The deadly secrets behind Sherri’s murder | Forensic Files

[Music] Venice is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of the city
of Los Angeles California and it was there that newlyweds sherri rasmussen and john Rutan lived in a condo together
on Balboa Boulevard Sherri Rasmussen was born on the 7th of February 1957 her parents were Nels and Loretta
Rasmussen the middle daughter of three Sherri was known as a gentle kind and caring woman strikingly beautiful her
compassion for others drove her to study nursing at the age of sixteen by the age
of 29 she was the director of critical care at Glendale Adventist Hospital sherry was well respected and known for
her caring approach to their job John Rutan was born in Eugene Oregon in September 1958 he excelled at basketball
growing up and he continued that passion at UCLA where he studied engineering he
was a charming handsome and athletic student he graduated in 1982 and a few years later secured a job as a
mechanical engineer at a disk drive manufacturer John and Cheri met at a party in the spring of 84 john was
immediately attracted to sherry as soon as he met her he got her number from a mutual friend they went on a date and
instantly hit it off they became an exclusive item from that very first day shortly after meeting each other John
met Sherry's parents and they enjoyed family trips together on their boat they were engaged in May 1985 and John bought
shariah BMW as an engagement gift John moved into Sherry's condo on Balboa Boulevard and they were married on the
23rd of November 1985 friends and family described them as the perfect couple utterly in love
[Music] prior to meeting sherry John had dated several other women in 1981 while
studying at UCLA he met a fellow student from the same dorm who also played basketball political science student
Stephanie Lazarus Stephanie loved sports and was very fit she was on the junior varsity basketball team and was known as
a bit of a prankster she was well-liked and had a lot of friends Stephanie and John grew close although they shared
some intimacy at college they didn't start a sexual relationship until after they graduated they took troops together
and Stephanie met John's family on more than one occasion not many of their friends from their college days knew
about their relationship and at one point John started to feel uncomfortable about it so we stopped seeing Stephanie
for a while John had always viewed their relationship as casual and he continued
to see other women while he was seeing Stephanie they never formally discussed their relationship but it was mutually
known they were not exclusive when John became engaged to Sherry Stephanie heard the news through a
mutual friend it was during a period of time when John and Stephanie hadn't hung
out together for quite a while as it was a mutually non-exclusive agreement between them John didn't think it was
necessary to tell Stephanie the news himself a month after the engagement Stephanie called John and pleaded with
him to visit her at her condo in the nearby suburb of Woodland Hills Stephanie was upset and crying
hysterically John went to her condo and Stephanie confessed her love for him and
pleaded over and over for him to have sex with her John explained he was marrying Sherri
and that he and Stephanie's relationship was now over however they did end up sleeping together that day after this
encounter John says he didn't have any contact at all with Stephanie for the next few years John and Cheri married on
the 23rd of November 1985 on their three-month anniversary the 23rd of February 86 John gave his new bride
three red roses a symbol of the three months they'd been married Sherri sat them in avars on the dining
table that day they were visited by Sherry's sister Teresa and her husband Brian as well as a close friend of
John's Mike Gorda they all said how happy John and cherry were that day holding hands laughing and loving each
other's company the next morning Monday the 24th of February eighty-six John Rutan was up
early to get ready for work he left home at 7:20 a.m. and stopped to drop off dry-cleaning on the way
sherry wasn't going to work she had woken up and called in sick John knew that sherry wasn't keen on attending a
lecture that day which had more to do with the sick day than her actually being sick during the day John called
sherry two or three times just to check in on her there was no answer the phone rang out
as their answering machine was turned off after finishing work John stopped off at the bank before arriving home
about 6:00 p.m. sherry and John's condo was in a gated complex on the 7100 block
of Balboa Boulevard their noise a six foot high wall surrounded the entire block and to drive in you needed a
remote control each pedestrian gate also required a key their condo was in the central part of the complex and it was
not an easy place to get into unless you had a key or someone let you in when John got home he immediately noticed
broken glass from the patio door scattered on the driveway the garage door was up and Sherry's BMW was missing
a neighbor said it had been like that for most of the day he saw the door up and car missing about 9:30 a.m. the
internal door from the garage to the condo was also a jar John knew instantly that something was wrong as John walked
up the stairs from the garage he found sherry lying dead on the floor stealing her night Gehman sherry had been
severely beaten her eyes were swollen she had lacerations and bruising to her face and body and a bite mark on her
left inner forearm the living room had been ransacked the vars had been smashed all over the floor the drawer had been
pulled out and its contents tipped upside down the TV wall unit was partially dismantled and at the foot of
the stairs a stereo and VCR equipment had been stacked in a pot speaker wire and wrote was laying at the entry to the
home John called 9-1-1 and the first responder on the scene was la firefighter and paramedic Gregory
Chilean who found John crying criminalists from the Los Angeles County coroner's office arrived they checked
for trace evidence around Sherry's body and collected specimens a sexual assault
kit was carried out and two saliva swabs were taken from the bite mark on Sharra's arm
Sherri had been shot three times in the chest the bullets were confirmed to be from a
38 caliber handgun and forensic tests later showed that the gun would have had a barrel length of two inches they were
unable to determine the exact gun as there were several capable of firing the bullets found at the scene all of the
crime scene evidence was logged into the coroner's office the lead homicide detective on the case was detective
loyal mayor from the Van Nuys division of the LAPD after examining the scene he was sure he knew what happened a
burglary gone wrong May's theory was as follows two offenders entered the condo through the
unlocked front door as there was no sign of forced entry one began to dismantle the TV and stereo equipment while the
other went upstairs Sherri startled the offender as he didn't realize she was home a struggle started upstairs before
continuing downstairs into the living room leaving a bloody trail and handprint on the wall as Sherri
