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 "excerpt": "Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari is a 2025 three-part ABC News Studios true-crime docuseries on Hulu, directed by Dani Sloane, about Pittsburgh dentist Larry Rudolph's 2016 Zambia safari murder of his wife Bianca and his conviction.",
 "snippet": "Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari is a 2025 three-part ABC News Studios true-crime docuseries on Hulu, directed by Dani Sloane, about Pittsburgh dentist Larry Rudolph's 2016 Zambia safari murder of his wife Bianca and his conviction.",
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 "markdown": "# Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari\n\n*Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari* is a three-part American true-crime docuseries from ABC News Studios that examines the 2016 death of Bianca Rudolph on a hunting trip in Zambia and the murder conviction of her husband, the Pittsburgh-area dentist Larry Rudolph. It premiered on Hulu on July 21, 2025.<sup>[1](https://www.dgepress.com/abcnews/pressrelease/abc-news-studios-announces-three-chilling-new-true-crime-docuseries-to-premiere-in-july-streaming-exclusively-on-hulu/)</sup>\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | Three-part docuseries, TV-MA, episodes of roughly 40 to 43 minutes<sup>[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37455125/episodes/)</sup> |\n| Premiere | July 21, 2025, streaming on Hulu<sup>[1](https://www.dgepress.com/abcnews/pressrelease/abc-news-studios-announces-three-chilling-new-true-crime-docuseries-to-premiere-in-july-streaming-exclusively-on-hulu/)</sup> |\n| Director | Dani Sloane, also executive producer<sup>[3](https://www.detpress.com/abcnews/shows/trophy-wife-murder-on-safari/)</sup> |\n| Production | XTR in association with Rolling Stone Films and ABC News Studios; based on Matt Sullivan's Rolling Stone article \"Before the Dentist Knows You're Dead\"<sup>[3](https://www.detpress.com/abcnews/shows/trophy-wife-murder-on-safari/)</sup> |\n| Subject case | Larry Rudolph convicted in 2022 of murdering his wife Bianca in Zambia in 2016 and of mail fraud; sentenced to life in prison plus a concurrent 20-year term and over $15 million in penalties<sup>[4](https://apnews.com/article/e746294183467d0ebe540865e687dd30)</sup> |\n| Interviews | Exclusive prison interviews with Larry Rudolph and Lori Milliron, plus former employees, FBI agents, and the former U.S. ambassador to Zambia<sup>[3](https://www.detpress.com/abcnews/shows/trophy-wife-murder-on-safari/)</sup> |\n| Reception | IMDb rating 6.1/10 from about 520 votes<sup>[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37455125/)</sup> |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### The case the series covers\n\nLarry Rudolph ran a multimillion-dollar dental practice in the [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) area, and he and his wife Bianca were avid big game hunters who traveled widely.<sup>[8](https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2022/09/15/new-episode-of-2020-investigates-the-mysterious-death-of-a-wife-on-an-african-safari/)</sup> In October 2016 the couple hunted at Kafue National Park in Zambia. On the final day of the trip, October 11, Bianca died of a shotgun blast to the chest; Rudolph said she was packing a gun in the cabin bedroom when it discharged while he was in the bathroom. Zambian authorities ruled the death an accident.<sup>[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-rudolph-denist-bianca-rudolph-murder-investigation-african-safari/)</sup>\n\n**Suspicion builds.** Within a month of returning to the United States, Rudolph began filing claims on life insurance policies worth almost $5 million, about $4.88 million in total.<sup>[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-rudolph-denist-bianca-rudolph-murder-investigation-african-safari/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2022/09/15/new-episode-of-2020-investigates-the-mysterious-death-of-a-wife-on-an-african-safari/)</sup> Tips to the FBI alleged a long-running affair with Lori Milliron, an employee at his dental clinic, and a former bartender told investigators he had overheard Rudolph tell his mistress that he killed his wife for her.<sup>[8](https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2022/09/15/new-episode-of-2020-investigates-the-mysterious-death-of-a-wife-on-an-african-safari/)</sup> The series also examines an earlier incident: Rudolph claimed a crocodile attacked him while he fished in Zambia, costing him a finger, and collected disability insurance payments of $30,000 per month; former colleagues expressed skepticism about the story.<sup>[10](https://abcnews.com/amp/US/death-safari-bizarre-tale-larger-life-ladies-man/story?id=123837048)</sup>\n\n**Arrest, trial, and sentence.** Rudolph was arrested in December 2021, more than five years after Bianca's death, and charged with foreign murder and mail fraud.<sup>[11](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/larry-rudolph-pittsburgh-dentist-bianca-rudolph-fatal-gunshot-safari-48-hours/)</sup> On August 1, 2022, a Denver federal jury convicted him of the murder of a U.S. national in a foreign country and of mail fraud for cashing in more than $4.8 million in life insurance claims.<sup>[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-rudolph-denist-bianca-rudolph-murder-investigation-african-safari/)</sup> In August 2023, U.S. District Judge William Martinez sentenced him to life in prison with a concurrent 20-year term for the insurance fraud, and imposed over an estimated $15 million in financial penalties.<sup>[4](https://apnews.com/article/e746294183467d0ebe540865e687dd30)</sup> Prosecutors argued he shot his wife in the heart with a shotgun and staged the scene to look like an accidental discharge while she packed, then rushed her cremation and intimidated officials investigating the death, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) from the nearest police station.<sup>[4](https://apnews.com/article/e746294183467d0ebe540865e687dd30)</sup> Rudolph maintained throughout that the death was an accident.