Dentist admitted to killing his spouse on African safari, federal prosecutor says

DENVER — A rich dentist killed his spouse of 34 years with a shotgun blast at daybreak on a distant African safari in 2016, collected almost $5 million in insurance coverage proceeds and later blurted out to his longtime lover that “I killed my f—— spouse for you!,” a U.S. prosecutor instructed a jury in opening statements of the dentist’s homicide trial Wednesday.

The alleged admission occurred throughout an argument between Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph and his girlfriend, Lori Milliron, at a Phoenix steakhouse after he realized in 2020 that the FBI was investigating his spouse Bianca Rudolph’s taking pictures dying in a small cabin in Zambia, Assistant U.S. Legal professional Bishop Grewell mentioned in a Denver courtroom.

“He killed his spouse for HER!,” Grewell mentioned, pointing at Milliron, who’s charged with mendacity to a grand jury and being an adjunct after the very fact and is being tried alongside Rudolph.

Rudolph, 67, is charged with homicide and mail fraud in what prosecutors describe as a premeditated crime. He faces a most time period of life in jail or the dying penalty if convicted of homicide within the trial, which is being held in a Colorado courtroom as a result of the insurance coverage payouts had been based mostly right here.

Rudolph has maintained his innocence. He instructed Zambian police his spouse died whereas he was within the toilet, suggesting she shot herself whereas attempting to pack a shotgun the couple took on the journey.

“They’ve chosen hypothesis over science. They’ve chosen fiction over truth,” declared Rudolph’s legal professional, David Markus, in an equally impassioned opening assertion.

Markus argued that the Rudolphs, the dad and mom of two youngsters, had been in a contented marriage in 2016 that through the years had its ups and downs as a result of each had had extramarital affairs — however that each continued to take frequent large recreation searching journeys. Bianca Rudolph was lengthy conscious of her husband’s relationship with Milliron, he mentioned.

Markus had the couple’s grown youngsters stand in court docket to affirm to jurors they had been there to assist their father, who together with Milliron paid shut consideration to the opening statements.

Milliron’s legal professional, John Dill, instructed jurors his consumer knew nothing about any alleged homicide and prompt she is the sufferer of main questions by investigators and the grand jury.

“This isn’t a trial about adultery,” Dill mentioned.

Nobody witnessed the shotgun blast within the cabin, mentioned Milliron’s legal professional, John Dill. The taking pictures occurred about 5 a.m. as native guides had been out and in serving the couple espresso and serving to them put together for the return journey to the U.S., Markus mentioned.

Inside seconds, the guides had been inside, discovering Rudolph in misery and shock, Markus mentioned. With assist employees out and in that morning, the cabin’s doorways open and window shades pulled up, Rudolph wouldn’t have had time to get away with taking pictures his spouse, Markus argued.

Displaying a photograph of the cabin — blood spattered on the ground, Bianca’s physique coated by a black-striped white blanket, a 12-gauge Browning shotgun mendacity inside a tender case close by — Markus argued that Bianca by chance dropped the weapon, triggering the deadly shot within the coronary heart, as she hurriedly packed up for the journey whereas Larry Rudolph was within the toilet.

Zambian authorities decided two days after the Oct. 11, 2016, taking pictures that it was unintentional, Markus mentioned. Investigators for the insurers who later paid $4.8 million reached the identical conclusion.

Prosecutors counter that proof exhibits her wounds got here from a shot fired from 2 to three.5 toes away.

The federal government will show that Rudolph, who constructed a small fortune with a Pennsylvania dental franchise, killed Bianca after receiving an ultimatum from Milliron, a former hygienist and supervisor of his workplace, that he divorce his spouse, Grewell mentioned.

Federal prosecutors, citing a U.S. consular official and others in Zambia, say Rudolph was in a rush to have his spouse cremated earlier than returning residence. A good friend of Bianca’s, too, instructed the FBI she was suspicious as a result of Bianca was a religious Catholic who would have opposed the observe.

However Markus exhibited to jurors a duplicate of what he mentioned was Bianca’s will stating she needed to be cremated within the occasion of her dying.

Markus argued that Rudolph had no monetary motive for homicide. His web value was greater than $15 million on the time; the insurance coverage proceeds went right into a belief for his or her youngsters; and a prenuptial settlement with Bianca specified she’d get $2 million in case of a divorce, he mentioned.

Rudolph plans to testify in the course of the three-week trial, Markus mentioned.

“He has the reality on his facet,” Rudolph mentioned.

Markus additionally instructed jurors that Rudolph’s alleged request for forgiveness on the Phoenix restaurant was misheard by the witness. He claimed that what his consumer really mentioned was, “They’re saying I killed my f—g spouse for you,” Markus mentioned.

“If that’s what this case is dependent upon, I can’t consider we’re going to be right here for 3 weeks,” Markus mentioned.

The case has attracted consideration from Zambia to Pennsylvania to Arizona, the place the Rudolphs — and later Rudolph and Milliron — established a cushty residence within the Phoenix-area enclave of Paradise Valley.

Rudolph had constructed a small fortune as a dentist and later proprietor of a dental sedation franchise within the Pittsburgh space. He was a well-known fixture on native TV, promoting his companies. He met Bianca on the College of Pittsburgh, the place he studied dentistry, they usually married in 1982.

The couple took frequent journeys overseas and had traveled to Kafue Nationwide Park in 2016 so Bianca may fulfill her want of bagging a leopard.