Larry Rudolph, a 67-year-old millionaire dentist, has been sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay a $15 million fine for murdering his wife on an African safari to claim a multi-million-dollar life insurance payout. The killing took place in October 2016 at a remote cabin in Kafue National Park, Zambia, where Bianca Rudolph had hoped to hunt a leopard.
Rudolph shot his wife in the heart before placing the gun in its soft case to simulate an accidental shooting. He later told his longtime lover, Lori Milliron, “I killed my f***ing wife for you.” Prosecutors argued that Rudolph cashed in nearly $5 million in insurance policies after his wife’s death to fund a lavish retirement with Milliron.
The sentencing took place on Monday in a Denver federal court, where Rudolph was convicted of murder and mail fraud. His accomplice, Milliron, 65, was sentenced to 17 years in prison in June for being an accessory to murder after the fact and obstructing a grand jury. The couple’s adult children have claimed financial harm from the penalties and are seeking restitution.
Rudolph initially told Zambian authorities that his wife had accidentally shot herself while packing a shotgun, and both local investigators and insurance officials initially accepted this explanation. However, an FBI investigation led to his arrest five years later, after a bartender in Phoenix overheard Rudolph’s admission to Milliron during an argument in early 2020. Rudolph claimed the witness misheard him, insisting he said, “They’re saying I killed my f***ing wife for you.”
Court filings described the murder as “the culmination of a lifetime spent seeking domination and control over others through wealth and power.” In addition to the fine, Rudolph must pay $4.9 million in restitution to the insurance companies and forfeit $4.8 million from bank accounts, real estate in Arizona and Pennsylvania, and two luxury vehicles: an Aston Martin DB-11 and a Bentley Bentayga. Rudolph’s lawyers argue he cannot afford these penalties, but prosecutors estimate his net worth at $27 million.
