https://www.post-gazette.com/n...stories/202206140097


Judge bars evidence of self-inflicted gunshot wound in case of ex-Greensburg dentist accused of murdering wife

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette logo
TORSTEN OVE
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
tove@post-gazette.com
JUN 14, 2022 2:47 PM

A jury won't hear evidence that ex-Greensburg dentist Lawrence Rudolph, accused of killing his wife on an African safari in 2016 to collect $4.8 million in life insurance, also shot off part of his own thumb on another safari a decade earlier to collect $3.5 million in disability insurance.

A federal judge in Denver, William Martinez, ruled Monday against the U.S. attorney's office, which wanted to introduce the evidence to show that Mr. Rudolph knew he could get away with killing his wife for insurance in remote Zambia because they said he'd pulled an insurance scam there before.

Mr. Rudolph had objected to the introduction of the earlier incident and also disputed the government's version of events, saying he was able to collect on the insurance claim because a crocodile bit off the tip of his thumb.

"In the end, the risk of prejudice to Rudolph — that the jury will assume that because he may have inflicted bodily harm on himself in order to collect insurance money at Chinyembe, he likely also murdered his wife at that same location a decade later — is simply too great for the Court to accept," the judge ruled.



He said even if he gave the jury detailed instructions, the "crocodile incident" risks prejudicing Mr. Rudolph and would also waste time and possibly confuse jurors about the murder case.

Mr. Rudolph, a big-game hunter now living in Phoenix, is set to go on trial next month along with his mistress, Lori Milliron, his former office manager back in Greensburg.

Prosecutors and the FBI say Mr. Rudolph shot his wife, Bianca, during a 2016 safari and staged it as an accident to collect insurance money and then take up with Ms. Milliron, who moved into his mansion a few weeks after the shooting. She is charged with lying to a grand jury about their long-term affair and the shooting.

The thumb incident and Bianca's death both occurred in remote Chinyembe.

Prosecutors wanted to show the thumb episode is indicative of Mr. Rudolph's intent in killing Bianca because they said, he knew from experience that the Zambian authorities would do a lousy job of investigating, as would his insurers.

The U.S. attorney's office said Mr. Rudolph traveled to Kafue National Park to hunt water buffalo in 2006. Prosecutors said he shot off the tip of his thumb but said a crocodile had snatched him near a river and chomped on him. With such a croc-induced injury, he convinced his insurance company to pay him because he said he couldn't practice dentistry anymore.

The government wanted to present nine witnesses to bolster its contention that Mr. Rudolph shot himself and then ripped off the insurance company.



Mr. Rudolph and his lawyer said their own witnesses would counter that story, saying a croc did indeed cause the thumb injury.

The defense said prolonged sparring over the croc story would create an "unnecessary and improper mini-trial," and the judge agreed. He said it's a "close call" whether to bar the evidence, but he said he'll side with the defense.

Mr. Rudolph, 67, is charged with murder in a foreign place.

The FBI said he shot Bianca, also an experienced big-game hunter, with a shotgun during a leopard hunt in Kafue National Park and then claimed she shot herself accidentally while packing up her gun.

Ms. Milliron is accused of lying to protect him.

First Published June 14, 2022, 2:47pm

There is a lengthy article in Rolling Stone. The author clearly had an agenda . Lots of details.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
There is a lengthy article in Rolling Stone. The author clearly had an agenda . Lots of details.

My friend, I am sure I don’t need to tell you this.

No one writes the truth any more.

Every little dickhead masquerading as a reporter has an agenda!

As a criminal defense attorney, I don’t know what the hell “murder in a foreign place” is and whether it’s in any state penal code.

Crap, this is federal. They will get you if they want to and money is involved.

Trial starts today apparently.

https://denvergazette.com/news...cd-8312c6cdb928.html


Denver jury seated in trial of dentist accused of killing wife on safari in Zambia

Carol McKinley The Denver Gazette Jul 12, 2022 Updated 8 hrs ago

After what one attorney described as a "long two days" of jury selection, 12 jurors and two alternate were seated Tuesday in the murder trial of a dentist accused of killing his wife during a leopard-hunting safari six years ago and collecting nearly $5 million in life accidental death insurance policies.

A grand jury indicted Larry Rudolph, 67, for allegedly killing his wife around Oct. 11, 2016. He also faces a charge of mail fraud for reportedly misrepresenting the cause of Bianca's death in order to obtain $4.9 million in life insurance claims.

The fraud charge stemmed from insurance documents mailed to an address in Englewood. Authorities in Mexico, where Rudolph was on vacation, detained and deported Rudolph in late December 2021, and law enforcement arrested him at Denver International Airport.


