Los Angeles – A two‑member California parole board panel denied parole once more on Friday for former Los Angeles Police Department detective Stephanie Lazarus, who was convicted in 2012 of murdering Sherri Rasmussen, the new wife of her former lover, in 1986.
Parole hearing details
The hearing lasted more than four hours, followed by 45 minutes of deliberation. Commissioner Michael Ruff told Lazarus she is “still choosing not to be completely honest with this panel.” Deputy Commissioner Nga Lam added that the panel “did not see a lot of movement” since Lazarus was denied parole last year.
Lam urged Lazarus to “push the reset button… start with the truth. End with the truth,” emphasizing that “overwhelming evidence” shows the murder was pre‑meditated. She reminded Lazarus that, as a sworn officer, she “chose to break the law” and committed a “brutal crime.”
Background of the case
Lazarus served 25 years with the LAPD, primarily as an art‑theft investigator. In June 2009 she was arrested after detectives obtained a DNA sample from a drink cup and straw she discarded outside a Costco. The DNA matched a bite mark on Rasmussen’s left forearm, linking Lazarus to the 1986 homicide.
Rasmussen, a nursing supervisor at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, was shot three times on February 24, 1986 in her Van Nuy s condominium on Balboa Boulevard. She had married John Ruetten, Lazarus’s former love interest, three months before her death.
The case went cold until 2004 when the LAPD Cold Case Unit reopened it, eventually securing the DNA evidence that led to Lazarus’s conviction. In 2015 the California Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction, noting that Lazarus’s DNA “precisely matched the profile of the person who bit Rasmussen shortly before her death” and that she had a “compelling motive” after being dropped by Ruetten.
Previous parole attempts
In November 2023 a separate parole board panel recommended release, but Governor Gavin Newsom’s concerns led to that recommendation being rescinded in October 2024. A February 2025 panel also found Lazarus unsuitable, with Commissioner Kevin Chappell stating her testimony did not align with the evidence.
At the latest hearing, lead detective Greg Stearns and prosecutor Paul Nunez joined Ruetten and Rasmussen’s family in opposing parole. Ruetten, who has since remarried, said Lazarus used her police training to conceal the crime and that her decision to plead not guilty prolonged the family’s suffering.
Lazarus’s statement
In her final statement, the now 66‑year‑old inmate acknowledged breaking her oath, calling the act “atrociously murdering Sherri” and expressed, “I am truly and immensely sorry.” She is incarcerated at the California Institution for Women in Corona.
What’s next?
Lazarus can request another hearing date, but the parole board’s current stance suggests she must demonstrate a clear, truthful acknowledgment of her actions before any future consideration.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
