CRIME HUNTER: Sex, money behind mystery murder of dentist's wife on safari?
Article content
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Pennsylvania dentist Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph loved exotic vacations and hunting big game.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
CRIME HUNTER: Sex, money behind mystery murder of dentist's wife on safari? Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
It was an endeavour his wife of 34 years, Bianca, also enjoyed. But that passion and other more earthly delights would deliver a direct path to the morgue.
Now, Hulu is releasing a new docuseries about the couple, Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari. The series is based on writer Matt Sullivan’s Rolling Stone feature story, Before the Dentist Knows You’re Dead.
***
Rudolph was a successful dentist from Pennsylvania, and the couple frequently hunted together, including on African safaris. But in 2016, tragedy struck unexpectedly.
In September of that year, the couple had embarked on another adventure, this time their destination was Zambia and a big hunt on the savannahs. The purpose of the trip was reportedly so that Bianca Rudolph could add a leopard to her large collection of animal trophies.
Then tragedy struck.
The way Larry told it, Bianca was packing for their return journey to the U.S. when she was hit by a fatal blast from a 12-gauge shotgun in their hunting cabin at Kafue National Park. He said he heard the gunshot at dawn while he was in the bathroom
Larry believed the gun went off accidentally as Bianca was putting it in its case. The devastated dentist found his wife bleeding on the floor. A tragedy abroad. End of story. Or was it?
Helpfully, the cabin was in a remote area, more than 130 km from the nearest police station. Cops later said that Larry bullied locals in his quest for a quick cremation.
***
After his wife’s tragic death on Oct. 11, 2016, authorities swallowed the dirty dentist’s version of events. But the case was reopened years later when Rudolph was overheard arguing with his mistress, Lori Milliron, at a Pittsburgh restaurant.
Rudolph screamed at Milliron: “I killed my f—-ing wife for you!”
A tipster who overheard the shocking outburst put detectives back on the trail. A more complete and disturbing picture began to emerge about the Rudolph marriage, money and THAT mistress.
On offer in life insurance premiums was Bianca’s $6.5-million policy. There was also Milliron, Rudolph’s mistress of 20 years. Bianca knew what was going on between her husband and office employee Milliron.
The aggrieved wife demanded that Milliron be fired and the family finances be turned over to her. Not only did Rudolph want the dough, but at his age, he was ready for a new chapter with his mistress.
Cops believed that for Larry’s new dream life to become a reality, one of two things had to happen: Bianca got kicked to the curb via divorce, or she was, uh, permanently removed.
***
With Bianca gone to the happy hunting grounds in the sky, Larry and Lori got busy spending, hunting and shacking up together. A bonus was that Larry himself was worth $15 million, but it seems he didn’t like the idea of giving late wife a divorce dividend of $7.5 million.
However, the clock was ticking on the molar monster. In 2022, Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife and mail fraud. The trial was held in Denver, where the insurance companies were located.
Prosecutors wanted to put Larry on the night train to Nowheresville and a date with the executioner. Instead, he was convicted of murder and mail fraud and sentenced to life in prison in 2023. His gal pal, charged with being an accomplice, was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
The feds also revealed that Larry had accumulated his fortune via fraud and that he was a bit of a crook. They said he shot off part of a thumb on a previous trip to Africa and collected millions in disability insurance. In addition, he cheated his patients by creating the need for root canals by not doing fillings or drilling holes in their choppers while they were out cold.
“The defendant in this case thought he could murder his wife overseas and get away with it. He was wrong and will now be held accountable for his actions thanks to the relentless pursuit of justice by the dedicated men and women of the FBI, DOJ, and the family of Bianca Rudolph, who never lost faith in the judicial system,” said Denver FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek.
Larry Rudolph maintained his innocence until the bitter end.
“(The murder) was a culmination of a lifetime spent seeking domination and control over others through wealth and power,” prosecutors said.
The two still-living members of the love triangle also provided exclusive interviews (from behind bars) to the three-part docuseries, landing on Hulu on July 21.
MURDER ON THE BEACH!
John Wayne Gacy remains one of the most terrifying serial killers in history. For nearly a decade he terrorized suburban Chicago, kidnapping, torturing and raping young men and boys before murdering them.
The Killer Clown got the big adios in 1994, and cops always believed there were more than the 33 known victims. In my book, Inside the Mind of John Wayne Gacy: The Real-Life Killer Clown, I update the story.
Love, money and sex are the three big-ticket items for homicide. And they’re all there in my first book, Cold Blooded Murder: Shocking True Stories of Killers and Psychopaths.
On X: @HunterTOSun
RECOMMENDED VIDEO
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.