LAS VEGAS (Court TV) — Margaret Rudin repeatedly wished her husband would die, according to the antiques dealer who allegedly sold her the trunk prosecutors claim she used to dispose of Ron Rudin's murdered body.

Bruce Honabach testified that the widow of real estate millionaire Ron Rudin would talk about "spending money like there was no end" and how she "wished her husband was dead" in the spring of 1994.

"It was on and on about money and how she wasn't getting enough," testified Honabach, who also said that Rudin had seemed relieved that her husband had terminal cancer, but "disenchanted" when she learned that he would live.

Ron Rudin disappeared from the couple's modest home on Dec. 18, 1994, but his body was discovered shot, decapitated and burned in Nelson's Landing, an overlook area near Lake Mohave. His widow, who managed to remain in hiding for two years following his death, is charged with his murder.

In the first full day of testimony, the prosecution focused its attention on what police believe were pieces of an antique trunk found near Rudin's charred remains. Honabach identified the pieces as the same latches and metal strips as those on a trunk he sold to Margaret Rudin.

Honabach said Margaret Rudin wished her husband dead so many times he lost count, making him so concerned for Ron Rudin's safety that he visited him at his real estate office, the witness said during direct examination by prosecutor Gary Guymon.

"He was a stranger but I thought some harm was going to come to him," he said. "He was a big guy. I didn't know if he was going to beat me up or throw me out."

Ron Rudin was "very reflective" and "not the least surprised," Honabach said.

Seated at the defense table in a crisp gray suit, the 57-year-old widow seemed stoic as she wrote on a legal pad during Honabach's testimony.

Honabach also described in vivid detail a royal blue trunk he allegedly sold to Margaret Rudin in spring or summer 1994, down to the light blue floral interior design. Rudin, who would later open an antique shop, paid him $125 for the trunk, he said.

On cross-examination by defense lawyer Tom Pitaro, Honabach admitted that he had no documentation of the transaction, nor did he ever take notes or file a police report about the comments he said Margaret Rudin made about her husband.

"We have absolutely no idea if you're just pulling this out of your head, do we? You have nothing to back this up?" Pitaro said, implying that the sale was fabricated.

The antiques dealer also couldn't recall the exact month of the sale, the dates of his conversations with Rudin or the manufacturer of the trunk, prompting Pitaro to question his recollection.

Pitaro also quizzed Honabach on his relationship with Sharon Melton, a former employee of Rudin. The defense contends that Ron Rudin was killed by greedy business associates, not his wife.

He also implied that Honabach came forward for a reward or because of an argument over money he and Rudin had over antiques he refurbished. According to Honabach, Rudin wasn't satisfied with the job.

But Pitaro accused him of "ripping her off" and trying to "pull some shenanigans on her."

On redirect, however, Honabach had the last word.

"She got really nasty with me and told me she had people who would take care of me," he said.

The eight women, four men and six alternates listening to Monday's testimony leaned forward in their seats as they got their first glimpse of the remnants of the trunk found near Ron Rudin's body.

Metal strips allegedly belonging to the trunk

Along with human remains, police also found metal strips, small nails, wood pieces and fabric, which police theorize were remains of an antique trunk, testified senior crime scene analyst Sheree Norman.

The jury saw the metal strips — assembled by police to show a rectangular base with two curved pieces that would typically go over the top of a trunk — as well as latches and metal trim found at the scene.

Norman arrived at Nelson's Landing on Jan. 21, 1995, after three fishermen reported to police that they had stumbled upon a human skull — which was later determined to be Ron Rudin's.

When Norman arrived, other Las Vegas Police Department investigators found Rudin's charred remains in a "fire pit" about 35 feet from where his skull was found.

"In the burned area there were what appeared to be pieces of bone," Norman testified during direct examination by prosecutor Chris Owenss.

Norman also testified that "some sort of a substance to start a fire or sustain a fire" was also detected in soil samples from the "fire pit."

Ron Rudin's bracelet

A white gold and diamond bracelet bearing the name "Ron" was also recovered approximately 13 feet away from the skull, she said, before the jewelry was admitted into evidence and shown to the jury.

On cross-examination, defense lawyer Tom Pitaro suggested that the spot where Rudin's charred remains were found is a place where loved ones often sprinkle cremated remains, but Norman said she was not aware of that.

Pitaro got Norman to admit that the alleged trunk's size remains unknown by police, making it impossible to determine whether it could have fit a human body. She also conceded that she smelled no gasoline in the fire pit nor did she see any empty cans of accelerant at the scene.

Among other witnesses taking the stand was the coroner, Dr. Robert Jordan. He testified that Rudin died of at least four gunshot wounds to the head. There may have been a fifth bullet, Jordan testified, but that could not be determined because of damage to small bones in the front of Rudin's head.

He also speculated that postmortem decapitation, the fire or wild animals could have explained why Rudin's skull was separated from his body and found 35 feet away from the rest of his charred remains.

Testimony enters its third day on Tuesday.