A wealthy dentist convicted of murdering his wife on an African safari was described by those who knew him as an “evil” Jekyll and Hyde who was too greedy to let go of his money or mistress.
“There was so much more on the cutting room floor that we were not able to include just because of runtime,” director Dani Sloane told Fox News Digital. “I think the biggest thing for me was that the fear was real. It was not put on for the cameras.
“All of these people who were [there] while this was happening were afraid of him. Whether it was physically afraid of him, emotionally scarred by working for him, there was no shortage of people who had this very intense hatred for him.”
Larry Rudolph had a long-running affair with his dental hygienist, Lori Milliron. After Rudolph was forced to choose between his wife of 34 years, Bianca Rudolph, and his mistress, one of them was found dead in his safari cabin in Zambia. (ABC News Studios)
“There are a lot of stories about surveillance that Larry and Lori set up in the office,” she added. “It came to their attention over time that Larry and Lori were listening to everything they were saying, even though they were thousands of miles away. All of these dental assistants we spoke to started to feel strange and unsafe.
“I think there was a mounting paranoia that was starting to present itself after Bianca’s death. Whether it’s because they did something wrong and were covering it up because they knew they were under investigation and that was making them paranoid, it’s hard to say. But there was this very intense shift in Larry and Lori leading up to their arrest.”
In 2023, Rudolph was sentenced to life in prison. He was also ordered to pay significant penalties for defrauding insurance companies.
Lawrence and Bianca Rudolph’s son, Julian, left, and daughter, AnaBianca, back right, stood by their father during his trial. (David Zalubowski/AP)
That same year, Milliron, 67, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for her role as an accessory in Bianca’s murder. Both maintain their innocence and are appealing their convictions.
“Their sides to the story very much aligned with each other, which I think was important to understand if there were any discrepancies,” said Sloane. “And there were none that were uncovered. … They had an answer to every question. They were very open, and they stuck to their side of the story. And it remained consistent throughout the process.
Larry Rudolph speaks out in a docuseries from a prison phone call. (ABC News Studios)
“I think there is still love there,” said Sloane. “But I think they’re both [more focused on] moving through the appeals process. In terms of a future, in terms of what they mean to each other today, I think they were tight-lipped on that.”
Lori Milliron and Larry Rudolph are appealing their sentences. (ABC News Studios)
Sloane said the docuseries continues to spark new questions about the circumstances surrounding everyone who was involved.
“You might feel they were wrongfully accused and don’t belong in prison,” said Sloane. “[Some might argue that] they wanted to build a successful practice together, and you can’t help who you fall in love with.
“I think the most prevalent way that people look at it is that they were both united in a desire to make money at any cost possible and were going to stop at nothing to attain the power and lifestyle they both ultimately wanted. Ultimately, they got carried away with it.”
