Former LAPD detective Stephanie Lazarus, who is serving a 27-year to life sentence for the 1986 cold-case slaying of her ex-boyfriend’s wife, had her chance for parole delayed this week. Parole was recommended by a select committee of the state Board of Parole Hearings in November, but the full board decided to order a rescission hearing on Monday to reconsider the recommendation. Lazarus was convicted in 2012 of killing Sherri Rasmussen, who was found dead in her condo after being bludgeoned and shot to death.
During the parole hearing, Rasmussen’s sisters and widower provided emotional testimony about their pain and described Lazarus as a conniving criminal who used her police training to cover up the killing. John Ruetten, Rasmussen’s widower, expressed his disbelief that Lazarus felt any remorse and accused her of skilful deception in confessing to the crime during a hearing last year in order to gain parole. He stated that Lazarus does not comprehend the suffering she has caused. However, Erin Runions, a college professor who works with incarcerated individuals, spoke in support of Lazarus’ spiritual growth and readiness to reenter society if released.
The governor’s office had requested a review of the plan to parole Lazarus, and an attorney for Rasmussen’s family expressed relief at the decision to hold a rescission hearing. The attorney is hopeful that the parole recommendation will be rescinded and expected the hearing to be scheduled within about four months. Lazarus did not appear before the board during the hearing. At her trial, prosecutors focused on the romantic relationship between Lazarus and Ruetten, claiming that Lazarus was motivated by jealousy when Ruetten decided to marry Rasmussen.
The case against Lazarus hinged on DNA evidence from a bite mark prosecutors alleged she left on Rasmussen’s arm. Lazarus was not initially a suspect in the case due to detectives believing two robbers were responsible for Rasmussen’s death. However, a sample of Lazarus’ saliva was later obtained and matched to DNA found at the crime scene in 1986. Prosecutors argued that Lazarus knew to avoid leaving other forms of evidence, such as fingerprints, and suggested that the use of DNA as a forensic tool was inconceivable at the time of the murder. Lazarus had risen through the ranks of the LAPD, eventually becoming a detective in charge of art forgeries and theft investigations.