<sup>[4](https://apnews.com/article/e746294183467d0ebe540865e687dd30)</sup>\n\nMilliron was convicted of being an accessory after the fact to the murder, obstruction of justice, and two counts of perjury before a grand jury, and was sentenced to 17 years in prison on June 23, 2023.<sup>[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-rudolph-denist-bianca-rudolph-murder-investigation-african-safari/)</sup> The Tenth Circuit affirmed Rudolph's conviction and forfeiture order in a 2025 appeal.<sup>[12](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/trophy-wife-murder-on-safari-behind-the-scenes-of-the-docuseries/)</sup>\n\n## Production and release\n\nThe series was announced in June 2025 as one of three ABC News Studios true-crime titles premiering on Hulu that July, alongside *Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit* and *Mr. & Mrs. Murder*.<sup>[1](https://www.dgepress.com/abcnews/pressrelease/abc-news-studios-announces-three-chilling-new-true-crime-docuseries-to-premiere-in-july-streaming-exclusively-on-hulu/)</sup> Dani Sloane directed and executive produced; Matthew Cherchio, Kathleen Flood, Justin Lacob, and Bryn Mooser served as executive producers for XTR, and Jason Fine, Gus Wenner, and Alexandra Dale for Rolling Stone Films.<sup>[3](https://www.detpress.com/abcnews/shows/trophy-wife-murder-on-safari/)</sup> The production team traveled to Zambia to see where Bianca died.<sup>[6](https://abc13.com/post/director-talks-how-dentists-deception-led-murder-hulu-docuseries-trophy-wife-safari/17266059/)</sup>\n\nThe three episodes are titled \"Jekyll & Hyde,\" \"Something Fishy,\" and \"Crocodile Tears.\" The first introduces Rudolph as a pioneering dentist and big game hunter caught in a love triangle; the second covers the deadly end of that triangle on safari; the third follows the international cat-and-mouse investigation.<sup>[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37455125/episodes/)</sup> The series is also available on Disney+ in some regions.<sup>[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/trophy_wife_murder_on_safari)</sup>\n\n## Interviews and reception\n\nThe series features exclusive interviews with Rudolph and Milliron from federal prison, along with Rudolph's former business partner Tim Runco, Milliron's daughter, the Rudolphs' insurance broker, FBI agents, former U.S. Ambassador to Zambia Daniel Foote, members of Safari Club International, and Rudolph's daughter Annabianca.<sup>[3](https://www.detpress.com/abcnews/shows/trophy-wife-murder-on-safari/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[13](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/trophy-wife-murder-on-safari)</sup> Axios noted that jurors revealed in the series they were initially leaning toward acquitting Rudolph until his own testimony swayed them.<sup>[14](https://www.axios.com/local/pittsburgh/2025/07/23/pittsburgh-dentist-hulu-trophy-wife)</sup> A Decider review judged that the series \"looks great\" but that viewers would be better served looking up the details of the case online.<sup>[15](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/trophy_wife_murder_on_safari/s01)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n1. [ABC News Studios announces three new true-crime docuseries to premiere in July, streaming exclusively on Hulu (June 27, 2025)](https://www.dgepress.com/abcnews/pressrelease/abc-news-studios-announces-three-chilling-new-true-crime-docuseries-to-premiere-in-july-streaming-exclusively-on-hulu/)\n2. [Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari (2025) episode list, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37455125/episodes/)\n3. [Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari, ABC News press site](https://www.detpress.com/abcnews/shows/trophy-wife-murder-on-safari/)\n4. [Dentist convicted of killing wife on African safari given life sentence and over $15M in penalties, AP News (August 21, 2023)](https://apnews.com/article/e746294183467d0ebe540865e687dd30)\n5. [Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari (2025), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37455125/)\n6. [Director talks about how a dentist's deception led to murder in the Hulu docuseries, ABC13 Houston](https://abc13.com/post/director-talks-how-dentists-deception-led-murder-hulu-docuseries-trophy-wife-safari/17266059/)\n7. [Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/trophy_wife_murder_on_safari)\n8. [New episode of 20/20 investigates the mysterious death of a wife on an African safari, Laughing Place (September 15, 2022)](https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2022/09/15/new-episode-of-2020-investigates-the-mysterious-death-of-a-wife-on-an-african-safari/)\n9. [How a Denver jury determined an \"accident\" on an African safari was murder, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-rudolph-denist-bianca-rudolph-murder-investigation-african-safari/)\n10. [From a crocodile attack to a wilderness death: Inside a dentist's safari mystery, ABC News (July 21, 2025)](https://abcnews.com/amp/US/death-safari-bizarre-tale-larger-life-ladies-man/story?id=123837048)\n11. [Wife of Pittsburgh dentist dies from fatal gunshot on safari, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/larry-rudolph-pittsburgh-dentist-bianca-rudolph-fatal-gunshot-safari-48-hours/)\n12. [Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari: Credits, interviews and court record, DocumentaryTube](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/trophy-wife-murder-on-safari-behind-the-scenes-of-the-docuseries/)\n13. [Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari, Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/trophy-wife-murder-on-safari)\n14. [Pittsburgh dentist's deadly safari gets Hulu series, Axios Pittsburgh (July 23, 2025)](https://www.axios.com/local/pittsburgh/2025/07/23/pittsburgh-dentist-hulu-trophy-wife)\n15. [Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/trophy_wife_murder_on_safari/s01)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Documentary, docudrama, and lifestyle series › True crime and investigative docuseries › Premiered 2006 to 2022*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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