attempted to escape or possibly tried to reach the panic button which was part of
the condos alarm system while reaching for the offender's gun during the struggle Sherri was bitten on her left
inner forearm she was hit over the head with the VARs likely knocking her unconscious the
offender then reached for a quilt which was sitting nearby he wrapped the quilt around the barrel of the gun to muffle
the sound held the gun up to share his chest and fired three shots at close range
marks on Sheree's wrists indicated she had likely been bound and broken fingernails were found on the floor with
a bloodied tail there had been a spate of burglaries in the area in recent times the offender's were described as
latino males armed with a handgun which is how mayor came to theorize that two offenders were responsible the door
knock was conducted and a neighboring housekeeper said she heard a scuffle and a scream but no gunshots she didn't see
anybody Sherri's purse was missing but it was found in a garden within the complex
there were a few things disturbed in the house such as the stereo equipment and VCR
however Sheree's jewelry box which was in plain sight wasn't touched the only things actually stolen were Sheree's BMW
and her and John's marriage certificate Mayer believed the offender's must have panicked after killing sherry and left
in a hurry leaving the stereo and VCR they had stacked up into taking the car instead for a quick escape he had no
doubt it was a burglary gone bad he felt even better about this theory when two months later there was another burglary
nearby two latino males armed with a handgun these two males became the focal point for the investigation wanted
posters were distributed with sketches of the men saying they were wanted for murder
Sherry's car was found ten days after she was killed it was actually located nearby the condo intact and with the
keys still in the ignition Cherry's killing came on the front end of a huge upswing of the murder rate in Los
Angeles the homicide rate in the city was the highest that had been in six years
although detective Mayer had his burglary suspects John Rutan was still considered the spouse is the first
person police look at in any murder investigation but there was no sign of trouble in the marriage all reports were
of a happy loving couple still in the honeymoon phase there was no insurance no motive and John had a rock-solid
alibi he had been at work all day seen by many people in the office during his questioning John brought up
several names including that of Stephanie Lazarus his ex lava he referred to her as a friend from his old
student days Nels and Loretta Rasmussen Sherri's parents came forward and provided mayer with information about
some disturbing incidents prior to the murder Stephanie Lazarus turned up as sherry and John's condo dressed
provocatively and to ask John to wax s keys which he did about one month after Stephanie's last sexual encounter with
John during his engagement to Sherry Stephanie appeared at the hospital where he worked she approached Sherri in her
office and said if I can't have John then nobody can she also said that if the marriage didn't work out then she
would be there to pick up the pieces Stephanie also told Sherri about the sexual in Kiana she had with John during
their engagement Sherri confronted John that night and he admitted the infidelity but he swore that he truly
loved Sherri and that he wanted to be her husband Sherri accepted Jon's apology under their engagement continued
Stephanie started showing up at other places where Sherri was and on one occasion she even appeared inside the
condo Sherri had no idea how she had gotten inside she started to wonder if jon was actually having a full-blown
affair with Stephanie Sherri also felt that she was being followed the person she saw following her looked like a
woman disguised as a mean Sherri confided in her father friends and a work colleague about the problems she
was hammie she mentioned if the person responsible was John's ex-girlfriend but she never
mentioned her name chaeri's father Nels had offered to help but Sherri said she wanted to so she
could work it out on her own John said that other than the confrontation at the hospital he was unaware of any of the
other spoking behavior Sherri had mentioned to friends and family detective Mayer though felt he was on
the money with his burglary gone wrong theory he was so sure of the theory he never even questioned Stephanie
saying he felt it was unnecessary the two Latino suspects remained unidentified and as 1986 ended the
murder remained unsolved the evidence was eventually sealed in the box and put away with thousands of
other unsolved cases the following year 87 the Rasmussen told a press conference
where they offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest of their daughter's killer Nils Rasmussen
said it's been nearly two years of hell not knowing who did this to Sherry or wire Nils mentioned John's ex-girlfriend
numerous times to detectives he didn't feel comfortable with the burglary theory and one of the tech moves to
pursue the ex-girlfriend angle on one occasion he was told he watched too much television frustrated and feeling
ignored Nils wrote a letter to the chief of police voicing his concerns he didn't
receive a reply the year sherry was murdered 1986 was the same year that the science of police work worldwide took a
monumental leap forward in Leicester England Alec Jeffrey's developed techniques for DNA fingerprinting and
DNA profiling which revolutionized the way criminal cases were solved known as genetic fingerprinting it was first used
to convict a rapist in England later that year it was first used in the United States the following year 1997
as the years went by the Rasmussen is contacted the LAPD regularly to check on the case in 1993 Nils Rasmussen made an
appointment to meet the detectives who had taken over the case after detective loyal mayor's retirement Nils had heard
of the advances in DNA testing in criminal investigations which was now becoming more widespread Nils offered to
pay for testing on the samples from sharri's crime scene himself the new detectives informed him they had looked
into the case and had found a no further leads they turned the den Nils offered to pay for DNA testing they told The
Rasmus ins to move on with their lives after this meeting the Rasmussen family stopped calling John Rutan said little
publicly after the murder he didn't cope well and eventually he quietly faded out
of sight others close to Shari were left angry that John wasn't demanding answers
at the police although he had mentioned Stephanie to detectives he didn't push the point he didn't fight he just seemed
to accept that the case would remain unsolved the LAPD cold-case homicide unit was
established in 2001 it was formed on the back of further advancements in forensic
testing and a huge backlog of unsolved murders when the doors to the cold-case unit opened there were seven detectives
and a caseload of over 9,000 unsolved murders the LAPD had received a grant of 50 million dollars to fund DNA testing
for cases deemed to have sufficient evidence the cold-case unit focused on cases dating back to 1967 and a half
