A wealthy dentist was sentenced to life in jail and nearly $15 million in fines for killing his wife after an African vacation in Zambia.
The son, left, and daughter, back right, of Pittsburgh dentist Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph head into federal court for the afternoon session of the trial, July 13, 2022, in Denver. Rudolph, a wealthy dentist convicted of killing his wife during an African safari so he could be with his girlfriend, is expected to be sentenced to life in prison Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, for a murder prosecutors say capped off a lifetime spent seeking domination and control over others through wealth and power. The couple’s two adult children, Julian and AnaBianca Rudolph, have so far opted not to to speak publicly about the death. (Photo source: AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Dentist in Denver Killed His Wife
A dentist named Larry Rudolph who killed his 34-year-old wife after an African safari was sentenced to life in prison and nearly $15 million in fines. Larry Rudolph was sentenced last Monday, August 22 in Denver federal court for murder and mail fraud in the 2016 death of Bianca Rudolph. He cashed in over $5 million in his wife’s insurance. Using insurance money, prosecutors claim he envisioned a luxury retirement with his longtime lover.
Rudolph has maintained that his wife’s death in Zambia was an accident. His attorneys will challenge his conviction. Rudolph received fines and property forfeiture. Rudolph received a 20-year prison sentence concurrently with his life sentence. Last year, a federal court found Larry Rudolph guilty of mail fraud for cashing in roughly $5 million in insurance policies for his wife after killing her.
Rudolph, who appeared in court in a brown t-shirt and khaki pants without shackles, has maintained that his wife’s 2016 death in southern Africa was an accident. His attorneys will challenge his conviction. With Rudolph facing a life term under federal sentencing regulations, the hearing focused on his financial penalties, with pages of financial transactions addressed.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Fields told U.S. District Judge William Martinez that Rudolph needed hefty financial penalties to prevent him from seeking revenge from prison through bogus lawsuits or hiring hit men. “That is his power, that is his control,” Fields added of Rudolph’s money. Rudolph’s lawyers said a fine that high would deny Julian and Ana Bianca Rudolph, her two adult children, money from their late mother’s estate.
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A dentist in Denver Killed His Wife and Lived with His Lifelong Partner
Rudolph, a Pittsburgh dentist, shot his wife in the heart with a shotgun on her final morning in Zambia then put the gun in its protective case to make it look like she shot herself while packing, according to prosecutors. The pair hunted game on vacation. They also say the setting, 80 miles (129 kilometers) from the nearest police station, was ideal for escaping the murder, where he hastened to have his wife cremated and intimidated investigators.
The insurance money was used to retire lavishly with his lifelong partner, Lori Milliron. Milliron was sentenced to 17 years for accessory in June. Filed her appeal. The murder may be the conclusion of a career spent wanting wealth and power to dominate others, according to prosecutors. Larry Rudolph may do further time for mail fraud.
Although Ana Bianca Rudolph testified against Milliron at her sentence, the couple’s two adult children have not discussed the death. They asked the court to treat them, not the insurance companies, as insurance fraud victims and receive some of the government’s financial penalties for their father. Zambian and insurer investigators ruled Bianca Rudolph’s death an accident. The defense claimed in court documents that Colorado-based insurance companies gave out life insurance.
Larry Rudolph was caught nearly five years after her death after an FBI investigation that brought investigators throughout the world to gather evidence and interview witnesses. Rudolph’s wealth was founded on deceit, say prosecutors. They claim he shot off his thumb while collecting millions in disability insurance in Zambia and tricked his dentistry patients into needing root canals by not filling or cutting holes in their teeth while they slept.
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