On May 28, 1981, police officer Fred Schultz’s ex-wife Christine was murdered in her Milwaukee home. Christine had been killed by a single gunshot at point-blank range. Her two sons, then 7 and 11 years old, found her face down on her bed in a pool of blood. The older boy had seen the killer and described him as a masked male figure in a green jacket and black shoes.
When ballistics testing showed that it was Fred’s off-duty revolver that had been the murder weapon, suspicions turned to Fred’s new wife Laurie Bembenek. Laurie had been alone in their apartment and supposedly had access to both his gun and a key to Christine’s house.
Laurie was convicted for the murder, but doubts and questions in the case have persisted for over thirty years. The media sensationalized the case because Laurie was an attractive and outspoken young woman, nicknaming her “Bambi.” Then, a daring prison escape with her cellmate’s brother captivated the public. In today’s quiet end conversation, we’re revisiting the life, trial, escape, and death of Laurie Bembenek, in an episode we like to call “Run, Bambi, Run!”