thousand cases in total of which 1,400 were deemed to have sufficient evidence for testing the two types of murders
deemed to have the highest chance of leaving strong DNA evidence were sexually motivated into burglary murders
as the killer spends more time around the scene the cold-case unit had its first major breakthrough in 2003 closing
a serial case Adolphe Lautenberg a 77 year old grandfather was arrested for the rape and murder of four women
between 1972 to 1975 in this particular case they had a DNA sample from somebody other than
the victims but there was no match on the database when the suspects DNA isn't on the database police can apply for a
warrant to force the suspect to provide a DNA sample but they have to have other
evidence to support the warrant application another option is to ask the suspect to volunteer however that then
tips them off and presents the risk of them running and destroying further evidence if it exists which leaves the
last option obtaining a sample from an item the suspect has voluntarily discarded such as a cup or straw this is
how the cold-case unit obtained a sample from Waardenburg which put him away for
the full murders he's now serving life in prison it wasn't long after this first big
breakthrough the cold-case detective David Lincoln and his team came across the case of sherri rasmussen they first
submitted a request to the crime lab to provide analysis and all of the evidence
in Cherry's file in late 2003 it wasn't until December 2004 the crime lab technician Jennifer Francis noticed
the request had never been fueled so she volunteered to work on it she first analyzed the blood sample taken from the
autopsy which provided her with Sherry's DNA profile working down the list of evidence she tested the pieces of
fingernail and to the blood stained tower found at the crime scene both were matches to Cherie finally she
went to swab the samples taken from the bite mark on Sherry's left in a forearm initially the samples couldn't be
located however after a search that were found in storage at the LA County coroner's office when a sample is taken
it is placed in a vial which is then sealed in an envelope to preserve the integrity of the exhibit in this case
the envelope had torn causing the vial to protrude through however the vial and the samples themselves were found to be
undisturbed and intact Frances gained two separate DNA profiles from the bite mark one was sharise the other surprised
Francis who by now had come to expect the XY male gender marker to show up from samples taken from violent crimes
but this result was showing xxxx the killer was a woman she ran the results through the computerized criminal
database to try and match the DNA sample there was no result and so the case was
put back into storage by early 2007 when detective David Lampkin retired the cold-case homicide unit had solved more
than 40 murder cases but an increase in open cases and a lack of room in the office meant that any case is not
currently being worked on were sent back to their original divisions so Sherry's
case was sent back to the Van Nuys division where it remained untouched for another two years
it wasn't until early 2009 that homicide detective Jim Nussle picked up the file
on his desk affair noughts there was a large file and the novel noticed that a pretty good chronological record had
been kept of everything done during the investigation over the previous 23 years
he read the original theory to male offenders had ransacked the property and had interrupted 29 year-old sherri
rasmussen who they had not realized was home a struggle ensued and Sherri had been killed burglary gone wrong but then
he read about the testing that had been done five years earlier the killer was female this completely contradicted the
theory of the case not all search the case notes for the names of women who could possibly be considered suspects he
came up with five names one of those names put a shiver through him it stood out because written next to the name
were the words pio john's ex-girlfriend Stephanie Lazarus was a patrol officer in the LAPD at the time of Sherry's
murder she was now a highly commended detective in a high-profile unit of the LAPD and her husband was also a
detective who happened to work in Jim needles office [Music] Stephanie Lazarus graduated from the
police academy in the summer of 1983 and was assigned to Hollywood division in those days only about 2% of the force
were women she went on to become a detective and was twice named detective of the year receiving a promotion to
Detective to a supervisory role Stephanie's personal fault described her as an asset to the team she was known
for her honest character in the outstanding police work a cops cop she raised money to start a reliable
round-the-clock daycare center for members of the LAPD she became involved with the drug abuse resistance education
program and gave talks at schools she even appeared on an episode of Family Feud when they were running a
week-long special battle of America's finest she married a fellow detective in the mid nineties they adopted a daughter
and her friends described her as a great mother Stephanie worked in internal affairs the
unit responsible for investigating corruption and wrongdoing of fellow officers before earning a position in
the department of art theft and fraud in 2007 a unit within the commercial Crimes
Division of the LAPD a high-profile position that came with a lot of attention and a lot of press Stephanie
had never faced the disciplinary hearing in her career and was known to always work by the book of the four other names
that not all identified in a file as potential suspects three were quickly ruled out the fourth was a nurse who had
worked with sherry they didn't get along and had occasionally argued sherry had actually taken her position at the
hospital giving her motive but they cleared her by testing her DNA from a discarded item
that left one name Stephanie Lazarus Jim Nuttall had his work cut out for him not
only was Stephanie a well-respected officer but he worked with her husband he sought the help of the LAPD's Robbery
Homicide Division based at Parker center in downtown LA which was LAPD headquarters at the time Robbery
Homicide investigate all the high-profile cases the investigators had to tread lightly
the LAPD network is tight the integrity of the case was their number-one goal they work two nights behind closed doors
and gave Stephanie the codename number five they left to no paper trail nor did they disclose the investigation to
anyone else it was too risky their prime suspect had once been a detective in the
Internal Affairs Division in dénia they would be investigating her not only that
she worked at Parker center as well directly across the hall from the Robbery Homicide Division after
reviewing the case file one of the detectives on the case Marc Martinez recalled that in the mid-80s LAPD
officers carried 38 caliber revolvers as their backup or off-duty gun the same type of gun used to kill sherry he
entered Stephanie's name into the state gun registry and found a report on Sunday the 9th of March 1986 13 days
after Sherry's murder Stephanie filed a report with the Santa Monica Police Department the report
