Stephanie Lazarus: The LAPD Detective Behind A Cold Case Murder
Table of Contents
The Unthinkable Act: A Detective's Dark Secret
The year was 1986. Los Angeles was a city of dreams and shadows, and within its sprawling landscape, a promising young nurse named Sherri Rasmussen was embarking on a new chapter of her life. She had recently married John Ruetten, an engineer, and the couple was settling into their new home in Van Nuys. What Sherri couldn't have known was that her happiness was viewed with intense resentment by someone close to her husband's past – someone who would ultimately shatter her world. This individual was Stephanie Lazarus, an LAPD detective, whose infatuation with John Ruetten had festered into a dangerous obsession.The Victim: Sherri Rasmussen
Sherri Rasmussen, a 29-year-old nurse, was found dead in her home on February 24, 1986. The scene was violent: she had been beaten and shot three times. Initially, police theorized it was a botched robbery, given the apparent forced entry and ransacked living room. However, certain elements didn't quite fit the narrative. There were no valuable items taken, and the attack seemed unusually brutal for a simple burglary. John Ruetten discovered his wife's body when he came home from work at 5:55 p.m., a moment that would forever haunt him. The murder of Sherri Rasmussen quickly became a cold case, one that would remain unsolved for 23 years, leaving her family and loved ones without answers and the perpetrator free.A Cold Case Spanning Decades
For over two decades, the murder of Sherri Rasmussen remained a perplexing mystery. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had investigated, but without concrete leads or the advanced forensic tools available today, the case eventually went cold. It was a source of immense frustration for Sherri's family, who continued to press for answers, refusing to let her memory fade into obscurity. The passage of time often dims the hope of resolution in such cases, but the unwavering commitment of cold case detectives and the relentless march of scientific progress would eventually converge to breathe new life into the investigation.The DNA Breakthrough
The turning point came in 2009. New technology in the field of forensics allowed investigators to re-examine evidence from the original crime scene with unprecedented precision. Among the items meticulously preserved from 1986 was a bite mark on Sherri Rasmussen's arm. This seemingly minor detail, initially overlooked or not fully exploitable, now held the key. DNA evidence extracted from the bite mark linked a new lead suspect to the crime scene. This was a monumental development, as the initial investigation had focused on two male suspects. The DNA profile, however, pointed to a female. This crucial piece of evidence led cold case detectives to revisit the original files, searching for any female connections to John Ruetten. Their investigation soon led them to Stephanie Lazarus, who had been an LAPD detective herself at the time of the murder. The revelation was shocking: a sworn officer of the law, a person entrusted with upholding justice, was now the prime suspect in a cold case murder. This pivotal moment underscores the transformative power of DNA forensics in solving crimes that once seemed intractable.The Arrest and Trial of Stephanie Lazarus
The arrest of Stephanie Lazarus in 2009 sent shockwaves through the LAPD and the public. Questions immediately lingered about why it took the LAPD decades to arrest Detective Stephanie Lazarus in the 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmussen. The fact that a fellow officer was involved in a long-unsolved murder raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest or oversights in the original investigation. Lazarus wasn't arrested until 2009, 23 years after the crime. During her trial, Stephanie Lazarus pleaded not guilty. The prosecution built a compelling case based primarily on the irrefutable DNA evidence from the bite mark, combined with circumstantial evidence that painted a picture of a woman consumed by jealousy. Witnesses testified about Lazarus's infatuation with John Ruetten, her former boyfriend. The truth was, he was a year ahead of her, yet they still became friends before gradually evolving into a romantic relationship that eventually ended when Ruetten chose to marry Sherri Rasmussen. The motive, the prosecution argued, was clear: a crime of passion fueled by unrequited love and resentment. The trial was highly publicized, drawing national attention to the intricacies of forensic science and the dark side of human emotion.Stephanie Lazarus: A Biography
Stephanie Lazarus had a seemingly exemplary career with the Los Angeles Police Department. She joined the force in 1983 and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a detective in the art theft unit. Her colleagues described her as a competent and dedicated officer, making her eventual conviction all the more shocking. Her personal life, however, was marked by a deep-seated obsession with John Ruetten, an infatuation that ultimately led her down a path of destruction. | Personal Data & Biodata | Details
Stephanie Lazarus Now: Where is Sherri Rasmussen's Killer Today? Is She
Former Los Angeles police detective who murdered her ex-lover's wife
Bite Mark on Sherri Rasmussen Ties Stephanie Lazarus to Murder