Also charged in Bianca Rudolph's murder is her husband's former office manager and alleged lover, Lori Milleron, who is accused of lying to a federal grand jury about the case and about their relationship. She’s charged with perjury and being an accessory after the fact.

Rudolph has maintained his innocence telling Zambian authorities that he was in the restroom when Bianca shot herself accidentally as she was attempting to pack a shotgun. She was cremated in Zambia according to court documents. Friends said she was a Catholic who would not have agreed to anything except a traditional burial.


The first witnesses scheduled to take the stand are Bianca Rudolph's two brother, Vince and Ralph Finizio, who watched jury selection from a listening room Tuesday in the Alfred A. Arraj Courthouse in downtown Denver.

In the same room, but sitting across the aisle from the Finizios, were Larry and Bianca Rudolph's two adult children.

Attorneys asked jurors if they could get past two particular biases: their views on infidelity and also on big game hunting. Rudolph is suspected of having a multi-year affair with Milleron, and the death happened on a big game hunting trip during which Mrs. Rudolph wanted to take a leopard as a trophy.

Opening statements will begin at 8:45 Wednesday morning in a trial which is expected to last three weeks.

So the mistress have not flipped, he has no money problem bacause his net worth is somewhere between 15-27 million. Insurance money going to the children.
There is a will that she wanted to be cremated.
No one saw the shooting, no body to exam. Everyone knew about the adultery, His/hers kids there to stand on Rudolphs side.

There is a shotgun wad a waitress a mexican and a nigerian he needs to explain for

The Feds have a very high win rate . They rarely lose.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
The Feds have a very high win rate . They rarely lose.

Looking at those stats it doesn't look good for him.

quote:

posted 12 July 2022 12:12

The reason the prosecutors' conviction rates are so good is they get to choose the cases they try. They only try the cases they know they can win. On the civil side, I settle the cases I know I will lose, if I can, but have to try the close calls.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/u...afari-trip-rcna40387

Wealthy dentist denies killing wife on African safari trip

Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph testified Wednesday that an unfamiliar shotgun he and his wife brought with them to hunt a leopard accidentally went off, wounding his partner as she hurried to pack early in the morning.


July 28, 2022, 3:02 AM CDT / Source: Associated Press
By The Associated Press

DENVER — A wealthy dentist accused of shooting and killing his wife in their cabin at the end of an African safari trip testified Wednesday that an unfamiliar shotgun they brought with them to hunt a leopard accidentally went off, wounding her as she hurried to pack early in the morning.

“I did not kill my wife. I could not murder my wife. I would not murder my wife,” Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph told jurors Wednesday.

His voice cracked at times as he testified for over two hours about his open marriage to Bianca Rudolph and her death in October 2016 in Zambia. He said he was in the bathroom when he heard the shot and came out and found his wife on the floor, bleeding.

Rudolph, 67, is charged with murder and mail fraud in what prosecutors describe as a premeditated crime. He faces a maximum term of life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of murder in the trial, which is being held in federal court in Denver because the insurance companies that paid him nearly $5 million for his wife’s death were based in Colorado.

Prosecutors allege Rudolph killed his wife of 34 years to be with his girlfriend, Lori Milliron, who is charged with lying to a grand jury and being an accessory after the fact. She is being tried alongside Rudolph. In opening statements, the prosecution told jurors that Rudolph was overheard blurting out “I killed my f-----g wife for you!” during an argument with Milliron at a Phoenix steakhouse in 2020 after he learned that the FBI was investigating his wife’s death.



Rudolph denied confessing to his wife’s killing. He said he and Milliron were having an argument about their finances and how the Covid-19 pandemic, then at its start, would affect the Pennsylvania dental franchise that had made him a small fortune. But he was irritated because he said his top concern was the FBI’s probe.


Rudolph said what he actually said was “Now they’re saying I killed my f-----g wife for you.”

After being close to divorce twice, Rudolph said he and his wife, who had two children, agreed to stay married in 2000 but pursue sexual relationships with other people. He said the tension in their marriage eased after that, describing themselves as “reasonably happy” in their arrangement. Rudolph said neither Milliron nor his wife issued him any ultimatums about ending his relationship with the other.

Rudolph’s lawyer, David Markus, has argued that Rudolph had no financial motive for murder. Rudolph was worth more than $15 million when his wife died and the insurance payout went into a trust for their children.

Zambian authorities determined two days after the Oct. 11, 2016, shooting that it was accidental, according to the defense. Investigators for the insurers who later paid $4.8 million reached the same conclusion.

Prosecutors counter that evidence shows Bianca Rudolph’s wounds came from a shot fired from 2 to 3.5 feet away.