stated that her car had been broken into at the Santa Monica Pier the thief had stolen her blue gym bag containing some
clothes some cassettes and a Smith & Wesson five shot 38 caliber revolver things were starting to look very clear
their main priority though was getting a sample of Stephanie's DNA they decided the best way to play it
would be to obtain a sample from something Stephanie voluntarily discarded they had her under
surveillance for two weeks before they got their chance Stephanie was shopping with her daughter at a local Costco
store she purchased the drink and sat down at a table and detectives 20 feet away from her watching her every
move he watched as she took a last sip and walked within 3 feet of him to put it in the bin he didn't take his eyes
off the bin as he waited for Stephanie to walk out of his field of vision then he approached the bin picked up the cup
by its base and to put it into an envelope he and his partner then walked off in different directions 48 hours
later they got the result the DNA was a clear match the chance for the bite on Cherry's art was from a different person
than Stephanie was over 402 quadrillion to 1 on the 5th of June 2009 23 years 3 months and 12 days after the murder of
Sherri Rasmussen Stephanie Lazarus reported to work as usual at the Parker center detective Dean Jared Miller
approached her desk and asked her if she could assist with an arrest they had made that morning he explained they were
holding a man in the building's basement jail facility who said he had information about an art theft a case
Stephanie was working on she eagerly agreed to help question the suspect they walked down to the jail facility making
small talk discussing how busy each other's units were when they arrived at the jail they both had the check in
their weapons which was routine and a requirement of all officers before entering they had just disarmed
Stephanie without raising suspicion Jeremy Lowe guided Stephanie into an interrogation room where he introduced
her to his partner detective Greg Stearns detectives Jeremy Lowe and stones were from the Robbery Homicide
Division they ushered Stephanie to a seat usually used by those under arrest I don't want to talk about this in the
squad room here but I don't know who people are listening to and forego to my side everybody's always wondering when
everybody okay but like we're talking about being business that we've been assigned a case that we've been looking
at okay it's a new case and we're doing the case there's some notes to see it as
far as your name being mentioned oh okay do you know john bruton john Rutan Rutten
oh yeah went to school with him you did yeah how long did you know him gosh I went to school and um let's see
why did UCLA 1978 I started and you know medam did school at the dorms you guys friends close friends
yeah very close yeah I mean what's this all about well it's regarding it's a case we're working on it involves John
and in there some of the statements were we reviewed you know there's nose and stuff they that he knew you and stuff oh
yeah maybe good friends um lived in the dorms for as in the dorms for two years you guys live in the same dorm yeah okay
yeah Dijkstra okay well you guys just friends or anything else or yeah we were really good friends yeah was there any a
relationship or anything to develop between you guys yeah I need to be dated uh uh-huh
you know um I mean is it wizards all about well it's relating to his wife okay okay did you know her not really I mean
I knew that he I marry yours ago uh-huh did you ever meet her god I don't know um you know she was or anything well I
think God it's been a long time ago um I I may have met her um geez you know yeah
uh well let me say let me ask you said you dated John how long did you guys date I mean what are you guys is this
something I mean you said I was going to interview something about art in Hailey's or your sentence I mean
Stephanie here's situations basically we you know we knew that this when we saw this in the in
this chrono that maybe you know there was some relationship there that's what the chrono seemed to indicate and we
didn't want to come up to you at your desk and ask those kinds of questions or do anything you know how up there people
can see what's going on if you want to an interview room or people are in there give us applause so we wanted to afford
you some privacy some confidentiality to talk about this because we thought it might be you know something you know
you're married to someone else obviously and so forth and that you may not want to you know talk about these things in
that setting or someone you know we don't want the rumor mill or gossip Bernie that kind of stuff I to me so we
did this just as a means to try and speak you just a confidential place where you you know where where your
business isn't out there for other people in your division and Adam yeah that's been a million years ago I mean
you know what year is it now 2009 I mean I graduated in 82 82 yeah um you know we
dated I dated other guys I'm sure he dated other girls um I mean it was uh what's I mean what's this all about I
mean what I asked you what it did the relationship between John you know I don't it was kind of a weird
relationship I mean we we dated I can't say that he was my boyfriend I don't know that he would get it concerned me
his girlfriend we just we dated we did things I played sports in college he played basketball
his brother played basketball um we just you know it just do work out I don't know what to tell you it was like I went
out with other guys saw the guys and went on lots of vacations um you know had you ever met his wife
I may have do you know do you remember her name or anything or for what she did for a living or where
she worked her anything about her well I think she like I'm gonna say that I think she was a nurse um and I can't
remember how he said he met her yeah I mean I I yeah I mean it's been so long ago you know I don't understand why
you're talking about some guy dated a million years ago do you know what happened to his life yeah I know she got
killed what did you hear about that I saw a poster at work um I'm sure I spoke to him about it um I think I spoke to
another friend to his about it um and how did how did you first learn about that
jeez someone could have called me I could heard it at work um I think at one point there may have been a flier or
something I know a good friend of his you're on the job back then well that happened yeah I think so yeah I'm sure I
was on the job that's why I would have heard about it with the flier um he had a good friend Mike Mike Beaudry Mike mmm
anyways a frag he may have lived in the dorms I don't remember if that's how I met him I may have talked to him I mean
you know I don't remember how I heard I mean I don't even remember what year it was you know was it everything okay
between you guys I mean there was never anything uncomfortable or anything between you and her um you know I don't
know I mean it's got it's been so many years I mean uncomfortable I mean yeah I can't even I can't even remember forgot
a conversation I mean we may have I may have I may have seen her it is a part you know it uh jeez how many years ago
