On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old nursing director Sherri Rasmussen was found beaten and shot three times inside the Van Nuys home she shared with her new husband, John Ruetten. Investigators initially believed she had interrupted burglars, and the case went cold. Sherri’s father repeatedly urged police to investigate Stephanie Lazarus, an LAPD officer who had previously been involved with Ruetten, but Lazarus was not seriously pursued.

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 On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old nursing director Sherri Rasmussen was found beaten and shot three times inside the Van Nuys home she shared with her new husband, John Ruetten. Investigators initially believed she had interrupted burglars, and the case went cold. Sherri’s father repeatedly urged police to investigate Stephanie Lazarus, an LAPD officer who had previously been involved with Ruetten, but Lazarus was not seriously pursued. 



Among the evidence preserved from Sherri’s body was a saliva sample collected from a bite mark on her arm. Years later, DNA testing revealed something that contradicted the original burglary theory: the person who left the saliva was a woman. When investigators finally focused on Lazarus, undercover officers followed her and recovered a discarded drinking cup and straw. The DNA matched the evidence from Sherri’s bite mark. 


Lazarus was arrested in 2009, by which point she had spent decades with the LAPD and become a detective. In 2012, a jury convicted her of Sherri’s murder, more than 26 years after the killing. She was sentenced to 27 years to life.

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