Las Vegas judge dismisses infamous 'Black Widow' murder case after 27 years

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A judge dismissed murder charges Monday against Margaret Rudin, the woman dubbed "The Black Widow," who a jury convicted of killing her husband more than two decades ago.

Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus dismissed the case after reading filings from both Rudin's attorneys and Clark County prosecutors. The hearing itself lasted about a minute.

"I don't think it's sunk in yet, you know? I am very happy," Rudin said afterward.

Holthus' dismissal means Rudin's murder charge and conviction are dismissed and vacated. In 2022, a federal judge vacated her conviction, citing poor attorney representation and other possible suspects. The state and the Clark County District Attorney’s Office declined to retry Rudin.

In 2001, a Clark County jury found Rudin, now 81, guilty of the death of her husband, Ron Rudin, a real estate investor. Ron Rudin’s charred body was found near Lake Mohave in 1995. Margaret Rudin served 20 years in prison before the parole board granted her release.

"The legal effect is that Margaret has never been convicted legally of any crimes and we can never be reprosecuted," Rudin's attorney, Adam Breeden, said Monday. "The state will not admit she's innocent of the crimes. The wrongful conviction action, which is still ongoing, is where we will prove that Margaret, in fact, did not commit these crimes."

Rudin has since filed a civil lawsuit against the state. A hearing in that case was likely before the end of the year.

“The case is ripe for dismissal,” prosecutors said in court paperwork, adding a request that the judge include “specific factual findings as to why the court is now dismissing this case” should Holthus dismiss it. “It is factually correct that she is no longer convicted of a crime … There has never been an indication from anyone other than Rudin herself that she was wrongfully convicted and actually innocent of the crimes.”

Rudin maintained her innocence throughout her trial. Prosecutors theorized she shot her husband while he was asleep in bed. Police found human blood in the room, but an expert testified the amount was “less than a drop of blood from an eye dropper.” An expert for the defense also testified that “there was no evidence of a cleanup” and there would be much more evidence had Ron Rudin been killed in the bedroom.

The federal judge who overturned her conviction wrote that there was no evidence linking Rudin to the murder weapon, Ron Rudin’s abandoned car, or the suspected crime scene. He also said Rudin’s defense attorney, Michael Amador, who has since died, did not do enough to defend her.

Rudin's attorneys said they were waiting for the state to issue their client a certificate of innocence. Holthus was expected to officially sign a document within the next few weeks with language from both Rudin's attorneys and prosecutors.

"I'm very relieved, but I always keep looking over my shoulder," Rudin said, adding that she did not expect to ever see the certificate.