Dentist Convicted of Murdering Wife on Safari Sentenced to Life in Prison
Lawrence Rudolph, the dentist convicted of murdering his wife, Bianca, during a 2016 hunting trip in Zambia and mail fraud, will spend the rest of his life in federal prison and have to pay nearly $7 million in financial penalties.
The Department of Justice announced Rudolph’s sentence Monday, Aug. 21. Along with life-in-prison for murder, Rudolph will serve a concurrent sentence of 20 years for defrauding multiple life insurance companies. He will also have to pay about $4.8 million in restitution, plus a fine of $2 million (and a $200 special assessment to cap it all off).
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“This result shows that no matter how much money, prestige, or power you have, you will be held accountable for your crimes,” U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan said in a statement. “The fact that justice arrived today is no accident. It was part of a dedicated effort by public servants committed to the cause of justice. We are grateful to the attorneys, staff, and investigators who made today’s result possible.”
Rudolph’s lawyers, David O. Markus, Margot Moss, and Lauren Doyle, rebuffed the sentencing in a statement shared with Rolling Stone, saying they plan to appeal. “Larry is innocent. He did not murder his wife. We are looking forward to the appeal in this matter, in which we have a number of very promising issues.”
As Rolling Stone reported last year, Rudolph was a prominent member of the big-game hunting community, even serving as president of the Safari Club International. In 2016, he and Bianca went to Zambia on a hunting trip, and as they were packing to travel back to the U.S., Bianca was killed by a shotgun blast. Larry claimed that he was in the bathroom at the time and that Bianca had been putting the gun into its travel bag when it went off accidentally.
Prosecutors, however, argued that Rudolph not only killed his wife but that it was premeditated murder. They argued that Rudolph was able to cash nearly $5 million in life insurance and use that money to create a lavish life for himself and his longtime girlfriend, Lori Milliron.
Rudolph and Millron were both arrested in 2021. On top of Rudolph’s conviction on murder and mail fraud charges, Milliron was found guilty of being an accessory to murder, obstruction of justice, and two counts of perjury. She was previously sentenced to 17 years in federal prison.
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