The investigation had taken a new turn and police faced the devastating possibility that the murder was committed by one of their own, a veteran detective who worked just across the hall from the robbery homicide division. They gathered her DNA and the result was a probable match. In a TV-like maneuver, detectives secretly followed Lazarus until they could recover a cup from which she drank. He discovered his wife dead, shot and bludgeoned presumably by an unknown intruder.īack in 1986, when the killing occurred, it was assumed the bite came from a man – probably a burglar who broke into the couple’s condominium.īut a DNA laboratory came up with a shocking result. Lazarus had been mentioned in the original file because she had been the ex-girlfriend of Rasmussen’s husband, John Ruetten. It is the classic cold case, which gathered dust in a police evidence room for decades until a new review suddenly raised suspicions among detectives who wondered if one of their own could be involved. Without the science of DNA, developed in intervening years, Lazarus, 51, probably would never have been charged with the murder of Sherri Rasmussen and would still be working at the Los Angeles Police Department. On Monday, attorneys will present their opening statements outlining the evidence. The case of Stephanie Lazarus has already inspired multiple TV reality shows. The defendant was a highly respected veteran police detective and the evidence that led to her arrest is 26 years old. LOS ANGELES – A trial opening this week has the dramatic elements of a TV crime show – a bloody murder scene, two pretty women and a love triangle that could have precipitated the killing.īut other factors have made this case even more compelling.
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