The Associated Press

I would think this means closing arguments are close.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

If only one rabid anti-hunting fanatic, like I have seen commenting on social media, is on the jury, he never had a chance regardless of the evidence.

Read another article. Indicated will be over Friday . I take it that means going to the jury.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Read another article. Indicated will be over Friday . I take it that means going to the jury.

It means he will be formally charged and under jeopardy. Whether a Jury is impaneled and a petite (the jury that hears the case) is set is a long time, many factors away.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Read another article. Indicated will be over Friday . I take it that means going to the jury.

It means he will be formally charged and under jeopardy. Whether a Jury is impaneled and a petite (the jury that hears the case) is set is a long time, many factors away.

A jury was selected about 3 weeks ago. I believe the jury has heard the case.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Read another article. Indicated will be over Friday . I take it that means going to the jury.

It means he will be formally charged and under jeopardy. Whether a Jury is impaneled and a petite (the jury that hears the case) is set is a long time, many factors away.

The trial is almost over. You have missed nearly all of it.

I have green money at 3-2 odds for acquittal. Unless an anti-hunter is on the jury.

Just not emough evidence to meet the burden of proof.

Prediction: he’ll walk….

I have seen little of the evidence . It is a very high standard to meet the burden of proof. On the other hand, the Feds have a high conviction rate.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Read another article. Indicated will be over Friday . I take it that means going to the jury.

It means he will be formally charged and under jeopardy. Whether a Jury is impaneled and a petite (the jury that hears the case) is set is a long time, many factors away.

The trial is almost over. You have missed nearly all of it.

I have green money at 3-2 odds for acquittal. Unless an anti-hunter is on the jury.

Just not emough evidence to meet the burden of proof.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/s...dolph-longtime-wife/

You are correct. It appears the Feds are hanging everything on a “confession.”

It will be interesting to see if the Jury accepts the confession bolsters by the other sledged facts. And if the Appellate Courts uphold the entry of the admission into evidence assuming guilty verdict.

They really pushed this one through.

I am not taking any odds. I have no idea.

(1) the Feds rarely lose (2) lots of folks have been convicted with very little evidence.

Beyond a reasonable doubt.

I have reasonable doubts about damned near everything.

3-2 odds. Any takers?

I’ve been wrong before, once or twice.

As I said in the closing of my first criminal trial.

Not all doubt is reasonable.

I won.

And no I do not take the bet.

I don’t pretend to know which way this will go. I do know the Feds have an incredibly high conviction rate . However , they have been known to prosecute some cases that never should have happened . Locally , they prosecuted the Pulse shooters wife . After hearing that case, they were trying to railroad her . She was clearly innocent .

Time will tell.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Beyond a reasonable doubt.

I have reasonable doubts about damned near everything.

3-2 odds. Any takers?

I’ve been wrong before, once or twice.

I may be wrong but am never in doubt...

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Beyond a reasonable doubt.

I have reasonable doubts about damned near everything.

3-2 odds. Any takers?

I’ve been wrong before, once or twice.

I may be wrong but am never in doubt...

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
I don’t pretend to know which way this will go. I do know the Feds have an incredibly high conviction rate . However , they have been known to prosecute some cases that never should have happened . Locally , they prosecuted the Pulse shooters wife . After hearing that case, they were trying to railroad her . She was clearly innocent .

Time will tell.

Most prosecutors can boast a high conviction rate because they plea-bargain the weak cases and only go to trial when they have a strong case.

As for the one anti-hunter, the Feds need a unanimous verdict to convict. I tend to agree that the Feds don't look like they have a strong case but, you can never tell what a jury will do.

Jury is deliberating .

As a fellow jurist told me while I was still representing folks: "Don't let facts get in the way of a conviction."

I'll say it.

I think he's guilty. My brains and guts both point to that conclusion.

But I could not convict him on the paltry evidence presented.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
I'll say it.

I think he's guilty. My brains and guts both point to that conclusion.

But I could not convict him on the paltry evidence presented.

You don't know what a jury will do. I had a jury give a guy 10 years for burglary of a habitation, for "stealing" from a front porch.

You have to either have a ton of money to beat the feds or a great case. Not sure this guy has enough money.

True that.

But still giving 3-2 odds for acquittal.

Unless there are anti-hunters on the jury.

quote:

But I could not convict him on the paltry evidence presented.

I agree, and I will be surprised if he doesn’t walk.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
True that.

But still giving 3-2 odds for acquittal.

Unless there are anti-hunters on the jury.

I will take the other side for $100. Whoever loses can give the money to the green beret foundation. Thus all winners.

Mike

It's on!

I hope I lose.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
It's on!

I hope I lose.

Mike

Great choice and great cause I have always supported and will gladly support again if and when and whether or not I lose.