Stephanie Lazarus

Case overview

Stephanie Lazarus was a former Los Angeles police detective who was convicted of the 1986 first-degree murder of Sherri Rasmussen. She was sentenced to 27 years to life in prison on May 11, 2012 and served her sentence at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, California. She was eligible for parole in 2039.

Lazarus was also described as having a history that included involvement with the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, serving as a treasurer for the Los Angeles Women Police Officer's Association for five years, and starting a private investigation firm, Unique Investigations.

People

• Stephanie Lazarus — former Los Angeles police detective; defendant in the murder case.
• Sherri Rasmussen (Sherri Rae Rasmussen) — victim; described as a critical care nurse; also described as a 29-year-old hospital nursing director; victim was found beaten and shot.
• John Ruetten — Sherri Rasmussen’s husband; was the person who discovered Sherri Rasmussen’s body.
• Nels Rasmussen — Sherri Rasmussen’s father.
• Loretta Rasmussen — Sherri Rasmussen’s mother.
• Teresa Rasmussen — Sherri Rasmussen’s younger sister.
• Jayne Goldberg — Sherri Rasmussen’s friend.
• Peggy Crabtree — Sherri Rasmussen’s friend.
• Alan Tarsky — Sherri Rasmussen’s neighbor in 1986.
• Andrew Blankstein — Los Angeles Times police reporter consultant to “48 Hours Mystery.”
• Joel Rubin — Los Angeles Times police beat reporter and consultant to “48 Hours Mystery.”
• Maureen Maher — correspondent for “48 Hours Mystery.”
• Burt Luper — retired Los Angeles Police Department detective and investigator on Lazarus’ defense team.
• Mark Overland — Lazarus’ attorney.
• Shannon Presby — Deputy District Attorney.
• Paul Nunez — co-counsel for the prosecution.
• John C. Taylor — Rasmussen family attorney.
• Robert J. Perry — Superior Court Judge who was asked to sentence Lazarus.
• Lyle Mayer — lead detective in the original case investigation.
• Don Hrycyk — head of Lazarus’ department referenced in relation to an L.A. Weekly feature.

Timeline

• February 24, 1986 — Sherri Rasmussen was living in a condominium with her new husband, John Ruetten; Ruetten found Sherri beaten to death and shot numerous times with a .38 caliber revolver.
• February 2009 — a cold case detective squad decided to re-investigate the case.
• June 5, 2009 — Stephanie Lazarus was arrested.
• Early 2012 — Lazarus’ murder trial began.
• March 8, 2012 — Lazarus was convicted of Rasmussen’s murder in the first-degree.
• May 11, 2012 — Lazarus was sentenced to 27 years to life in prison.
• 2000 — Lazarus was featured in a Ventura County Star story about her private investigation firm, Unique Investigations.
• June 9, 2009 — Lazarus appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit.

The offence

On February 24, 1986, Sherri Rasmussen was living in a condominium with her new husband, John Ruetten, and the following events were described:

• Ruetten found his new wife beaten to death.
• Sherri Rasmussen was shot numerous times with a .38 caliber revolver.
• The offence was described as a first-degree murder.
• Sherri Rasmussen was described as having been beaten and shot to the chest; other descriptions stated she had been shot three times in the chest.
• The narrative also described additional physical findings: her head had been bludgeoned; her wrists had wounds indicating she had been tied up; and a robe near the floor had bullet holes in it and appeared to have been used to muffle the shots.
• Investigators also described evidence of a bite mark on Rasmussen’s body, including later testing of saliva from the bite mark on Rasmussen’s arm.

The crime was initially deemed to be a robbery gone awry:

• Rasmussen’s BMW was reported stolen.
• The initial suspects were two Latino men believed to have committed other burglaries in Rasmussen’s neighborhood.
• The couple’s marriage license was missing.
• A silver BMW was discovered two miles from the couple’s house ten days after the murder.
• The later narrative described deep bite marks left by the assailant on Rasmussen’s arm.

Investigation

After more than 20 years, the case remained unsolved and was later re-investigated:

• In February 2009, investigators reopened the case.
• Investigators discovered female DNA from a bite mark on Rasmussen’s body.
• Detectives were able to match Stephanie Lazarus’ DNA with the DNA found on Rasmussen’s body.
• Lazarus became the prime suspect after the DNA match.

The narrative included details about why earlier investigation had not identified Lazarus:

• Lazarus had been interviewed during the initial investigation but was later cleared.
• The original theory focused on male suspects tied to burglaries.
• The narrative stated that the DNA had been proven to be from a woman as early as 2005, but investigators did not realize that the original suspects were male at that time.
• A secretive four-month investigation was launched as the case was re-reviewed in February (year not restated beyond 2009 context).

