Denver Trial Begins For Dentist Charged In Wife's Safari Death

DENVER — A murder trial is underway in Denver for a wealthy Pittsburgh-area dentist, who prosecutors said shot and killed his wife of 34 years with a shotgun while the couple was on a remote African safari, then collected nearly $5 million in insurance money before telling his longtime lover, " I killed my f---g wife for you!"

Opening statements in Lawrence "Larry" Rudolph's trial began Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. Rudolph, 67, is charged with murder and mail fraud. He faces up to life in prison — or the death penalty — if convicted. The trial is being held in Colorado because the insurance payouts were based there.

Prosecutors said Rudolph admitted to killing his wife, Bianca, to his lover, Lori Milliron, at a Phoenix steakhouse after learning the FBI was investigating his wife's 2016 death. Bianca was killed in a small cabin in Zambia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bishop Grewell said.

"He killed his wife for HER!," Grewell said, pointing at Milliron.

As Pittsburgh Patch previously reported, Milliron, who managed former Rudolph's Three Rivers Dental in Greensburg, was accused of lying to a federal grand about various circumstances of her relationship with him. She is charged with nine counts of accessory after the fact, obstruction of a federal grand jury and perjury.

Rudolph has maintained his innocence and told Zambian police his wife died while he was in the bathroom. He suggested she shot herself in the chest while packing a shotgun. Rudolph told police the gun was left loaded and accidentally fired. Rudolph had nearly $5 million in insurance policies on his wife.

Police in Zambia ruled her death an accident. But the insurance companies involved investigated the shooting — as did the FBI, at the request of Bianca's friend.

Milliron began living with Rudolph shortly after Bianca's death and couldn't explain why Rudolph paid her about $75,000 in cash in 2016, and about $33,000 the following year, other than to say the dentist was "generous."

David Markus, Rudolph's attorney, told jurors that prosecutors chose "speculation over science."

"They've chosen fiction over fact," he said in his opening statement, according to AP.

Rudolph's attorney said the couple was happily married, despite extramarital affairs from both sides, and years of highs and lows. He said Bianca knew about her husband's relationship with Milliron.

Milliron's attorney, John Dill, told jurors she knew nothing about the killing, and suggested she was a victim of leading questions by investigators and the grand jury.

"This isn't a trial about adultery," Dill said.

No one saw the shotgun fire in the hunting cabin, Milliron's attorney said. The shooting happened around 5 a.m. as local guides were in and out serving the couple coffee and helping them prepare for the return trip to the U.S., Markus said.

The guides were inside the cabin within seconds and found Rudolph in distress and shock, Markus said. With support staff in and out, the cabin's doors open and window shades pulled up, Rudolph wouldn't have had time to get away with shooting his wife, Markus argued, according to AP.

Markus said Bianca accidentally dropped the shotgun. It fired, sending a blast into her heart as she hurriedly packed.

Zambian authorities and insurance investigators reached the same conclusion — it was an accident.

But prosecutors said evidence showed the shot came from up to 3 1/2 feet away. They said they'll prove Rudolph killed his wife after receiving an ultimatum from his lover, a former hygienist and manager of his office, that he divorce his wife, prosecutors said.

Rudolph built a small fortune as a dentist and later owner of a dental sedation franchise in the Pittsburgh area. He was a familiar fixture on local TV, advertising his services. He met Bianca at the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied dentistry. They married in 1982.