‘Bambi’ Bembenek, a Playboy bunny turned cop accused of murder

Laurie “Bambi” Bembenek, a former Playboy bunny turned Milwaukee police officer suspected of murdering her husband’s ex-wife, had gone unnoticed – until now.

“Run, Bambi, Run,” a true-crime Apple Original podcast, investigates the woman behind what Diane Sawyer dubbed “the most spectacular murder case of the 1980s.”

It includes an in-depth interview with Kris Radish, Bembenek’s biographer and close friend who previously wrote a book with the same title, as well as crime specialists, former reporters who covered the case, and Sheldon Zenner, one of Bembenek’s attorneys.

Bembenek, who maintained her innocence, died of liver disease in 2010 at the age of 52.

“I was astonished that I had never heard of Laurie Bembenek, who was one of the biggest idols of the ’80s,” Vanessa Grigoriadis, presenter and Campside Media co-founder. “The truth is that so many people are forgotten over time… Those stories must be recounted as individuals get older. Otherwise, they will be forgotten. This seemed like an excellent opportunity to learn more about this intriguing woman and her story.”

Grigoriadis stated that part of her research for this podcast included digging through piles of legal records and visiting with prosecutors, detectives, and individuals who attended the police school with Bembenek.

“It’s always amazing when someone who is depicted in the media turns out to be so different,” she says. “In this scenario, a woman is represented as both the antagonist and the victim. She was presented as a killer as well as someone who was a victim of a corrupt system. I had the impression she was a brilliant, uncanny, hilarious lady who was politicized in prison and became a feminist, a Marxist who spoke for the rights of other prisoners. She led a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all inmates for overcrowding… She lived a very different existence in prison. In this situation, she manages to flee.”

She relocated to Washington state to live with her parents, where she campaigned for justice until her death. When she died, Bemebek had a pardon request pending with then-Gov. Jim Doyle. Doyle, a Democrat, did not grant the pardon.

Mary Woehrer, Bembenek’s attorney, submitted a pardon request to Gov. Tony Evers in 2019. She contended that fresh ballistics and DNA evidence demonstrates Bembenek’s innocence. Evers, a Democrat, declined to comment on individual pardon requests at the time.

Bembenek’s case has inspired many novels, a 1993 TV movie starring Tatum O’Neal, and an Investigation Discovery (ID) episode of “Vanity Fair Confidential.”

Schultz relocated to Florida, where he began a new life as a carpenter. He told the Chicago Tribune in 1990 that he suspected his second wife murdered his first, adding, “I assume she did it for both of us.”

While Schultz was suspected of being involved, he was never charged with the murder. In other interviews, he has likewise denied any participation.

Grigoriadis stated that she has not heard any response regarding the podcast from Christine’s family. And she doesn’t believe we’ll ever know who killed her.

“I believe what we do know is that the police mismanaged the investigation of a woman who was an opponent of their department at the time,” Grigoriadis added. “I hope that this case will be solved for everyone one day.”