NATION : TV Tip Snares Ex-Bunny Convict
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FOND DU LAC, Wis. — The “tabloid TV” notoriety of a former Playboy bunny waitress and policewoman convicted of murdering her former husband’s ex-wife helped lead to her capture three months after she escaped from prison.
Lawrencia (Bambi) Bembenek, 31, was arrested at an apartment in Thunder Bay, Ontario, on Wednesday on a tip from a California viewer of last week’s episode of “America’s Most Wanted” who said she had waited on him.
Bembenek, who has steadfastly professed her innocence, was captured with her fiance, Dominic Gugliatto, 34.
Her flight had thrilled supporters in Milwaukee--prompting sales of T-shirts that read, “Run, Bambi, Run”--and was covered on several TV shows, which played up the romantic elements of the escape.
Bembenek supporters say she may have been the victim of a frame-up over her knowledge of questionable police activities.
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