Later details added to the reconstruction of the evidence:

• A missing key piece was described as the gun used to shoot Rasmussen.
• The narrative described that the Los Angeles Times reported Lazarus had called the Santa Monica Police Department a few weeks after the murder to report that her car had been broken into near the Santa Monica Pier.
• Lazarus reported a stolen gym bag, money, clothes, and her .38-caliber handgun.
• Police later believed that she ditched the gun in the Pacific Ocean.

Arrest

Stephanie Lazarus was arrested after the case was linked to her via DNA:

• On June 5, 2009, she was arrested.
• It was described that she had been allowed to retire early from the LAPD.
• She was held in the Los Angeles County Jail in lieu of $10 million bail.

The narrative described the arrest operation:

• Lazarus was described as being on a third-floor office when she was told that a suspect in custody in the jail might have information on one of her cases.
• She immediately left to check on the suspect.
• It was described that, because of policy, to get through jail security she surrendered her weapon.
• A plan was described as setting up an arrest once she was disarmed.

Trial

The trial began in early 2012 and included the following elements:

• Prosecutors believed Lazarus’ motive was jealousy over Sherri Rasmussen’s relationship with Lazarus’ ex-boyfriend, John Ruetten.
• The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Shannon Presby, described the evidence using the phrase:

“A bite, a bullet, a gun barrel and a broken heart. That’s the evidence that will prove to you that defendant Stephanie Lazarus murdered Sherri Rasmussen.”

• Lazarus’ attorney, Mark Overland, argued that the investigation into Rasmussen’s death was botched and that evidence did not point to Lazarus as the killer.
• The defence argued that the DNA bite mark evidence was flawed, including claims about how the vial and envelope were handled.

In March 2012, the verdict was reached:

• On March 8, 2012, Lazarus was convicted of Rasmussen’s murder in the first-degree.

The narrative also described testimony by John Ruetten:

• During testimony heard prior to sentencing, John Ruetten said:

“The fact that Sherri's death occurred because she met and married me brings me to my knees.”

Trial details in the narrative included:

• A five-week trial was described with more than 60 witnesses and 400 exhibits.
• The defence argued that the integrity of the DNA evidence was undermined, including claims that the vial storing the DNA was not properly sealed and that the envelope containing the sample was ripped.
• The narrative stated that a blood smear from an unidentified male was analyzed for DNA and did not match either the blood of Lazarus or Rasmussen.
• During cross-examination, Overland tried to show Lazarus was not the obsessed, jilted lover portrayed by prosecutors, and it was stated that Overland said Ruetten continued to pursue Lazarus after becoming engaged.
• The jury deliberated for little more than a day and was described as a panel of eight women and four men.

A quoted closing verdict statement was provided:

“We the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant Stephanie Eileen Lazarus guilty of the crime of murder of Sherri Rasmussen.”

Also included was an Overland statement of reaction:

• Overland said:

“I am very disappointed”

and the narrative added:

“I think the speed of the verdict showed we never had a chance.”

Sentencing

Lazarus was sentenced after conviction:

• On May 11, 2012, Lazarus was sentenced to 27 years to life in prison.
• The sentence was described as with credit for time already served.
• She was described as being eligible for parole in 2039, and other parts of the narrative referred to eligibility for parole in 22 years.

The narrative also included quoted language from a “statement of views” filed in court:

“Lazarus misused her police training in the most profound way imaginable by utilizing that training and experience to commit murder and to cover up her crime. Lazarus betrayed the trust placed in her by the Los Angeles Police Department and by people of Los Angeles in order to pursue her own murderous ends.”

and another quoted statement attributed to prosecutors:

“Lazarus' profound narcissism led her to kill and continues to motivate her denial of responsibility.”

Appeals

No appeal facts were provided in the source.

Outcome

Lazarus’ legal outcome was:

• She was convicted of first-degree murder of Sherri Rasmussen.
• She received a sentence of 27 years to life in prison on May 11, 2012.
• She served her sentence at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, California.
• She would be eligible for parole in 2039.

Aftermath and additional details

Statements at sentencing

During sentencing, members of Sherri Rasmussen’s family and others made statements:

• Loretta Rasmussen addressed the court and said:

“Because of a selfish brutal act of violence Sherri's family...and friends have endured extreme heartache and pain for which there is no cure,”

• Teresa Rasmussen said:

“What a waste,”

• John Ruetten addressed the court and said:

“Sherri Rasmussen had an impact on so many people (cries) and I was so proud she agreed to be my wife,”

and later Ruetten said:

“My heart still races when I look at her pictures, but Sherry was extraordinary more for who she was that the way she looked.”

