Viswa Vanapalli
In October 2016, Bianca Rudolph suddenly died in what appeared to be an accident while on a hunting trip with her husband, Lawrence. But as the years rolled on, the authorities began to discover there was more to the story. Amidst insurance claims and extra-marital affairs, it became clear that Bianca was murdered. ABC News’ ‘20/20: The Last Hunt’ chronicles this very story. As part of the case against Lawrence, the prosecution had Brian Lovelace, a former bartender, testify about a conversation Lawrence had with the woman he was having an affair with, Lori Milliron. So, let’s find out how Brian helped the prosecution then, shall we?
Who is Brian Lovelace?
Bianca and Lawrence had traveled to a national park in Zambia, Africa, for a hunting trip in September 2016. Everything seemed to be going well until a few days into the trip when Bianca was suddenly found with a shotgun wound to her chest. At the time, Lawrence told the police it could have been an accident, and he quickly had the body cremated. Over time, though, the authorities began to suspect the death was not accidental and began investigating.
In the meantime, Lawrence appeared to have moved on with his life, living with his girlfriend, Lori Millirion, with whom he was having an affair while Bianca was alive. At one point, the couple visited Steak 44, a restaurant outside Phoenix, Arizona, where they were regulars. Working there on that night as a bartender was Brian Lovelace, who became the state’s closing witness during Lawrence’s trial in July 2022.
Brian remembered seeing Lawrence and Lori argue at the time. On the show, he mentioned that Lawrence was close to Lori’s face and was trying not to be loud. As Brian was serving them, the music in the restaurant stopped just as he heard Lawrence say, “I killed my f—g wife for you!” After that, he claimed Lori stormed off, with Lawrence right behind her.
Brian tried to make sense of the phrase at the time, and months later, the couple returned to the restaurant as if nothing had happened. Then, one of Brian’s colleagues told the FBI about the conversation, but he didn’t initially want to get involved. Brian further stated that the federal authorities didn’t seem too interested in what he had to say at the time.
But the prosecution eventually called Brian to the stand to testify in July 2022. In response, Lawrence’s team claimed that Brian only heard part of a sentence. According to them, the dentist was talking about something else and had learned about the FBI looking into Bianca’s death. He purportedly said, “I have bigger issues! They’re saying I f—g killed my wife for you!” The defense stated that Lawrence and Lori were arguing about his son being on the office payroll at the time.
Where is Brian Lovelace Today?
Ultimately, Brian wasn’t sure about what Lawrence actually said that night. He admitted to not hearing the words before the statement because of the music. On the show, Brian mentioned not knowing the context but was sure Lawrence uttered those words. He later said, “There’s injustice on all sides, and African-Americans and minorities, they get railroaded.”
Brian added, “At the same time, there are clearly times where there’s a martyr — they wanna take down that white, powerful person because of their money and their stature. And it’s definitely curious to me, of all the cold cases: What’s the agenda here when you go real hard at someone? It makes you question everything.” Today, he lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. Brian studied Finance at the University of Connecticut in the past and then founded LivLive, a lifestyle streaming platform. He has been married to Amber for over nine years and is the loving father to a son and a daughter.
