Any beneficiary linked to the death would collect nothing. The attorney who drafted the directive said it was specifically aimed at Margaret Rudin. The prosecution says Margaret Rudin sent two anonymous, typewritten letters informing the children of Sue Lyles their mother was having an affair with Ron Rudin. The day before he disappeared, Ron Rudin discussed confronting his wife about the documents, Lyles said. The defense says it can't be shown Margaret Rudin was the source of the sexually graphic letters.
Prosecutors say the trunk was used to haul the body to the rocky hillside near the Colorado River.
The defense notes Honabach has no record of such a transaction, and that he and Margaret Rudin ended their business relationship on sour terms. Small amounts of blood found in several locations within the room match the male human blood located on a handkerchief police found in a cabinet in the master bathroom. A police expert will testify that the blood evidence found in the bedroom was consistent with the victim being shot as he slept. The defense contends the location of the blood is inconsistent with the way blood sprays from a bullet wound. The defense also has suggested the blood could have been spilled by less violent means, such as nosebleeds.