Lawrencia Bembenek
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Lawrencia "Laurie" Bembenek, also known as "Bambi" Bembenek, (born August 15, 1958) is a woman convicted of murdering her husband's ex-wife, Christine Schultz, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on May 28, 1981. Her story garnered national attention, and "Bambi" became a folk hero as a "woman scorned."
Bembenek's then-husband, Fred Schultz, was a Milwaukee Police Department detective. Bembenek herself was a former Milwaukee police officer who had been fired and had gone on to sue the department, claiming that it engaged in sex discrimination and other illegal activities. Bembenek had also worked briefly as a waitress at a Playboy club. At the time of her arrest, she was working for Marquette University's Public Safety Department, in Downtown Milwaukee.
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[edit] Murder
On May 28, 1981, Christine Schultz was murdered by gunfire in her Milwaukee home. Her young son described the assailant as a masked male figure in a green army jacket and black shoes. Fred Schultz had an alibi that excluded him from consideration as the killer, and police focused therefore on Bembenek as a suspect.
[edit] Trial
Bembenek's trial generated tremendous publicity, and newspapers began referring to her as "Bambi" Bembenek (a nickname that she personally dislikes). The prosecution portrayed her as a loose woman addicted to expensive living who wanted Christine Schultz dead so that her new husband would no longer have to pay alimony to his ex-wife. The prosecution pointed out that Bembenek had financial problems.
The prosecution claimed that Bembenek was the only person with the motive, means and opportunity to carry out the crime. The strongest evidence was two human hairs, supposedly found at the crime scene, that allegedly matched ones taken from the hairbrush of the defendant. Additionally, the gun used to kill Christine Schultz was allegedly Bembenek's husband's revolver. The prosecution claimed that Bembenek was the only person besides Fred Schultz who had access to this weapon. Bembenek also had access to a key to Christine's house. There were no signs of a break-in and no valuables taken, which seemed to rule out a burglar.
Witnesses testified Lawrencia Bembenek had spoke often of killing Christine Schultz. The prosecution even produced a witness who said Bembenek offered to pay him to carry out the murder. According to witnesses for the prosecution, Bembenek owned a green jogging suit similar to the one described by Schultz's son. It was pointed out that Bembenek owned a clothes line and a blue bandanna similar to what was used to bind and gag the victim. A wig found in the plumbing system of Bembenek's apartment matched fibers found at the murder scene. A boutique employee testified that shortly before the murder, Bembenek purchased such a wig.
Unlike her husband, Bembenek could not account for her whereabouts during this crucial time; she could provide no alibi at all. Bembenek's seemingly cold attitude on the witness stand convinced many that her story was a lie, and many have said that she did not seem to take the charges seriously. She was found guilty, largely based on circumstantial evidence, in March 1982 and sentenced to life in prison in Taycheedah Correctional Institute in Fond du Lac County.
[edit] Post-trial publicity
Shortly after Bembenek's conviction, Fred Schultz filed for divorce and began saying publicly that he now believed Bembenek was guilty. However, many members of the public continued to believe in Bembenek's innocence. Bembenek filed three unsuccessful appeals of her conviction, citing police errors in handling of key evidence and the fact that one of the prosecution's witnesses, Judy Zess, had recanted her testimony, stating that it had been given under duress. Bembenek and her supporters also alleged that Milwaukee police may have singled her out for prosecution because of her role as a key witness in a federal investigation into police corruption. They also suspected that Fred Schultz may have been responsible for arranging to have someone else murder his wife. One possible candidate for the "real killer" was Frederick Horenburger, a repeat criminal who knew Schultz and was a boyfriend of Zess. According to a number of affidavits that emerged following Bembenek's conviction, Horenburger boasted of killing Schultz to other inmates while he was in jail on unrelated charges.
There were many questions raised as to the accuracy of the information and the evidence used in the trial. Dr. Elaine Samuels, the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy, had originally concluded that hairs recovered from the body were consistent with that of the victim; after Dr. Samuels had come to that conclusion, the hair evidence was examined by Diane Hanson, a hair analyst from a crime lab in Madison, Wisconsin. Ms. Hanson stated that two of the hairs were consistent with samples taken from Laurie Bembenek's hairbrush. Dr. Samuels refuted that claim, stating in a 1983 letter, quoted in the Toronto Star in 1991, that "I recovered no blonde or red hairs of any length or texture...All of the hairs I recovered from the body were brown and were grossly identical to the hair of the victim." She then goes on to say, "I do not like to suggest that evidence was altered in any way, but I can find no logical explanation for what amounted to the mysterious appearance of blonde hair in an envelope that contained no such hair at the time it was sealed by me."
The apartment where Laurie and Fred lived shared drainage with another apartment. In the shared drainpipe was found a brownish-red wig which matched some of the hairs found on the victim's body. The woman who occupied the other apartment testified that Judy Zess had knocked on her door and asked to use her bathroom; after Zess used the woman's bathroom, the plumbing was mysteriously clogged. And Zess had admitted to owning a brownish-red wig.
In prison, Bembenek became a model inmate who was highly respected by her fellow prisoners. She became one of the few convicted killers to ever earn a college degree, graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. She also met and became engaged to Nick Gugliatto, the brother of another prisoner. On July 15, 1990, she escaped from prison with Gugliatto's help. Her escape reignited publicity surrounding her case, and she became something of a folk hero. A song was written about her, and automobile bumper stickers were sold with the slogan, "Run, Bambi, Run." She fled with Gugliatto to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, where the couple spent three months as fugitives before being apprehended.
Bembenek pleaded for refugee status in Canada, claiming that she was being persecuted by a conspiracy between the police department and the judicial system in Wisconsin. The Canadian government showed some sympathy for her case, and before returning her to Wisconsin, obtained a commitment that Milwaukee officials would conduct a judicial review of her case. The review did not find evidence of crimes by police or prosecutors, but detailed seven major police blunders that had occurred during the Christine Schultz murder investigation, and she won the right to a new trial. Rather than risk a second conviction, however, Bembenek pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and received a reduced sentence which was commuted to time served. She was released from prison in November 1992, having served a little over ten years.
[edit] Life after prison
Bembenek has written a book about her experience, titled Woman on Trial (ISBN 0-00-215746-2). Since her release, she has had various legal and personal problems. She was arrested again on marijuana possession charges, filed for bankruptcy, developed hepatitis C and other health problems and suffered the death of her parents. She also admits to being an alcoholic. She legally changed her first name to "Laurie" in 1994.
In a bizarre episode in 2002, Bembenek fell or jumped from a second-story window, breaking her leg so badly it had to be amputated below the knee. Bembenek claimed that she had been confined in an apartment by handlers for the Dr. Phil television show and was injured while attempting to escape.
Bembenek has continued to insist she is innocent, and in recent years she and her supporters have called for DNA tests on evidence. The results, however, were inconclusive. Her case was the inspiration for two television movies and various books and articles portraying her as the victim of a miscarriage of justice. However, she has not been successful in her efforts to have her conviction overturned.
In 2004, MSNBC produced and aired a biography of Laurie Bembenek on their Headliners and Legends television show. Bembenek did not take part in the show. She lives privately in the Pacific Northwest.
[edit] References
Douglas, John and Olshaker, Mark. The Cases That Haunt Us. C 2000, Mindhunters Inc.; Pocket Books, publisher
[edit] External links
- "Bambi" Bembenek story on Court TV's Crime Library
- Article from Fox News about her 2002 fall and leg amputation
