Girlfriend Of Dentist Who Killed His Wife On Safari Sentenced To 17 Years In Prison
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The girlfriend of a wealthy dentist and big-game hunter who was convicted of murdering his wife on an African safari was sentenced to 17 years in prison for her role in an attempted cover-up.
Lori Milliron, the girlfriend of Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph, was sentenced on Friday following her conviction last year for being an accessory to murder after the fact, obstruction of a grand jury and two counts of perjury before a grand jury. According to court documents, she lied under oath in her testimony regarding the death of Rudolph’s wife, Bianca Rudolph.
According to the criminal complaint in Lawrence Rudolph’s case, he and his wife met in dental school in 1982 and were together for almost 34 years before her death. Throughout their relationship, the two would often go on international hunting trips and had become involved with hunting organizations.
Bianca Rudolph and Lawrence Rudolph (right) via Facebook. The Rudolphs had been married for nearly 34 years.
Investigators said Bianca Rudolph was fatally shot in the chest with a shotgun on Oct. 11, 2016, while she was packing to return home from Zambia. Zambian authorities initially ruled the shooting as an accidental discharge; however, the FBI opened an investigation into her death later that month after a friend suspected foul play.
According to the complaint, the anonymous friend told investigators that Lawerence Rudolph was having an affair and that the couple had had several arguments about money. The friend added that she believed Rudolph chose to cremate his wife, a devout Catholic, against her wishes.
“Larry is never going to divorce her because he doesn’t want to lose his money,
and she’s never going to divorce him because of her Catholicism,” the friend told investigators, according to the complaint.
Although Rudolph denied intending to shoot his wife, prosecutors said the crime was premeditated and that he cashed in more $4.8 million in life insurance following her death and then joined his girlfriend, Milliron.
Financial records reviewed by federal investigators revealed that Rudolph had traveled with Milliron outside the country in the years before the shooting.
According to the complaint, a former staff member of the dental offices Rudolph owned told investigators that Rudolph and the manager, who was later identified as Milliron, had been having an affair for 15 to 20 years.
Rudolph was charged in 2021 with murder and was found guilty last year.
According to prosecutors, Milliron was charged after she provided false and misleading testimony to a grand jury in January 2022 about cash payments Rudolph made to her and about the nature of their relationship.
Prosecutors said Milliron lied under oath when asked if she had given him an ultimatum that he needed to leave his wife and she said no, and she lied when asked if Rudolph had told her if he was innocent.
In court on Friday, Ana Rudolph, the daughter of Lawrence and Bianca Rudolph, said Milliron “plotted” to kill her mother, CBS News reported.
“Lori, you have taken my parents,” Ana Rudolph said to Milliron in court, but “despite everything you have done you will never take my soul. This might be difficult to understand ... because you don’t have one.”
According to CBS, Milliron and her attorney argued she was innocent and that the sentencing was excessive.
According to Milliron’s judgment order, she was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison and fined $250,000.
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
