DENVER — Federer prosecutors announced on Monday that a jury in Colorado found a wealthy dentist guilty of fatally shooting his wife with a shotgun while the two were on an African safari.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Lawrence Rudolph was also found guilty of defrauding multiple insurance companies.
Prosecutors said the 67-year-old cashed in more than $4.8 million from nine life insurance policies with seven different life insurance companies by falsely claiming his wife Bianca Rudolph died accidentally on Oct. 11, 2016, while they both were on a hunting trip in Zambia.
According to federal prosecutors, Rudolph was tried in Colorado because that's where some of the insurance money was paid out.
“The murder of Bianca Rudolph was not an easy case to investigate and prosecute, but it was the right thing to do to seek justice for this victim, her family, and her friends,” said FBI Denver Special Agent Charge Michael Schneider. “Lawrence Rudolph thought he could murder his wife overseas and get away with it. His actions raised red flags, and the FBI was ready to step in to investigate this murder of a U.S. citizen by another U.S. citizen in a foreign country.”
Rudolph, scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 1, 2023, faces a maximum term of life in prison or the death penalty.
On Monday, federal prosecutors said that the same jurors also found Lori Milliron guilty of being an accessory after the murder, obstruction of justice, and two counts of perjury before a grand jury.
Milliron was Rudolph’s girlfriend and managed his Pittsburgh-area dental franchise, the Associated Press reported.
Federal prosecutors said she is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 8, 2023.