A death on safari: The bizarre tale of the larger-than-life ladies' man
What began as a mysterious death on an African safari unfolded into an international investigation that spanned years and continents, centering on Larry Rudolph. The flashy Pittsburgh dentist had a taste for big game hunting and even bigger secrets, including a long-running affair with his dental hygienist, Lori Milliron.
Prosecutors argued that after Rudolph was forced to choose between his wife of 34 years, Bianca, and longtime mistress Milliron, one of them was found dead in his safari cabin in October 2016 in Zambia. While local authorities ruled it an accident, mounting suspicions back in the U.S. led investigators to dig deeper into decades of unusual behavior and questionable dealings.
"Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari," a three-part ABC News Studios series, is streaming in its entirety on Hulu from July 21, promising viewers a bizarre true crime story.
In 2023, Rudolph was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife and will serve a concurrent sentence of 20 years in federal prison for defrauding multiple insurance companies.
Milliron was 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 for committing perjury before a grand jury.
In exclusive prison interviews, Larry Rudolph and his former dental hygienist-turned-mistress Milliron shared their sides of the story. The series also featured revealing conversations with an eclectic cast of characters who painted a picture of the larger-than-life Rudolph.
"Larry Rudolph has the gift of making you feel like you're very important. That's what Larry does best," family friend Betsy Wandtke said in an interview. "But this is Larry's game. Perception is reality."
The series opener revealed a man who built his dental empire on carefully crafted TV commercials and a public image as Pittsburgh's premier sedation dentist. Behind the scenes, however, former colleagues described a different person entirely.
"Larry Rudolph was a big personality. Patients loved him, most loved him. But he also had another side," Dr. Tim Runco, his former business partner, said. "There was a Jekyll and Hyde there."
His son Julian Rudolph remembered a more complex family dynamic.
"My mother brought out the best in him," he said. "And Lori Milliron brought out the worst."
While in Zambia, a suspicious crocodile attack happened that led to disability insurance payments of $30,000 per month.
According to insurance broker Bill Gorman, he received a surprising call from Larry Rudolph in Zambia. Rudolph claimed that, while fishing on the banks of a river one morning, a crocodile attacked him as he reached for a fish he had caught. The crocodile allegedly pulled him into the water and rolled him, resulting in the loss of a digit on his hand.
"Yeah, we have our own theories about what happened there," former colleague Maryann Versmessen said of the incident.
Despite skepticism, Rudolph filed a disability insurance claim, arguing that as a dentist, he required the use of both hands. The insurance company conducted inquiries and ultimately approved the claim.
However, according to former colleague Runco, Rudolph's behavior after the incident raised more questions than answers.
"Because he's a dentist, he needs all 10 fingers. Well, I can tell you, he doesn't," Runco said.
Runco speculated that the loss of Rudolph's finger didn't play out the way he claimed it did.
"He either cut it off or shot it off or I don't know," he said of the incident.
From hunting expeditions in Africa to questionable insurance claims to a dental practice built on TV fame, Episode 1 sets the stage for what would become an international investigation into a shocking and sudden death.
Prosecutors would eventually paint a darker picture: they alleged Rudolph orchestrated elaborate schemes -- including his wife's death on safari -- to fund a new life with his longtime mistress, Milliron. Prosecutors began building their case by examining this earlier insurance claim, which raised questions about Rudolph's patterns with money.
"It's Larry's world and we're all living in it," family friend Wandtke said.