is that I don't even know what year she you know got killed where was his apartment on Roscoe okay yeah Roscoe and
um um Easter west of Des so either Easter west of DeSoto do you know where he moved after did he move after he got
married or do you know or oh I'm sure he did did you know where I was living or somewhere in the valley
did you ever visit him and his wife no no never one out you know get-together dinners I don't know after his wife died
did did you talk to him again or anything yeah I mean I did talk to him I talked to him probably his parents um
probably some other friends um you know I'm sure I talked to him yeah um but you
you don't you're not sure where he moved to after he got married no idea I've never went over to visit him or I don't
think I don't think so I mean um I don't know I don't I mean I don't think I did
um I mean I know he's have done Roscoe for a long long time um I mean he I may know I mean I he may
have told me where they lived somewhere in the valley I mean he may have said he
like lead over such and such but I couldn't tell you specifically where but you don't remember specifically ever
going over to visit him or visit them and wherever he moved when he left Roscoe I
I also I don't know I don't think so but okay you know I want to say no I don't think so and then he says only as she
came over for something dropped something off you know I I don't know I mean when you heard about John's wife
being killed I mean what was your what was your reaction I mean we did you thought you heard about what through a
friend or a bulletin or a friend or a bulletin I obviously I mean I called they called the family
I am I called maybe some of his friends that that I knew and I mean obviously it
shocked you fear if I heard it at work you know which I may have I faintly remember a bulletin going around um
either that or somebody called me I I also don't remember right um and then I called probably called his
family um called I don't know initially I can't see if I initially spoke to him or not I honestly don't remember I may
have said to somebody hey have him call me if he wants to talk and then you may have done that uh-huh um you know yeah
do you know what the circumstances were regarding her death mmm geez aw let me think back jeez I don't know if it was
you know if it was a burglary or something yes I mean it's been so many years I I mean I can faintly think that
I may have saw a flier I may have had a picture on it you know I mean that's why
I say if somebody had called me I may not have known what her last name was I may have I mean maybe if you told me I
would remember it um for the number thing ah Shelly Sheri I know something maybe you
know like I said it's been so many years and you know I'm thinking back now you guys are bringing up all these whole
memories so it kind of jumped off the cone oh I please I'm thinking that because I mean we would date he would
date other people I would date other people and I think you know at one point I mean he may have been dating her or I
don't know maybe he was married I don't even remember and I'm like you know what
why are you calling me if you're either dating her living with her married her because I honest don't remember the
timeframe I'm gonna like come on knock it off and I'm now I'm thinking I put me I may have gone too and say hey you know
what you know it is he dating you he's but he's bothering me and so I'm thinking that we had a conversation
about that one or two maybe I you know I could have been three I don't want to say I had three conversations with her
like a her work or at their at their house or no I'm thinking that I mean you know he obviously must have told me
where she worked I'm thinking it was a hospital somewhere in LA and I just I mean I could have been
again what year was that where was i working you know I don't I don't I'm trying to think about when did you say
they got married I don't know I think it was like in 85 or 86 or something like that yeah we we just kind of picked this
up we don't know a lot about it I mean I could have been working in Hollywood it
sounds like if that's where I was working um so I could have said okay well you know and I went talk to her
and just said hey you know what you know if he's dating you is these keeps calling me why did you tell him to knock
it off or whatever and no because I probably would have told him to knock it off
you know John oh yeah when you said like hey you know he's calling me he needs to
knock it off or what-have-you I mean was that was that civil was there no there was none I don't think there was
anything it was if the conversation lasted a few minutes I can't even remember what is it like you know we
went out to lunch or anything right but there was no like arguments or fights or
anything not heated or anything like not that I recall no I mean I would think that would stand
out I would think now again that's not standing out in my mind um you know so you didn't have any problems with her
then no issues with her no I mean believe me let me ask you seems like you didn't have any issue now did she have
an issue with you as far as only because now you you're telling her hey even helmet start calling us you know she's
like you know she figured she'd be thrilled by you you know I I don't know I mean from what you remember as far as
when you talked to her maybe you didn't take it as serious but maybe you know that she shoot me like was she throwing
things at me or something or just you know as far as you're trying to explain like hey I haven't stopped calling me
you know stop playing games you know I tell you it yeah if the conversation I couldn't even tell you how long the
conversation if you said did it last a half an hour did it last three minutes to the last 20 minutes I can't even
remember it's been so long ago but again I mean you know what I mean what's this got to
do with me dating him and you know her getting killed I mean I I don't you know I don't have anything to do with didn't
you got something that's somebody said you know whatever I mean well like I said we just
literally got this the other day and you're going through it yeah you see some easy Nick's next door right and so
you know I mean obviously it's like we recognize the name we know that you know you work next door to us and so we're
trying to get some background we're trying to figure this out I mean this is from a long time ago I know I know and
things have been kind of slow for us and so you know Chief Becca said hey you know I want you guys working I don't
want you just sitting around reading the paper yeah so he's kind of pushing some
older cases out even to the guys in work active cases because you know and so we
see this and we're just like oh you know we want to talk to you about it but of course the only reason we did it here is
because we're getting into some pretty personal stuff your relations on the job out there so Mary you know we don't take
the risk we don't want to take the risk when one of those interview right they want to close someone's going to get
supplies and see us on a monitor here's or whatever I appreciate it I mean I don't like I said that's where people go
