convictions. But the lawsuit was stalled because the criminal charges against Rudin were never formally dismissed.

The district attorney’s office on Monday did not oppose a motion from Rudin’s attorneys for a judge to dismiss the charges, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Alexander Chen. But prosecutors stopped short of admitting fault in Rudin’s conviction.

“The office has never taken the position that she was wrongfully convicted,” Chen said following a brief court hearing on Monday.

District Judge May Kay Holthus said she would dismiss Rudin’s charges. But she also said she would wait a few days to file a formal written order as attorneys work out the document’s language.

“I’m very happy, I’m very relieved, but I always keep looking over my shoulder,” Rudin told reporters following the hearing.

Rudin said she doubts she will ever receive a certificate of innocence, “knowing Nevada and the way they’ve treated me so far,” but that she still hopes to obtain the document before she dies.

“Margaret spent more than 20 years in prison for a crime she has consistently denied committing,” said attorney Adam Breeden, one of the lawyers representing Rudin.

“While today’s hearing goes a long way towards redeeming Ms. Rudin, the journey to fully clear Margaret’s name is not over,” Breeden added.

He said that the charges will be dismissed with prejudice, meaning prosecutors can never pursue another case against Rudin.

Breeden said that attorneys only tried to get the charges formally dismissed after the state announced they would “try to hold this over Margaret’s head” as part of the wrongful conviction case.

Rudin’s lawyers now plan to amend the wrongful conviction lawsuit in the coming days, said attorney Corrine Murphy.

The lawsuit alleges that prosecutors did not have sufficient evidence to charge Rudin in her husband’s death.

Ron Rudin, a multimillionaire who made most of his money in Las Vegas real estate deals, disappeared from the couple’s home in December 1994. His car was found in the parking lot of the Crazy Horse Too, a now-closed strip club “known to have ties with organized crime,” Margaret Rudin’s attorneys wrote in the lawsuit.

His body was found in January 1995 near Lake Mohave, in the remains of a burned-out truck police claimed was linked to Margaret Rudin. She was indicted on a murder charge in April 1997, but fled Las Vegas until she was apprehended in Massachusetts two years later.

Her case received national media attention. The television show “America’s Most Wanted” featured it repeatedly, dubbing Margaret Rudin a “black widow.”

The wrongful conviction lawsuit states there was never any DNA evidence or fingerprints linking Margaret Rudin to the scene or the murder weapon.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.