She committed one of the most chilling murders of the 1980s, and new developments decades later in the case of Stephanie Lazarus have brought renewed attention to her story.
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00:00The 1986 killing of Sherry Rasmussen was one of the most disturbing crimes of the era.
00:05Her body was discovered by her husband, John Rutten, in their Van Nuys, California apartment
00:09in 1986 after she was beaten and shot to death in what appeared to be a botched burglary.
00:14For many years, investigators made little headway despite plenty of evidence.
00:19Rasmussen's murder became a cold case that remained unsolved for 23 years.
00:22But then in 2009, new forensic technology allowed investigators to identify a new suspect
00:27— Stephanie Lazarus, a Los Angeles police officer.
00:31While reexamining the evidence in 2009, officials noted several inconsistencies.
00:36The front door of the building was not forced open, and a stack of electronic equipment
00:39appeared to have been positioned to make the scene look more like a burglary.
00:43A DNA test showed a bite mark on Rasmussen's arm had been made by a woman, compelling investigators
00:48to draw up a short list of female suspects that included Lazarus.
00:51She was then interviewed and arrested after her saliva from a discarded cup was matched
00:55to the bite mark.
00:57Stephanie Lazarus had actually been flagged as a suspect back in the 1980s by Rasmussen's
01:00father.
01:01Back then, he tried to convince police to investigate her, but his concerns were dismissed.
01:05He also tried to compel detectives to use DNA analysis, but the evidence remained unexamined
01:10for many years.
01:11He was always diverted.
01:14He was told repeatedly that he'd been watching too much TV.
01:18The 2012 trial of Stephanie Lazarus was a major media event.
01:23She was depicted as a scorned woman who grew embittered when her lover announced that he
01:27was going to marry someone else.
01:29Before we get into the crime, the relationship between Lazarus and Rutten was...complicated.
01:32You see, they were never really boyfriend-girlfriend.
01:36They knew each other since college and had gone on dates, per se, but there was never
01:40a formal relationship — at least in Rutten's eyes.
01:43Lazarus, on the other hand, was madly in love with him.
01:47Rasmussen had been shot three times in the chest.
01:50Lazarus had a 38-millimeter Smith & Wesson, which most LAPD cops carried as their backup
01:54firearm at the time, and it was matched to the one used at the scene.
01:58Records showed that she reported the weapon missing days after the murder, suggesting
02:02that she had disposed of it.
02:03Looking back on it, the murder seems like a classic case of a crime of passion, but
02:07it took 23 years for anyone to figure that out.
02:10The key evidence was the DNA from the bite mark.
02:13Lazarus' defense team tried to undermine the evidence with accusations that the sample
02:16had been improperly stored and handled, but the jury was convinced.
02:20Lazarus pleaded not guilty, but chose not to take the stand in her own defense.
02:24At the conclusion of her trial, she was sentenced to 27 years to life.
02:28In 2013, Lazarus and her legal team appealed her conviction.
02:32The 182-page filing raised issues with the amount of time that had passed between the
02:36opening of the case and the testing of the DNA samples.
02:39The delay, it argued, was negligent and denied Lazarus due to process of law.
02:43It also claimed that the presiding judge had been prejudiced in favor of the prosecution,
02:48having denied all the defense's pre-trial motions.
02:50The case came before the Court of Appeals in July 2015.
02:54Lazarus' attorney laid out the grounds for reconsideration, but they were rejected by
02:58the court.
02:59Presiding Justice Norm Minnella ruled that the delay was legitimate, and said that the
03:02claim that the court was prejudiced in the murder trial was, quote, "...speculative in
03:07the extreme."
03:08There are so many twists and turns in this."
03:12Stephanie Lazarus has remained behind bars ever since her appeal failed to overturn her
03:162012 conviction.
03:17She continues to be held at the California Institution for Women in Chino, California.
03:21In 2023, she became eligible for parole, a development that drew a great deal of media
03:26attention.
03:27It was during her first parole hearing that she finally publicly admitted her culpability
03:31for the crime and expressed what she claimed were feelings of remorse, as she said,
03:35It makes me sick to this day that I took an oath to protect and serve people, and I took
03:39Sherry Rasmussen's life from her, a nurse.
03:42I didn't do the right thing because I didn't want to face the consequences of my actions.
03:46I didn't want to go to prison."
03:48During this time, the public also got the first insight into Lazarus' life in prison.
03:53Inmates who served time alongside her have spoken positively about her.
03:56Jane Dorotick, whose own murder conviction was overturned and who now works for the Los
04:00Angeles Innocence Project, claimed,
04:02Stephanie is kind, compassionate, and a dedicated individual.
04:06She has taken full responsibility for her actions.
04:09Lazarus' supporters have also pointed to the rehabilitation work she has undertaken behind
04:12bars, as well as her involvement in educational programs and other activities aimed at helping
04:17her fellow prisoners.
04:19Lazarus was initially deemed to be suitable for parole following her first hearing in
04:23November 2023.
04:24However, news that she may be set free was met with criticism so fierce that the governor's
04:28office recommended a reappraisal of the parole board ruling.
04:32During a fresh hearing in 2024, Lazarus' supporters praised her as a reformed character, but relatives
04:37of Sherry Rasmussen tearfully reminded the board of the pain that Lazarus had brought
04:41to their lives.
04:43As her widowed husband, John Rutten, said,
04:44She lied for decades until her only option was to pursue parole.
04:48Rutten also highlighted the premeditated and brutal nature of his wife's murder, as he
04:52added,
04:53Sherry's parents lost her child and her sisters lost a dear friend.
04:57For me, the reality of the pain never subsides.
05:00The California Board of Parole Hearings announced in May 2024 that Lazarus' parole is now on
05:05hold.
05:06Then, in October 2024, it was announced that she would not be paroled, following a 90-minute
05:10hearing before three commissioners from the California Parole Board.
05:14Family lawyer John Taylor revealed that Rasmussen's relatives were happy with the decision and
05:18said in a statement,
05:19It's unfair to the family that she should now go free and enjoy her life while receiving
05:23her LAPD pension.