Editor’s note: This article has been updated with the latest information surrounding Larry Rudolph’s case.
A Colorado judge sentenced a dentist to life in prison Monday for fatally shooting his wife during their safari vacation.
Larry Rudolph was convicted of murdering his wife, Bianca Rudolph, during an African safari in Zambia in 2016, ABC News reported. U.S. District Judge William Martinez also slapped Rudolph with a roughly $15 million fine. The dentist was previously convicted of mail fraud in 2022 for cashing in on insurance policies worth nearly $5 million for Bianca’s death, according to the outlet.
On tonight’s “Dateline,” a hunting safari in Zambia ends in a nightmare when a shot rings out from the cabin of dentist Dr. Larry Rudolph and his wife Bianca. https://t.co/B5R5MMfJzU
— WTWO News (@wtwonews) December 2, 2022
Rudolph has maintained his wife’s 2016 death was an accident, but prosecutors alleged he deliberately shot his wife and then staged the crime scene to appear as if she accidentally shot herself while preparing to depart from their vacation. The couple had been on a game hunting safari trip, ABC reported. (RELATED: ‘A Heinous, Complex And Calculated Murder’: Dentist Jailed For Allegedly Poisoning Wife)
“The murder was the culmination of a lifetime spent seeking domination and control over others through wealth and power,” prosecutors said, according to a court filing cited by ABC.
“[W]e’ll be back to get a fair trial and then Larry can walk out of here a free man,” Rudolph’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, said following the sentencing, according to the outlet. Markus and another defense attorney, Margot Moss, are working to appeal the judge’s verdict.
Prosecutors accused Rudolph of intentionally choosing a remote location approximately 80 miles from the closest police station and expediting his wife’s cremation by intimidating officials. Prosecutors also alleged Rudolph’s motive was to retire with his girlfriend, Lori Milliron, using the insurance money, according to the outlet.
A bartender at a Phoenix steakhouse claimed to have overheard Rudolph saying, “I killed my fucking wife for you!” during an argument with Milliron in early 2020, ABC reported. Rudolph later testified that he’d actually said, “Now they’re saying I killed my fucking wife for you!” Milliron had relocated to Phoenix to live with Rudolph following Bianca’s death, according to the outlet.
Milliron was sentenced to 17 years in prison in June after being found guilty of covering up the murder.
While Rudolph’s children, both adults, have chosen to remain quiet about their mother’s murder, they are challenging the fines their father has to pay, the outlet reported. Julian and AnaBianca Rudolph argued that they, rather than the insurance companies, should be recognized as victims of insurance fraud.
Prosecutors accused Rudolph of acquiring his wealth by committing fraud. He allegedly deliberately injured himself by shooting off his thumb on a previous trip to Zambia to claim millions in insurance, ABC reported. Rudolph also allegedly created a need for costly dental procedures at work by not performing fillings or drilling holes into his patients’ teeth, prompting them to return for root canals, according to the outlet.
Rudolph’s legal team previously argued he cannot pay the fines because he is no longer in control of his allegedly debt-ridden dental practice. Prior to his trial, prosecutors alleged Rudolph said he had a net worth of $27 million, and they argued he did not require the life insurance payout to show his innocence, ABC reported.