The Virginian-Pilot
MILWAUKEE — The prison escape of former Playboy Club bunny and Milwaukee police officer Laurie “Bambi” Bembenek popularized the phrase “Run Bambi Run” and seemed tailor-made for the TV movie it inspired.
But despite the fame garnered by her flight, Bembenek died having spent more than two decades insisting on her innocence but never fully clearing her name. Her attorney said Sunday that effort will continue.
The 52-year-old died Saturday of liver failure at a hospice center in Portland, Ore., her attorney said.
Bembenek worked as a Playboy Club waitress before becoming a police officer in Milwaukee, where she married detective Fred Schultz. Bembenek was convicted in 1982 of fatally shooting Shultz’s ex-wife, Christine Schultz, after allegedly complaining about the alimony he had to pay.
Bembenek was sentenced to life in prison but maintained her innocence. In 1990, she escaped Taycheedah Correctional Institution in Fond du Lac and fled to Canada.
In Milwaukee, more than 200 supporters - many wearing “Run Bambi Run” T-shirts - rallied to show support for her flight from the law. She was captured about three months later after the case was publicized on “America’s Most Wanted.”
Laurie “Bambi” Bembenek’s escape inspired a TV movie.
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