when there's orals you know when they're doing Royals guys will go in there and cry and watch it what are the answers to
the question you know know that yeah so we just we just want to afford you the most privacy and confidentiality we
could let me ask the detectives ever reach out to you know no one's ever talked to me I don't think anybody ever
talked to me about about him seems like you know well I take I'm thinking that I
did talk to a detective god well what division was it in Van Nuys hmm and where was i working I've been
working Devon sure you know I'm thinking that I did speak to somebody oh really I
couldn't tell you who it was because it doesn't get done the same day on the phone um it'd have been somebody over in
regards to this or just yeah yeah um I don't even know if you said a name if I would remember it because I work van
eyes for a while God yeah I work dumb detective Patrol no work detectives um when I go to Van Nuys work Devon sure
till 88 then it went to dare 292 I work twice at Van Nuys um over detective yeah
yeah I don't know it's like I said this stuff's been so long ago um you know I'm
sure as soon as I walk out here I'll go shoot I did 25 things I'll remember you know but you'll call us there I mean
you'll just come over our desk yeah I mean I don't know what else you need to know like I said you know we new friends
together um you know I mean I don't know what else to tell you well one of the concerns I had looking at some of the
notes as some of Sheree's friends said that you and her were having a problem because of the John situation well
number one I don't know who her friends are um because again I don't I don't recall if you did tell me where you met
her I don't know even who these friends are a problem like I said if I spoke to her I mean I'll go on as far as a limb
and I don't want to say I spoke to her five times because that's probably not even true I can't even remember well
that's what I mean is it you guys have problems with each other and words are being exchanged and it's all relating to
John you know what i I just I can't say can't say no I did that does simmering a bell
I mean I mean it seemed like yeah you would recall something I was going off on you Ryan we think I mean I would
think well when tell me about this of the car getting broken into my car had broken
into several times oh really never lose anything here yeah now that you mention it
let's see I had a gun that was stolen I had other stuff that was stolen I tried to you know um whatever
recovered I don't know no I don't think so not that I know of her but notified no
car's been broken into yeah several times well like I said we were looking at the
case and you know we had read the notes as far as from Sheree's friend saying you you guys have problems or words they
got heated the reason we're asking is they had mentioned that an incident at her work
had occurred and they've also told us that I'm incident at her house occurs you know what and this is at her house
during the period of time that their marriage that's just not sounding familiar at all I mean I you know what I
that she's not saw again if someone says that I was at her house and I had an incident with her you know I that just
doesn't sound like you know it was John there did John say this happened because
and other people were there I just I don't recall I mean it just doesn't sound you know familiar and this is an
incident where you showed up you weren't supposed to show up and things got heated at his house
it said I you know I that just doesn't sound familiar I mean I you know it's not sounding
familiar not at all no usually I'm not familiar cuz it's just don't you remember or less you know what I had
then I have to say don't remember because I don't remember I knit that doesn't sound familiar I don't even have
or something like that in your life is well I would think what a drama involving the other woman type of thing
yeah do you fight with her you mean like we fought yeah did you ever Duke it out with her
no I don't think so I mean you'd remember that right that would be pretty yeah I would think so I'm specific yeah
like I said I mean obviously yeah I you know I mean it just doesn't sound familiar
I mean I mean what are they saying so I fought with her soul so I mean I get get
get getting the jump of the leap excuse me I haven't eaten um they're sick okay I
fought with her so I must have killed her I mean come on I mean this you know I I don't even know who these people are
I can't even say I meant any of these people I mean that's it's insane if it happened I honestly don't remember a man
wanted so tell you know because I'm I mean I'm trying to I'm looking at the notes and people are kind of either
pointing the finger at you well I mean that's not ringing a bell to me so you know I don't know you know
it's I I don't want to tell you I mean that just sounds crazy to me yeah so you are kind you don't recall ever going
into her house and having words and physically you know no I didn't hurt her attacking you
no nothing like that no I mean yes no no no no not at all well some of the on this case you know
this is currently 186 right detective process the scene things of that nature they did fingerprints and all that stuff
you know the standard you didn't been doing this longer than I have well I'm about that I get 26 years on
going on 26:19 but you know as they processed everything they did the best they could at that time and they looked
at a lot of a lot of people different things in this case and you're right if you guys are claiming that I'm a suspect
then you know I got a problem with you know with that okay so you know if you're if you're doing this as an
interrogation you're saying hey I'm a suspect well now I got a problem with what you know now you're accusing me of
this is that what you're is that what you're saying we're trying to figure out what happened
Stefan well I was you know I'm just saying ideally what I need to get a lawyer for accusing me reason you know
you don't have to I mean you know I'm here of your own free will I mean oh yeah I know but you know you're not
you're not under arrest you can walk out we can leave whenever you like well you
know I'm trying to give you some background of you know how I knew him and now you're telling me that some
somebody's saying that we had this big old fight and I don't even know what you're talking about
um you know and I don't want to you know get in trouble for something that I didn't even do or you're saying I did
something okay no II understand I mean how would you guys like it if the tables were turned on you I understand no no
that's why we're telling you I mean you're free to go whenever you want if this makes you uncomfortable you want to
get one how you're starting to make me uncomfortable the thing is I mean tectors did what they could at that time
on the crime scene okay and the burglary thing you're talking about that is an angle that they
looked at I go but now we're looking at everything else on the case because nobody was ever arrested on the case I
don't know that or not now we'd like to do is obviously you know about all the DNA stuff and things of the nature that
