The Killer Cop: Stephanie Lazarus and the Murder of Sherri Rasmussen

On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old Sherri Rasmussen was found brutally murdered inside the Van Nuys, California condominium she shared with her husband, John Ruetten. She had been beaten, bitten, and shot three times in the chest. Investigators initially believed Sherri had interrupted a burglary gone wrong. Her home appeared ransacked, and police focused on a theory involving unknown intruders. But Sherri’s family believed detectives were overlooking someone much closer to the victim: Stephanie Lazarus, an LAPD officer who had previously been romantically involved with Sherri’s husband. The case went cold. Years passed. Lazarus continued rising through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department while Sherri’s family continued pushing for answers. Then forensic science changed everything. DNA testing performed on saliva recovered from a bite mark on Sherri’s arm revealed that the killer was female—a discovery that challenged the original burglary theory. Cold-case investigators eventually turned their attention to Lazarus and secretly obtained her DNA from an item she discarded. It matched. In 2009, more than 23 years after Sherri Rasmussen was murdered, Stephanie Lazarus was arrested. In 2012, a jury convicted the veteran LAPD detective of first-degree murder, and she was sentenced to 27 years to life in prison. The case also raised disturbing questions about the original investigation. How did detectives miss—or dismiss—the possibility that one of their own officers might have been involved? And could Sherri’s murder have been solved decades earlier if her family’s suspicions had been taken more seriously? This is the true crime story of Sherri Rasmussen and Stephanie Lazarus—a love triangle, a murdered newlywed, a police officer hiding in plain sight, and a tiny piece of DNA that finally exposed a secret buried for more than two decades. Sources used for this podcast Support the show JOIN THE  HITCHED 2 HOMICIDE IN-LAWS AND OUTLAWS START KRIS CALVERT'S BOOKS TODAY FOR FREE Send Kris and Rob a Message H2H WEBSITE H2H on TWITTER H2H on INSTA Sherri Rasmussen, Stephanie Lazarus, Sherri Rasmussen murder, Stephanie Lazarus murder case, LAPD detective murderer, LAPD murder case, John Ruetten, Sherri Rasmussen bite mark DNA, Los Angeles cold case, 1986 murder, female police officer killer, jealous ex murder, love triangle murder, DNA cold case, California true crime, Los Angeles true crime, cold case solved, true crime podcast #SherriRasmussen, #StephanieLazarus, #LAPD, #ColdCase, #ColdCaseSolved, #DNAEvidence, #LosAngelesTrueCrime, #CaliforniaTrueCrime, #TrueCrime, #TrueCrimePodcast, #TrueCrimeCommunity, #MurderCase, #CrimeInvestigation, #LoveTriangleMurder, #Hitched2Homicide     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.