Naman Shrestha
NBC’s ‘Dateline: Safari Story’ and Hulu’s ‘Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari’ chronicle the brutal killing of Bianca Rudolph during a trip to Zambia’s Kafue National Park in October 2016. It was years later that it came to light her husband, Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph, had staged it to look like an accident. During the investigation, the detectives uncovered some dark secrets of the renowned dentist, including his extramarital affair with one of his employees, Lori Milliron. As it turned out, Lori was well aware of Bianca’s murder and, in fact, played a critical role in keeping it a secret. It would take the authorities more than six years to apprehend the accomplice.
Lori Milliron Allegedly Encouraged Larry to Kill Bianca
Apart from being Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph’s employee at The Dentistry and then at his Three Rivers Dental Group, Lori Milliron was also involved in a secret affair with him. The single mother of three and the reputed dentist had been involved for well over a decade by the time 2016 rolled around. However, when they began, he was already married to Bianca Rudolph, with whom he shared two children — AnaBianca and Julian. As the extramarital affair intensified over time, Lori, a dental hygienist, allegedly gave an ultimatum to her boyfriend. As per reports, she told him that if he did not get rid of Bianca within a year, she would leave him for good.
Thus, when Larry and Bianca went on a 2-week hunting trip to Zambia’s Kafue National Park in 2016, the former shot his wife with a 12-gauge shotgun. This happened on the morning of October 11, their last day on the safari, while they were packing up their bags and getting ready to catch a flight back home. He then staged the murder to look like an accident before quickly cremating her – he took her ashes home, not her remains. He also collected her life insurance claims worth $4.8 million within weeks in order to start a life with Lori, who stayed quiet about the whole ordeal. In the ensuing years, his relationship with Lori became public, and he decided to build two new luxurious houses, one in Arizona and the other in Pennsylvania. Lori and Larry led a lavish lifestyle for several years in their Arizona house, all the while also taking several vacations a year, before the investigators linked the two to the murder and arrested them.
Lori Milliron is Currently Incarcerated at a Florida Prison Facility
On January 5, 2022, Lori Milliron was called to provide information regarding Bianca’s murder to the grand jury. Instead of admitting the truth, she decided to tell several lies in order to prevent her boyfriend, Larry, from getting prosecuted. When asked about why he had made cash payments to her before his wife’s death, she told them that it was a generous act on his part and nothing else. Lori also vehemently claimed that he was innocent, which was why he had been irritated by the FBI investigation. A few months later, in July 2022, she and Larry both stood trial for Bianca’s killing. She was convicted of being an accessory after the fact to the murder, two counts of perjury based on her testimony before a grand jury, and obstruction of justice. She was acquitted of three other counts of perjury.
When Lori filed a motion to get a new trial, her request was denied in April 2023. A couple of months later, on June 23, 2023, her sentencing hearing took place. Bianca and Larry’s daughter, AnaBianca, took the stand and addressed the accomplice. She stated, “Lori, you have taken my parents. Despite everything you have done, you will never take my soul. This might be difficult to understand… because you don’t have one.” Finally, she was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for her involvement in the gruesome 2016 crime. On top of that, she was also fined a total of $250,000.
Following the sentencing, Lori’s defense attorney, John Dill, expressed their intent to appeal the entire verdict. He told CNN, “We believe the sentence is excessive and bears no reasonable relationship to the two counts of perjury before the grand jury that formed the basis of the charges of obstruction and accessory after the fact. The answers she gave before the grand jury were not false. (…) Ms. Milliron had no involvement in the death of Bianca Rudolph, and she sympathizes with the family as victims of that tragedy.” As of today, the 67-year-old woman is serving her sentence at Federal Correctional Institution Marianna in Marianna, Florida, with her release date scheduled for April 15, 2036.
Read More: Bianca Rudolph Murder Details and Investigation Timeline
