Former Los Angeles police detective Stephanie Lazarus, convicted of murdering Sherri Rasmussen in 1986, has had her parole rescinded. The decision comes after a new '20/20' episode revisits the case and features interviews with those involved.
Lazarus will remain in custody pending a suitability hearing within 120 days.The former Los Angeles police detective convicted in 2012 of killing Sherri Rasmussen is making news yet again this week. A new "20/20" features exclusive interviews and a look at how investigators were able to crack the case.on Wednesday in the 1986 murder and will continue to serve her 27 years-to-life sentence.
"I've been around a long time, I've covered a lot of high-profile cases, and I tell everyone that to this day, this one still resonates with me. I still get chills."Commissioner Garland stated that the board had "found good cause to rescind Lazarus' parole" and would reconvene for further hearings regarding Lazarus.
Ruetten and Lazarus met at UCLA in the 1970s and had a friendly relationship that involved casual sex, according to Ruetten's testimony at Lazarus' trial. Ruetten also testified that he never considered Lazarus his girlfriend. He also admitted to sleeping with Lazarus shortly after becoming engaged to Rasmussen. On Feb. 24, 1986, Ruetten discovered his wife lying in a pool of blood on the living room floor of their condo in Van Nuys, California. He immediately called 911.
In the eyes of Mayer, the lead detective, Ruetten was a grieving husband. Investigators said they didn't feel he was hiding anything, and as far as they were concerned, he was not a suspect -- and they told him so. With new technology and a fresh set of eyes, cold case investigators took another look at the bite mark that was on Rasmussen's forearm."Up to that point, nobody else had looked at it other than Mayer and myself, really," Shepard said. "When I was going back over the reports, they indicate that a bite swab had been collected," Shepard said. "And when I looked at the evidence... no evidence for a bite swab.
"My biggest regret is not interviewing Ruetten. Not meeting with him and having a face-to-face," Shepard said. The fifth suspect was Stephanie Lazarus, Ruetten's ex-lover from college. Ruetten told Detective Nuttall that he had already given Lazarus' name to the LAPD 23 years ago. The conversation, however, was never documented.
Stephanie Lazarus Murder Parole Los Angeles Police Department Sherri Rasmussen
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