Pittsburgh dentist found guilty of murdering his wife on a hunting trip

A dentist was found guilty by a federal jury Monday of fatally shooting his wife on a big game hunting trip to Zambia in 2016 and then collecting nearly $4.9 million in insurance benefits.

Lawrence Rudolph was found guilty on one count of murder of a U.S. national in a foreign country and one count of mail fraud in a federal courtroom in Denver.

Bianca Rudolph died at the end of a hunting trip. Rudolph, 67, who goes by Larry, pleaded not guilty to her death in January.

“We are thankful for the jury’s diligence looking at all the evidence in this case,” Cole Finegan, the U.S. attorney for the district of Colorado, said in a statement. “Bianca Rudolph deserved justice.”

Larry Rudolph’s lawyers will appeal the decision, said David Oscar Markus, a criminal trial lawyer. Two of Larry Rudolph’s adult children signed affidavits saying they believed in his innocence.

Larry Rudolph, who is set to be sentenced Feb. 1, could face a maximum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty for the murder charge. The mail fraud charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

In 2016, the couple went to Zambia, traveling to the Kafue National Park. A hunting guide and game scout said they rushed to the cabin on the morning of Oct. 11, 2016, after they heard a gunshot, according to court documents. They saw Bianca Rudolph bleeding from the left side of her chest. Larry Rudolph said his wife had accidentally discharged the shotgun as she was putting it away.

Investigators later said that Larry Rudolph had been involved in a relationship with Lori Milliron at the time of his wife’s death, and that he had made adjustments to life insurance policies for her that same year. Prosecutors argued that Larry Rudolph killed his wife for financial reasons and to be with Milliron.

Milliron was found guilty of being an accessory to murder, obstruction of justice and two counts of perjury before the grand jury. She will remain free with an ankle monitor until sentencing, according to The Associated Press. Milliron was found not guilty on three other counts of perjury. Her lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.