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Laurie Bembenek was a woman who spent most of her life trying to prove her innocence in her conviction of the first-degree murder of her husband's ex-wife. She was convicted in March 1982 for the murder of her husband, Elfred Schultz's former wife, Christine on May 28, 1981. Bembenek gained infamy due to the representation of the murder case that left out major details and key evidence.
Laurie Bembenek, who was also known as "Bambi," was the main accused in the death of Christine Schultz. It is worth noting that Bambi's then-husband Elfred was an officer with the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD). Bambi was also a part of the MPD but was fired due to a filing error in her friend's arrest.
As she kept proclaiming her innocence, Bambi and her lawyers pointed out seven glaring errors during another trial in 1990. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, in 1992, Laurie pleaded no-contest to a second-degree murder charge and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. This was later changed to time served and she was released from prison on December 9, 1992.
A Snapped season 28 episode titled Laurie Bembenek provided insights into the case and is set to be re-aired on November 20, 2023, at 7 pm EST. The synopsis of the episode reads:
"Former police officer Laurie Bembenek is found guilty of murdering her new husband's ex-wife; years later, new evidence comes to light that changes everything."
Five chilling details about the Laurie Bembenek murder case
1) Laurie Bembenek's husband lied about his whereabouts on the night of the murder
During her trial, Laurie "Bambi" Bembeneck's then-husband Elfred testified that he was on duty with his partner Michael Durfee. He claimed that the two had been investigating a burglary. However, it was discovered later that he had lied to the court and admitted that he was out drinking with Durfee at a local bar.
It was due to this that the circumstances presented in the case drew suspicion towards Laurie. She was alone at home and allegedly had access to her husband's off-duty .38 caliber revolver as well as to the keys to Christine's apartment. The keys were copied by Fred Schultz from his eldest son, Sean's house key.
2) Sensationalization of the murder case by media and malpractices in the Milwaukee Police Department
The murder involving the ex-officer from the MPD gained infamy due to Laurie Bembenek's physical beauty and the jobs she had before and after her time at the Police Department. She was reported to be a loose woman and her stint as a waitress at the Wisconsin Playboy Club was tied to her name throughout.
The media reports barely brought up the MPD's malpractices and this was reported upon in Laurie's autobiography, Woman on the Run. Laurie faced a lot of discrimination during this period including the injustice, inequality, harassment, and abuse that the women officers faced at the Academy. Apart from this, she also found pictures of her husband and other MPD officers dancing n*ked on picnic tables in Gordon Park.
3) Tampered, overlooked, or ignored key evidence
During Bembenek's trial, the evidence against her was two hair strands recovered from the crime scene. These strands allegedly matched the strands taken from Laurie's hair brush.
However, when Laurie was in prison, the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy, Dr. Elaine Samuels, mentioned that the strands were consistent with Christine's hair color. Following that, a crime lab analyst from Madison, Wisconsin named Diane Hanson re-studied the evidence and found matches with Laurie's hair sample from her brush.
In a letter from 1993, Dr. Elaine Samuels mentioned that she had recovered no blonde or red hairs of "any length or texture."
"[A]ll of the hairs I recovered from the body were brown and were grossly identical to the hair of the victim," Dr. Samuels said.
It was also discovered that there was male DNA found on Christine's body apart from evidence that she had been s*xually assaulted. A ballistics test proved that the bullets that killed Christine were fired from her ex-husband's gun.
4) Bembenek was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after her release from prison
After she was released from prison, Laurie Bembenek was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism. She dedicated her time to paintings and ended up holding an exhibition of 30 paintings.
In 2002, Laurie's leg from below her knee had to be amputated as she injured it when she jumped out of a second-story window. She claimed that she was being held indoors by Dr. Phil's handlers, who later defended themselves and said that they were protecting her from the media attention.
Laurie mentioned that the confinement reminded her of her time in prison.
5) The victim's son reported the assailant to be a man
Christine Schultz's eldest son Sean reported the assailant to be a heavyset masked man in a green army jacket, black shoes, and a long red ponytail. This was in contrast to Laurie Bembenek's blonde hair.
Sean stuck to his belief that he had spotted a male figure instead of Laurie Bembenek silhouette's on the night of May 28, 1981.
