Pittsburgh-Based Dentist Who Killed Wife On Safari Sentenced

DENVER, CO — Former Pittsburgh dental company owner Lawrence Rudolph has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife on a safari excursion in Zambia in 2016.

Rudolph, 68, also will serve a concurrent sentence of 20 years for defrauding multiple life insurance companies. He also must pay $4.8 million in restitution, a $2 million fine and must forfeit assets obtained as a result of his crime.

Following a trial last summer, Rudolph was convicted of foreign murder and a mail fraud scheme originating in Colorado.

Well-known locally, Rudolph is the founder of Three Rivers Dental, which has offices in Cranberry, Greentree, Greensburg and Jennserstown.

“This result shows that no matter how much money, prestige, or power you have, you will be held accountable for your crimes,” U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan said in a statement released late Monday.

According to Finegan's office, Rudolph murdered his wife, Bianca, while the two were on a hunting trip in Zambia in October 2016. Rudolph shot his wife through the heart with a 12-gauge shotgun that was enclosed in a soft-shell case on the last day of a scheduled hunt, scheming to make the murder look like an accident.

Upon his return to the United States, Rudolph filed fraudulent claims on nine separate life insurance policies issued by seven different companies to obtain $4,8 million.

“The defendant in this case thought he could murder his wife overseas and get away with it. He was wrong and will now be held accountable for his actions thanks to the relentless pursuit of justice by the dedicated men and women of the FBI, Department of Justice and the family of Bianca Rudolph, who never lost faith in the judicial system,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek.

Rudolph’s co-defendant, Lori Milliron, was previously sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for her role as an accessory to the murder, for obstructing the investigation into Rudolph’s crime, and br>for committing perjury before a grand jury.

The U.S. Attorney's Office alleged in an 11-page indictment that Milliron, who began living with Rudolph shortly after Bianca's death, provided false and misleading testimony regarding substantial payments to her from Rudolph.