GUILTY CA - Sherri Rasmussen, 29, murdered in her Los Angeles home, 24 Feb 1986

[Marysmith]

It was just rerun on Dateline too in the last couple of nights. Still can't get over her arrogance.

Extremely arrogant.

 

[Marysmith]

I am just now looking into this case. I'm always a day late and a dollar short LOL.

Since Stephanie was a cop and a murder detective initially as I understand it, why didn't she just take the file knowing DNA was now available and destroy that swab? This has bugged me from the get-go. Im not saying she is innocent by any means but I wonder if the chain of command was just lost in regard to the evidence and therefore how can one be sure the swabs were not tainted or even contaminated? Could Stephanie been set up? These things just swirl around my small little mind LOL

All the evidence was “lost” except that swab and it was located in a different area. It’s very suspicious - like someone purposefully “lost” the evidence but forgot about the swab or thought it was gone too or didn’t know about it…

The Lazarus Files, A Cold Case Investigation: Did LAPD Protect a Love-Sick Homicidal Cop? | Crime Traveller

In a packed true crime book, The Lazarus Files goes behind the scenes in the murder of Sherri Rasmussen, killed by LAPD cop Stephanie Lazarus, it was a shocking crime that went unsolved for decades.

www.crimetraveller.org

 

[Marysmith]

Wanted to post here after I just read an article about Sherri in Vanity Fair.The article is in the July 2012 edition, and is written by Mark Bowden. Titled " Solving a 23 year old cold case. " I found out that :

1. According to Sherri's father, Sherri told him that Lazarus had come to her and John's condo,unannounced, 3 different times ( that Sherri was aware of ).

2. Lazarus came to the condo one other morning,when Sherri was there alone. Usually, Sherri would leave first, and then John would leave.Sherri told her dad that she wondered if Lazarus had been coming over there in the mornings,to be with John before he went to work... This might explain why Lazarus went over there on the morning that she killed Sherri; she may have been intending to spend some time with John...but, Sherri was running late that morning...

3. According to Sherri's father, she kept asking John to tell Lazarus to stop coming over to their home...but, supposedly, he told Sherri that they should just placate Lazarus...

4. Amazingly, the article goes on to say that Lazarus and John went on vacation to Hawaii together...18 years after Sherri was murdered ... supposedly they ended their relationship while on vacation, and both then married other people...

One thing really bothers me : how did Lazarus get into the house that morning ? Was the front door left open,as LE stated ? Or had Lazarus somehow gotten hold of a key ?

Riveting article...

It is very interesting. I wonder too now if they were still hooking up… hate to think that though…
RIP Sherri, you did not deserve any of this!!

 

[AugustWest]

Ex-LAPD detective who hid murder for decades won't be paroled, reversing earlier decision

Stephanie Lazarus had been found suitable for parole in the 1986 killing of Sherri Rasmussen.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[TDoc72]

Ex-LAPD detective who hid murder for decades won't be paroled, reversing earlier decision

Stephanie Lazarus had been found suitable for parole in the 1986 killing of Sherri Rasmussen.

www.nbcnews.com

Good. I hope she doesn’t get it in 18 months either.

 

[LinasK]

Ex-LAPD detective who hid murder for decades won't be paroled, reversing earlier decision

Stephanie Lazarus had been found suitable for parole in the 1986 killing of Sherri Rasmussen.

www.nbcnews.com

Oh Goody! Was coming to post this. Last night's 20/20 was devoted to this case.

 

[Panniniclaus]

wow what a bum scab john was.
couldn't keep his dick in his pants before during and AFTER sherri lost her life for loving him unconditionally.
he had to of known deep down.....what Stephanie did. the ongoing cruelty before the murder was bad enough.
sob has zero integrity .
he certainly didn't deserve the beautiful sherri that's for sure.

I feel John didn't just not lead them to Lazarus but led them away. I am not saying he had any part to play in the murder, but I think he was going to get real uncomfortable if he did implicate her. He was almost certainly having sex with Lazarus on the side and may have done so long before and long after the murder.

 

[k-mac]

I feel John didn't just not lead them to Lazarus but led them away. I am not saying he had any part to play in the murder, but I think he was going to get real uncomfortable if he did implicate her. He was almost certainly having sex with Lazarus on the side and may have done so long before and long after the murder.

100% agree

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Tip, I would like to introduce you to iceburg.

Reminds me of Louisiana-I remember a Vanity Fair article many years ago about a female cop who was popping people....

here is a link to Antoinette Frank:
Antoinette Frank - Wikipedia

I don't think she is who I was thinking of however...

 

[ctaylor]

I have just learned about this case and watched the infamous interrogation video. Thought I would just check the newspaper archives to see more about the case from the time it happened and came across this from the Simi Valley Star newspaper of 3 April 1977. Absolutely no disrespect to Sherri Rasmussen intended, but given Stephanie Lazarus's performance and answers in the interview, the caption to this picture is rather ironic.....