NBC's 'Dateline' To Focus On Pittsburgh Dentist's Homicide Case

PITTSBURGH, PA — The outcome of the case against Dr. Lawrence Rudolph, who once ran a prominent Pittsburgh-area dental chain, is no secret to most people locally. But NBC is promising new details and never-before-seen interviews in a Dec. 2 episode of "Dateline" that focuses on the 2016 shooting death of his wife.

Bianca Rudolph suffered a fatal shotgun wound in the couple's cabin as they prepared to return to the United States from a safari in Zambia. Lawrence Rudolph, who claimed to be in another room at the time, theorized that the shooting was accidental or that his wife had committed suicide.

"Dateline" reporter Andrea Canning will report on the six-year murder investigation that resulted in Lawrence being charged with homicide and insurance fraud in January. The two-hour broadcast also features new details, including jail phone recordings between key players in the story.

The broadcast features Canning’s exclusive interview with Godfrey NeCube, the manager of the cabin where the crime occurred, never-before-seen footage from inside the cabin and jail phone calls between Dr. Rudolph and his daughter, as well as with his co-defendant and mistress, Lori Milliron.

Additionally, several employees from Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Dental Group, which Rudolph founded, also sat down for interviews.

Rudolph maintained his innocence even as prosecutors at his trial argued that Rudolph killed his wife to collect $4.8 million insurance money and to be with his Milliron, his girlfriend and office manager.

Prosecutors also called witnesses to the stand who said it would have been impossible for Bianca Rudolph to have shot herself with the rifle given the length of the weapon's barrel. The FBI determined it was likely that she had been shot from a distance of six to eight feet away.

In August, a jury found Rudolph guilty on one count of murder of a U.S. national in a foreign country and one count of mail fraud after deliberating for a little over a day following a three-week trial in a federal courtroom in Denver. That's where the defrauded insurance companies are located.

Rudolph, who will be sentenced in February, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for the murder charge. The mail fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years.

Milliron, who was tried alongside Rudolph, was found guilty of being an accessory to murder,

obstruction of justice and two counts of perjury before a federal grand jury.