Jealous female cop beat and shot ex-lover's new wife in violent love triangle murder

After 3 months of marriage, Sherri Rasmussen and her caller husband, John Ruetten, were happily gathering their beingness together. Having tied the knot successful November 1985, they spent the Christmas play astatine household gatherings, and arsenic the caller twelvemonth began they looked towards their aboriginal with excitement.

When they met, determination was an instant connection. John was smitten with Sherri, who was an jock similar helium was. She was tall, charismatic and truthful talented that she was fast-tracked to go manager of nursing astatine a aesculapian centre. John got a presumption astatine an engineering institution and the mates got engaged. He bought Sherri a BMW arsenic an engagement gift.

By February 1986, John and Sherri were surviving successful a condominium successful Van Nuys, Los Angeles. On 24 February, John near their location for work, but Sherri, 29, was uncertain astir whether she was going to her occupation that day. She had a institution code to bash astatine work, which she was uncomfortable with, truthful she told John she mightiness telephone successful sick to debar it.

Later that morning, John called his woman respective times with nary answer. Sherri’s sister called her excessively without immoderate luck. Both thought it was antithetic that the answerphone wasn’t connected due to the fact that if Sherri went out, she would ever enactment it on.

When John returned location that evening, helium saw the store doorway was unfastened and determination was breached solid connected the driveway. Sherri’s BMW was missing. Inside, John recovered Sherri dormant connected the surviving country floor. She was inactive dressed successful nightwear and a dressing gown. She had been beaten and changeable 3 times successful what appeared to beryllium a convulsive struggle.

A vase was broken, perchance by it being smashed implicit Sherri’s head. There was a bloody handprint adjacent the location alarm’s panic fastener arsenic though idiosyncratic had tried to scope for it. The gun, a .38 calibre, had been fired done a broad to muffle the sound. There was a wound people connected Sherri’s near forearm that was swabbed for DNA and a formed was made – though the usage of DNA subject was inactive successful its infancy.

THE SEARCH FOR A MOTIVE

At first, investigators believed it was a robbery that had gone wrong. There had been different burglaries successful the area. But determination were immoderate antithetic points astir the transgression country that didn’t marque sense. Sherri’s location was successful a gated analyzable and wasn’t the archetypal portion the thieves would person reached. Why hers? And wherefore successful wide daylight?

There was nary motion of forced entry, which would beryllium the lawsuit if opportunist burglars thought nary 1 was in. While the transgression country was successful disarray, it hadn’t been ransacked. A jewellery container was successful wide show and Sherri’s car was recovered a week later, abandoned.

The slayer had changeable Sherri cleanable done the thorax – a fatal wound. But past went connected to occurrence 2 much shots, utilizing a broad to muffle the sound. That wasn’t the effect of a astonishment conflict – idiosyncratic had truly wanted her dead. But astir this clip LA was suffering with pack wars and a cause epidemic and Sherri’s lawsuit wasn’t the focus.

A grieving John discontinue his occupation and moved distant from LA arsenic the lawsuit ran cold. Sherri’s frustrated household offered a reward of $10,000 to effort to support the lawsuit successful the spotlight, but they had a mentation astir wherefore nary 1 took it seriously. Sherri’s household had a fishy of their own.

Sherri’s dad, Nels Rasmussen, told the constabulary to look into Stephanie Lazarus, past 25. She was an LAPD serviceman who had erstwhile dated John portion they were astatine university. He ne'er considered her to beryllium his girlfriend, but Lazarus, who was studying governmental science, wanted more.

She utilized to bargain John’s apparel to support for herself and instrumentality photos of him sleeping. He yet met Sherri and Lazarus was devastated erstwhile she recovered retired they were engaged. John would aboriginal admit he’d had enactment with Lazarus “one past time”, which helium profoundly regretted and didn’t archer Sherri about.

Sherri erstwhile met Lazarus. Before the wedding, Lazarus turned up astatine her location with a acceptable of h2o skis that she wanted John to wax for her. Sherri confronted John, who said determination was thing going on. When Lazarus returned to prime up the skis, Sherri made it wide she wasn’t invited – but Lazarus called by again earlier the wedding successful afloat constabulary azygous with a weapon connected her waist. Sherri told her dada it had felt intimidating.

Sherri’s household believed Lazarus was progressive successful the shooting but, contempt mentioning her a batch during the investigation, Lazarus’ sanction was hardly successful the files. Sherri’s household felt it was due to the fact that her colleagues had instinctively protected her. Lazarus went connected to beryllium promoted to detective and specialised successful creation theft. She joined different officer.

In 2009, the lawsuit was looked astatine again. With advances successful forensic science, it was determined that the wound people connected Sherri’s limb belonged to a female. Lazarus was connected a time disconnected connected the time of the shooting – and her back-up work gun, that she would aboriginal study missing weeks aft Sherri’s death, was the aforesaid calibre arsenic the weapon utilized to termination Sherri.

COVERING HER TRACKS

Lazarus was a constabulary serviceman who knew however to screen up tracks and marque a country look similar a robbery. The constabulary took a DNA illustration from a cupful she had thrown distant and matched it with the DNA from a wound connected Sherri’s arm. Finally, 23 years aft Sherri’s death, Lazarus was arrested and charged with her murder. She was held connected a $10 cardinal bail.

In 2012, Lazarus went to trial. The prosecution said she was driven by jealousy and had felt that the wedding formal Sherri wore belonged to her. The authoritative summed up the lawsuit for court. “A bite, a bullet, a weapon tube and a breached heart. That’s the grounds that volition beryllium to you that suspect Stephanie Lazarus murdered Sherri Rasmussen,” they said.

John testified and wept arsenic helium admitted having enactment with Lazarus portion engaged to Sherri was a “mistake” and said Lazarus had pleaded him with not to wed Sherri. The defence argued the grounds was aged and compromised, but the assemblage convicted Lazarus of first-degree execution and she was sentenced to 27 years to life. Her ineligible squad appealed but the verdict was upheld and she started to service her sentence.

In 2023, Lazarus had a parole proceeding and shocked everyone by confessing that she had killed Sherri. “It makes maine sick to this time that I took an oath to support and service radical and I took Sherri Rasmussen’s beingness from her, a nurse,” she told the parole committee panel. “All I could deliberation astir was getting retired of determination earlier the constabulary showed up.”

Lazarus said she hadn’t gone to Sherri’s location to termination her – she’d conscionable wanted to speech to John. She said she hadn’t turned herself successful afterwards due to the fact that she was “ashamed”.

Despite the confession, the parole committee gave her parole. Sherri’s household and the authorities objected and the determination was taken to a proceeding for reconsideration. It was argued that Lazarus wasn’t remorseful – she’d had 37 years to confess but she’d lone done it to get parole. Her admittance of guilt confirmed she was a slayer who had abused her presumption of spot arsenic a constabulary officer.

In October this year, the parole board’s determination was reversed. Larazus, present 64, was sent backmost to situation to service her time.