Dentist Said Wife's Death on Safari Was a Tragic Mishap — But His Affair and Insurance Claims Raised Red Flags

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6 days ago

When Bianca Rudolph died from a shotgun blast in Zambia, her husband, Larry Rudolph — a Pittsburgh-area dentist — claimed it was a tragic accident that occurred during a dream hunting vacation in Africa. But more than five years later, bombshell revelations turned that narrative upside down.
Bianca's death, initially ruled accidental by local authorities in October 2016, sparked a years-long international investigation that uncovered lies, a secret workplace affair, and a hefty financial motive for murder — and the case is now the subject of a new three-part docuseries, Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari premiering July 21 on Hulu. (A trailer can be seen below.)
The ABC News Studios series features exclusive interviews from federal prison with Larry and his former dental hygienist and mistress, Lori Milliron, offering rare insight into their relationship.
"Plus, new interviews with an eclectic cast of characters including [Larry]'s former business partner, Milliron's daughter, the Rudolphs' insurance broker, FBI agents close to the case, the former U.S. ambassador to Zambia and more," a synopsis from ABC Studios reads. "Members of Safari Club International and several of [Larry]'s former dental office employees also speak out, painting a disturbing picture of the man at the center of this shocking case."
The married couple was getting ready to leave their hunting camp in Kafue National Park on the morning of Oct. 11, 2016, when Bianca was fatally shot with a 12-gauge shotgun. Larry told the Zambian police that he heard the gunshot while he was taking a shower and that he found his wife of 34 years on the bedroom floor bleeding from the chest.
He said he suspected that the shotgun had been left loaded from the hunt the previous day and that the gun went off while Bianca was trying to pack it into its case, according to a federal complaint previously obtained by PEOPLE.
However, federal authorities in the U.S. believed that Bianca was shot from 6.5 to 8 feet, and determined that it was not likely she pulled the shotgun's trigger based on a reconstruction of the incident, per The New York Times.
U.S. officials later accused Larry of killing his wife in order to collect millions of dollars in life insurance and continue his relationship with Milliron. He filed fraudulent claims on nine separate life insurance policies to obtain about $4.9 million, federal prosecutors said.
In August 2022, less than a year after his arrest, Larry was convicted in U.S. federal court of foreign murder and mail fraud. He was sentenced to life in prison.
During Larry's trial in Denver, Colo., a federal prosecutor said that Larry admitted to the shooting while dining with Milliron upon hearing in 2020 that the FBI was probing into the death of Bianca, per the Associated Press. Larry told jurors that "I did not kill my wife. I could not murder my wife. I would not murder my wife," the AP reported.
Milliron, who had been romantically involved with Larry for years, was also found guilty in connection with the case. In June 2023, she was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for perjury, obstruction of justice, and being an accessory after the fact.
Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari is produced by XTR in association with Rolling Stone Films and ABC News Studios for Hulu. The series is directed and executive produced by Dani Sloane. Trophy Wife is based on the Rolling Stone article 'Before the Dentist Knows You're Dead' by Matt Sullivan, who also serves as executive producer.
Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari premieres July 21 on Hulu.
Read the original article on People