you know gets done on cases nowadays you know if we asked you for a DNA swab would you be willing to give us one
maybe cuz now now now yes because now I'm thinking I probably need to talk to a lawyer I mean well I cuz I know how
this stuff works okay don't get me wrong you're right I have been doing this long
time yeah and I wish I have been recording this because because now it sounds like you know there's you know
you're selling these people say I'm a fighting with her and now you sounds like you're trying to you know I've been
doing this a long time we're know okay and now it almost sounds like you're trying to pin something on me now I got
that sense what it gets to in these on these cases and you know it as well as I do our job is to identify and eliminate
I can't believe this so if we ask you to a point give us a DNA sample a buccal swab so we can
identify or eliminate you should be willing to do that maybe cuz I know this III that's what we're at to I mean
because right now from looking at the evidence it's you know it's possible we may have some DNA at the location that's
great and we're gonna do what we can to try to put this thing together and your names in the book these people are
pointing at you for whatever reason I don't know why that's just crazy I mean that's just that's absolutely crazy and
it would be irresponsible in our part not to look at it I know you guys have to do your job and I guess someone have
to contact somebody so that's fair I mean it cuz I know how this stuff works I mean I I just can't believe it we
understand that I mean if we were in your position I mean we would feel the same way I just can't even believe it
I mean it's just I mean I'm shot I'm really shocked that somebody would be blamed saying that I did this I mean we
had a fight so I went and killed her I mean come on oh that's all right well thanks for giving me the
courage mg thanks for your time all right Stephanie stood up and left the interrogation room she was followed by
detective Jeremy Lowe who said Stephanie you are under arrest for Sherry's murder
okay and we have your DNA Stephanie was handcuffed and then led back to the interrogation room okay Stephanie you
know you have the right to remain silent you understand yes anything you say may
be used against you in court do you understand you have the right to the presence of an attorney before and
during any questioning do you understand you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed for you free of charge
before any questioning if you want do you understand you want to talk to us right now
all right okay that's crazy I'm like I'm like in shock I'm totally in shock Stephanie pleaded not guilty and was
held in custody until the Trott unable to make the ten million dollar bail that was set the trial started on the 6th of
February 2012 almost 26 years after Shari was murdered the jury heard that not long before the murder
Stephanie woke her then housemate and fellow officer in the middle of the night she was devastated that John was
getting married and she needed support John Rutan sister read out a letter her mother had received from Stephanie just
prior to John's wedding at read on totally in love with John and the past year has really tore me up I don't think
I'll ever understand his decision another officer testified that in the months leading up to the murder
Stephanie showed off lock-picking tools she had obtained a journal found in Stephanie's apartment showed the names
of two books the complete course in professional locksmithing and modern locksmithing the journal entry was
written the same week sherry was murdered a possible explanation as to why there was no sign of forced entry
testimony after testimony painted a picture of a jealous ex-girlfriend with the means and motive to kill sherry the
court heard that Stephanie had taken three days off work over the time series murder had taken place so she had no
alibi after showing the jury a photo of John and sherry on their wedding day deputy district attorney Shannon Presby
set a bite a bullet a gun barrel and a broken heart that's the evidence that will prove Stephanie Lazarus killed
sherri rasmussen Stephanie's defense lawyer mark Overland argued that Stephanie's gun was stolen and that the
bullets at the crime scene could have come from many different types of revolvers the jury heard arguments to
back up the botched burglary theory and testimony that painted a pristine picture of Stephanie and her unblemished
25 year LAPD career the defense used her prominence and position within the LAPD
to put doubt in the jury's mind that she was a murderer but the key argument by Overland was the condition of the
evidence and the lobe containing the bite mark swabs he argued that this meant the vial could have been tampered
with and therefore the DNA evidence was tainted the judge rejected this argument
and supported the admissibility of the DNA evidence after hearing all over the evidence the jury retired to reach their
verdict they needed a little more than a day to reach their decision good afternoon we are back on the record in
people versus Lazarus shortly before noon the jury announced they have a verdict we will take the verse at this
time before I buzz the jurors out though I'm to remind everyone that this is a court
of law and I will not tolerate any outbursts of any kind and reaction to this verdict was out the dirty people in
the state of California versus Stephanie Eileen Lazarus case number ba three five
seven four two three we the jury in the above-entitled action find the defendant
Stephanie Eileen Lazarus guilty of the crime of murder of Sherri Rasmussen in violation of Penal Code section 187 a a
felony as charged in count one of the information we further find the murder was of the first degree we further find
the allegation that in the commission of above offense the defendant Stephanie Ivy Lazarus personally used a firearm
namely a handgun within the meaning of Penal Code section 1 2 0 to 2 point 5 subsection a 1 to be true this 8th day
of March in the year 2012 juror number 9 or person John rotten read a victim impact statement to the court the
following is taken from parts of that statement sherri rasmussen had a profound impact on so many people and i
was proud that she agreed to be my wife it was impossible not to notice shari when she entered a room to me her
physical presence was startling I can clearly remember the first moment I laid eyes on her for those of us who are
directly involved all those who sat through the trial we can just begin to imagine the terror and disbelief Sheree
must have felt in her last moments of life I'm sure that I'm not alone when I say that I just can't bear thinking
about these moments but Sherry's loss the way she died end of the trial 25 years after her death has had a profound
impact on many many others the effects being a generation creating pain for those whose lives should have never been
touched by this tragic event again words of feeble tools for describing these impacts but there are so many moments
and so very many tears what I can say is that I've spent and will continue to spend many hours praying for everyone
involved in this tragedy Your Honor I am compelled to end with my feelings for the rasmus's after meeting Sheree I
