Dateline: Unforgettable is examining the murder of Sherri Rasmussen, who was murdered by her love rival, LA police officer Stephanie Lazarus, in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
In February 1986, 29-year-old Rasmussen was a nurse at an LA hospital and had been married just three months to John Ruetten. Lazarus was a junior police officer with the LAPD and Ruetten’s former girlfriend, and she was in a jealous rage.
It’s unclear exactly what happened when Lazarus went to Rasmussen’s condo on February 24, but her visit ended with Rasmussen being shot three times in the chest with a .38 pistol.
She was also struck in the head with a ceramic vase, and her left arm was bitten.
The LAPD initially ruled the murder as a burglary gone wrong. However, Rasmussen’s family always suspected Lazarus may have been behind the death, and they spent over 20 years pushing for the case to be reopened.
In the meantime, Lazarus rose up through the ranks of the LAPD and became a detective.
Detective Stephanie Lazarus arrested after 23 years for killing Sherri Rasmussen
The case was eventually reopened in 2009. Detectives secretly took Lazarus’s DNA from a soda straw and matched it to DNA recovered from the bitemark on Rasmussen’s arm. She was charged with first-degree murder.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelLazarus insisted she was innocent and berated her colleagues for accusing her. Rasmussen’s family and prosecutors would later accuse her of using her police training and position to get away with murder.
The former detective pleaded not guilty, but following a trial in 2012, jurors spent three days deliberating and concluded Lazarus was guilty. She was sentenced to 27 years to life.
Stephanie Lazarus may soon be eligible for parole after Sherri Rasmussen murder conviction
Rasmussen’s family was shocked in November 2023 when a parole board concluded Lazarus was now eligible for parole.
The victim’s family claimed that Lazarus admitted to the killing for the first time at the parole hearing, and even then, she downplayed the severity of the crime and suggested it was closer to manslaughter than murder.
John Ruetten accused Lazarus of having no remorse, called her skilled at deception, and added, “I don’t think she comprehends the breadth and depth of the suffering she has caused.”
In May 2024, the parole board delayed Larazus’s potential parole and referred the case to another panel, which might rescind last year’s recommendation.
Dateline: Unforgettable airs Thurdays at 8/7c on Oxygen.