On his Facebook profile, Lawrence Rudolph likes to show off his trophies – animals he killed as a big game hunter. In an eleven-year-old picture, Rudolph can also be seen with his wife Bianca, the couple posing with a dead hippopotamus. The multi-millionaire shared his passion for big game hunting with his wife. However, she has now died – Rudolph presumably killed his wife on one of their tours together.
A jury in Denver found it proven that 67-year-old Bianca Rudolph shot dead while on a hunting trip in Zambia. Rudolph and his wife were married for 34 years and have two children together who are now grown. The dentist maintained his innocence throughout the three-week trial. However, the jury found him guilty. The sentence has not yet been determined: Rudolph faces life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
In September 2016, Rudolph and his wife traveled to Zambia to go hunting together. Bianca Rudolph’s particular goal was to shoot a leopard. However, during the two-week hunting trip, she was fatally shot by a gunshot. According to the public prosecutor – and also the jury – her husband fired this shot.
He was accused of killing his wife to collect her $4.8 million life insurance policy. With the money he wanted to start a new life with his beloved. After his wife’s death, Rudolph claimed it was a tragic accident. In fact, the police and insurance initially believed him, and the big game hunter was paid the insurance premium.
It was only years later that the investigators targeted Rudolph. He got into a fight with his girlfriend over dinner at a restaurant. As he did so, he cried out, “I killed my damn wife for you.” His lover is said to have known about the fact.
In court, Rudolph maintained that his wife had died in an accident. “I didn’t kill my wife, I couldn’t kill my wife, I wouldn’t kill my wife,” he testified. His version of the story: When his wife wanted to stow her gun, a shot was fired. He wasn’t even in the room at the time and found her dead. However, FBI reconstructions revealed that Bianca Rudolph was shot in the heart from a distance of about six feet.
The jury didn’t believe Lawrence Rudolph and found him guilty, with a sentence likely not to be decided until next year. His lawyers want to appeal the verdict.
Sources: CNN / “New York Times”
