A wealthy dentist has been found guilty of murdering his wife after he shot her in the heart during an African safari.
Per a report by The Washington Post, Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph was convicted of murder and mail fraud on Monday after a three-week-long trial.
A jury of six men and six women needed just a day and a half to deliberate over whether they would find Rudolph guilty.
The 67-year-old dentist was charged with foreign murder after he fatally shot and killed his wife Bianca Rudolph in Zambia while they were on safari in 2016.
Following his wife's death, Rudolph cashed in $4.8 million in life insurance - leading prosecutors to press for him to be convicted of premeditated murder. His sentencing - which is scheduled for February - will see him handed a maximum term of either life in prison or the death penalty.
Rudolph has maintained his innocence throughout the trial, despite prosecutors presenting the jury with a convincing version of events that included Rudolph's dental franchise manager and girlfriend Lori Milliron.
They alleged that Rudolph planned to kill his wife after she demanded to have more say in their finances, and ordered him to fire Milliron.
However, the defense maintained that Rudolph's wife agreed to an open marriage prior to her death - and that, as a wealthy dentist worth around $15 million, there was no financial incentive for Rudolph to claim life insurance.
Rudolph was supported in court by him and Bianca's two adult children. His attorney, David Markus, announced following the verdict that they would be appealing the court's decision.
"We believe in Larry. We believe in his family," he told reporters outside the courtroom.
Defense lawyers argued that Rudolph's wife shot herself while trying to pack a shotgun in a hurry as they prepared to return to the US - though prosecutors debunked this theory by alleging that she was shot from more than two meters away.
In a statement following the verdict, Colorado’s U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan thanked FBI agents for their work on the case, and claimed the sentencing would bring peace to Bianca Rudolph's family, saying: "Bianca Rudolph deserved justice."
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