could not help but notice the central role she played in this fun-loving and down-to-earth family Nels and Loretta
Rasmussen lost much more than a daughter when they lost Sherri only they fully appreciate what I'm talking about
despite my own tremendous grief I must still apologized to them for my inability to coexist with the pain they
were enduring I just did not have the strength the rasmussen have treated me like a son and a brother
contemplating their profound grief and the fact that Sherry's death occurred because she met and married me brings me
to my knees I do not know and fear I will never know how to cope with this appalling fact I have resigned myself to
praying for some measure of peace and trying to avoid the daydreams about a world where Shari is still with us and
this pointless tragedy never occurred on Friday the 11th of May 2012 Judge Robert
Perry's sentence Stephanie the total sentence imposed is 27 years to life in the State Penitentiary 25 years to life
for first-degree murder and an additional two years for personal use of a firearm he credited her over 1,000
days for good behavior and a time already served the police officers union issued a statement saying they hoped the
case would not tarnish the reputation of thousands of dedicated police officers LAPD spokeswoman Mary Grady said the
department had begun the process of figuring out why the original detectives failed to consider Stephanie as a
suspect she said were you going to look at everything we can to bring some justice to the family
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck who had worked closely with Stephanie during her career said not only did the
family of sherri rasmussen lose a wife and a daughter a life that can never be returned but
also the LAPD family felt a sense of betrayal to have an officer commit such a terrible crime I am truly sorry for
the loss of your wife your daughter I am also sorry it took us so long to solve this case and to bring a measure
of justice to this tragedy Stephanie immediately launched an appeal during which she raised the following
her right to due process had been denied by the more than two decades long delay
in bringing charges the lower court should have quashed search warrants for her home and computers the tape to
pre-arrest interview should not have been admitted at trial her ability to defend herself in court was compromised
because one witness had died and some evidence had been destroyed and she wasn't allowed to present evidence of
other burglaries in the area at her trial a three justice panel from California's second District Court of
Appeal made their ruling in July 2015 they found the following she confessed to her roommate wrote in her journal and
confided in a letter to rottens mother her deep-seated unhappiness and distress over rottens marriage to Rasmussen the
appellant was off work the day of the killing she had no alibi the gun used to commit the murder was consistent with a
gun owned by the appellant and the bullets used were LAPD required ammunition within weeks the appellant
reported a gun that matched the likely murder weapon stolen but only to Santa Monica Police not to her own department
which was investigating the murder the evidence of motive and the circumstantial evidence combined with
the presence of the appellant DNA on a wound inflicted on the victim provide convincing evidence of the appellant
guilt there is nearly an inescapable inference that the appellant confronted assaulted and murdered Rasmussen
stephanie's appeal was denied her conviction up helped she then tried another appeal to the Supreme Court the
highest court in the state however the Supreme Court refused to even hear the appeal in 2010 The Rasmus ins attempted
to sue the LAPD over their handling of the case and of the fact that they didn't investigate Stephanie originally
despite their requests to do so the trial judge under the appeals court both reluctantly tossed out the lawsuit
as it had been filed too late they said even the most liberal reading of the statute of limitations prevented them
from filing a lawsuit after 1998 the Californian Supreme Court refused to take up the appeal ruling the lower
courts were correct it was 12 years too late to file a lawsuit during the trial prosecutors said the following
Stephani misused her police training in the most profound way imaginable by utilizing that training and experience
to commit murder and to cover up her crime she betrayed the trust placed in her by the Los Angeles Police Department
and by the people of Los Angeles in order to pursue her own murderous ends her profound narcissism led her to kill
and continues to motivate her denial of responsibility Stephanie knew to stage the crime scene to make it look like a
burglary she knew how to avoid leaving other evidence like fingerprints but the idea that saliva from a bite mark could
lead to her undoing was inconceivable at that time she could be eligible for parole consideration after serving 16
years and eight months however District Attorney Steve Cooley said given the circumstances it is likely Stephanie
will spend the rest of her life behind bars [Music] you

Case 42: Sherri Rasmussen

Van Nuys is a neighbourhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California. And it was there that newlyweds Sherri Rasmussen and John Ruetten lived in a condo together, on Balboa Boulevard.

Sherri Rasmussen was born on the 7th of February 1957. Her parents were Nels and Loretta Rasmussen. The middle daughter of three, Sherri was known as a gentle, kind and caring woman. Strikingly beautiful. Her compassion for others drove her to study nursing at the age of 16. By the age of 29, she was the director of critical care at Glendale Adventist Hospital. Sherri was well respected and known for her caring approach to her job…

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Anonymous Host Assistance in research and co-writing – Anna Priestland Production, scoring – Mike Migas Additional scoring – Andrew Joslyn

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Brief Summary

Sherri Rasmussen was murdered in 1986; LAPD officer Stephanie Lazarus was later convicted for the crime based on DNA evidence.

Key points

The Perfect Couple. John Rutan and Sherri Rasmussen were described as the perfect couple, utterly in love.
Unsolved Case. Despite numerous leads, Sherri's murder remained unsolved for years, haunting her family.
A Shocking Discovery. DNA evidence reveals that Sherri's killer was a woman, contradicting initial theories.
Stephanie's Promotion. Stephanie receives a promotion to a supervisory role, showcasing her dedication and integrity.
DNA Match. A DNA sample from Stephanie matches evidence from the murder case, raising the stakes significantly.
Interrogation Setup. Detectives set up an interrogation for Stephanie under the guise of a case assistance.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

If I can't have John, then nobody can.

Stephanie Lazarus confronting Sherri Rasmussen about her relationship with John.

11:46WatchNov 19, 2018

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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