• Ruetten also said:

“The Rasmussens have treated me as a son and a brother and contemplating their profound grief that she met her death because she met and married me brings me to my knees.”

Forensic and courtroom evidence described in the narrative

• The narrative described saliva sample evidence from a bite mark.
• It included a stated DNA probability figure:
  • “a 1.7 sextillion-to-1 chance that the DNA belonged to someone other than Stephanie Lazarus,” and later reiterated “1.7 sextillion-to-1 chance.”
• The narrative stated ballistics and gunshot residue supported the belief that a reported stolen gun was the murder weapon, while the defence argued the exact type of gun used had never been identified.

Rasmussen family allegations about earlier investigation

The narrative described the Rasmussen family’s belief that investigators ignored the possibility that Lazarus was involved:

• Nels Rasmussen and his wife Loretta Rasmussen were described as seeking justice.
• The narrative said Nels wrote letters to the head of the police department at the time, Daryl F. Gates.
• The narrative also said Nels had been told to “stop watching so much television.”
• It stated that a confrontation was alleged at Glendale Adventist Medical Center where Lazarus allegedly threatened Sherri Rasmussen with the words:

“If I can't have John, then nobody else will.”

The narrative also included disputes about what was said during that alleged confrontation:

• Mark Overland denied the confrontation occurred as described and said Lazarus’ version was that she said:

“...that you should tell John to leave me alone, since you two are now engaged,'”

and the narrative included a response by Maher and Overland:

• Maher asked:

“So she went to say your fiancé is pursuing me?”

• Overland replied:

“Yes,”

Interrogation excerpts included verbatim

The narrative included a verbatim exchange during a hidden-camera interrogation and several lines of dialogue attributed to “Detective” and “Stephanie Lazarus.” The dialogue included:

• Detective: “Do you know John Ruetten?”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “Yeah, I mean we dated, you know, what is this all about?”
• Detective: “Well it's relating to his wife.”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “OK.”
• Detective: “Did you know her?”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “Not really.”
• Detective: “Did you ever meet her?”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “I don't know.”
• Detective: “You dated John. How long did you guys date?”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “I mean why are you guys - is this something - I mean you said it was gonna be an interview about art...”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “I don't understand why you're talking about some guy I dated a million years ago.”
• Detective: “Well do you know what happened to his wife?”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “Yeah. I know she got killed.”
• Detective: “Had you ever met his wife?”
• Detective: “Well, one of the concerns I had, as we're looking at some of the notes, is -- some of Sherri's friends said that you and her were having a problem (laughter) because of the John situation ... and words were being exchanged and it's all relating to John.”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “You know what? I -- I -- I -- I just -- I can't say.”
• Detective: “You can't say?”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “No. I -- that -- that doesn't even ring a bell.”
• Detective: “Did you ever fight with her?”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “You mean like we fought?”
• Detective: “Did you ever duke it out with her?”
• Stephanie Lazarus: ” No, I don't think so.
• Detective: “You'd remember that, right?”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “Yeah, I would think so. By now, there's no doubt about what's really going on.”
• Stephanie Lazarus: “I mean if you guys are claiming I'm a suspect then you know I got a problem with that. I'm shocked. I'm really shocked that somebody would be blame -- saying that I did this. I mean, we had a fight and so I went and killed her? I mean, come on.”

Other details about Lazarus included in the narrative

The narrative included multiple biographical details about Lazarus, including:

• She was described as being involved with D.A.R.E. as a training officer and visiting her former junior high school.
• She served as a treasurer for the Los Angeles Women Police Officer's Association for five years.
• She helped fundraise to provide reliable, round-the-clock childcare for parents who worked on the force.
• She was described as starting her own private investigation company, Unique Investigations.
• She was described as being promoted to the Art Theft Detail after more than 20 years on the force.
• The narrative stated she told L.A. Weekly that working the art beat inspired her to become an artist and that she had been taking oil painting classes.
• The narrative stated she adopted a little girl.
• The narrative described that she had survived thyroid cancer and that she raised money to start a daycare program for members of the LAPD.
• She was described as having been nicknamed “Spaz” or “Spazarous.”
• One veteran officer described her as “bubbly” and “vivacious” and said: “Never in my wildest imagination would I ever think she could do something like this. We drank beers. She was always quick to give you a hug or tell a joke.”
• The narrative described her appearance in court in an orange jumpsuit and stated: “Yes, your honor.”