1986 | Los Angeles, California, USA | Murder | Solved
TLDR
Sherri Rasmussen was shot and killed in her Los Angeles apartment in 1986. Police wrote it off as a burglary gone wrong. The real killer was an LAPD detective who had stalked Sherri for months. She wasn’t identified for 23 years — until DNA from a bite mark gave her away.
The Case
On the morning of February 24, 1986, Sherri Rasmussen, 29, was found dead in the Reseda apartment she shared with her husband, John. She had been beaten and shot three times. Investigators noted a bite mark on her arm. They ruled it a burglary homicide and closed the case.
John Ruetten, Sherri’s husband, had dated LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus before meeting and marrying Sherri. Lazarus, who worked in the LAPD’s burglary division, had reportedly struggled to accept the relationship ending. Colleagues said she had shown up at Sherri’s workplace before the murder.
Despite these facts being known, investigators never seriously looked at Lazarus. The bite mark evidence was collected but sat untested in a box for more than two decades.
In 2009, cold case detectives revisited the file. They had the bite mark DNA tested. The profile was run against the state database. It matched Stephanie Lazarus.
LAPD investigators observed Lazarus without her knowledge, obtained a discarded coffee cup from her, and confirmed the match. She was arrested in 2009, more than 23 years after the murder. She was still employed by the LAPD at the time of her arrest.
Lazarus was convicted in 2012 of first-degree murder and sentenced to 27 years to life. She has maintained her innocence and has been denied parole multiple times.
The Rasmussen case became a landmark example of DNA cold case investigation and prompted scrutiny of how domestic violence cases involving law enforcement personnel are handled.
Where to Find More
- Documentaries: Dateline NBC covered the case in an episode titled “The Detective” (2012). Investigation Discovery has also produced episodes on the case.
- Books: Trail of Blood by R. Scott Moxley covers the case and broader LAPD cold case investigations from that era.
- Podcasts: Multiple major true crime podcasts have covered Sherri Rasmussen’s case. Check Casefile and Crime Junkie on major platforms.
