An American has been found guilty of killing his wife while they were on safari in Zambia.
The trial lasted three weeks. On Monday, Lawrence “Larry” Rudolph, a wealthy American dentist, was found guilty of murdering his wife by a jury in Denver federal court. The man was also found guilty of fraud. Throughout the hearings, the one who received $ 4.8 million in life insurance after the death of his wife, has continued to maintain his innocence. His lawyer explained that the defendant’s wife, Bianca Rudolph, shot and killed herself as she stowed a gun in their luggage. The two, who were on safari in Zambia (the man was a hunter and regularly posed behind dead animals), were preparing to return to the United States when the tragedy occurred in 2016, reports CBS.
Interviewed at the time, the American said he was in the bathroom when he heard a shot. He then found his wife bleeding, dead on their bedroom floor. But prosecutors have challenged this version, saying it was impossible that the victim touched himself since the wound to the heart was the result of a shot made more than two feet from her. Prosecutors say Bianca Rudolph’s murder was premeditated in order to raise money for her life insurance and start a new life with her longtime mistress. The “New York Post” writes that during an argument with this famous mistress, the man would have launched: “I killed my fucking wife for you!”
Regular arguments
The dentist’s lawyers responded to this element by indicating that their client had no reason to kill his wife since they had been in a free union since the 2000s, authorizing them to have other sexual partners. They also indicated that he didn’t need the money since his wealth was already estimated at $15 million. Moreover, the life insurance reverted to the inheritance of their children.
’48 Hours’ recently reported that Larry Rudolph quickly had his wife’s body cremated in Zambia, leading a friend of Bianca’s to doubt it was an accident. Shortly after Bianca’s death, this friend called the FBI, who opened an investigation. Officers found that the husband was verbally abusive towards his wife and the couple often argued over money. The defendant also allegedly forced his mistress, a manager in one of his dental practices, to lie before the federal grand jury about the case. She was convicted of aiding and abetting, obstructing a grand jury, and two counts of perjury before a grand jury.