Sherri Rasmussen called in sick to the Glendale hospital where she worked on February 24, 1986. Her husband, John Ruetten, and her sister tried calling her during the day. When John got home that evening, Sherri’s BMW was missing and glass from a broken door was on the driveway. He found Sherri dead inside. She was twenty-nine. [1] [2]
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What was left in the home
Stereo equipment had been stacked near the garage and a drawer had been emptied. Other valuables were still there. Police first pursued a burglary theory. They found the BMW a short distance away in March, with the keys still in the ignition. Years later a prosecution analyst argued that the disarray had been arranged to suggest a theft. [1]
The examination established that Sherri had been shot and documented what appeared to be a bite injury on her arm. A criminalist saved swabs from the injury. In 2005, a lab recovered a major female DNA profile from one of those swabs. A national database search turned up no match. Investigators still had a profile they could compare with a sample from someone they identified separately. [1]
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A cup, a straw and a second comparison
Stephanie Lazarus had known John before he married Sherri. A witness described a confrontation between Lazarus and Sherri at the hospital where Sherri worked. By the time detectives revisited that history, Lazarus was a detective in their own department. Investigators recovered a cup and straw she discarded. The usable part of the profile from those items matched the major profile from the arm swab. [1]
A known sample from Lazarus later matched the profile at all thirteen locations the first lab had tested. An independent lab used a second swab from the injury and found a match at fifteen locations. The genetic comparison came from material collected at the injury. The medical evidence about when Sherri sustained it helped explain why that particular sample mattered. [1]
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The verdict and the parole hearings
Detectives questioned Lazarus on June 5, 2009, and arrested her. A jury convicted her of first-degree murder in 2012. She received twenty-seven years to life. The California Court of Appeal affirmed in 2015 and upheld the admission of the interview after considering the circumstances in which detectives questioned her. [1] [2]
Lazarus acknowledged killing Sherri at a November 2023 parole hearing, and a panel recommended release. That decision was rescinded in October 2024. A panel denied parole in February 2025, and another did so on October 9, 2026. By then Sherri’s sisters and her widower had taken their account of the loss to the parole board as well as to the court. [3] [4]
Case brief
Van Nuys and Los Angeles, California · 1986
- Recorded outcome
- Stephanie Lazarus convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 27 years to life. Judgment affirmed in 2015. An October 2026 parole denial was reported.
Key moments
People in this case
- Sherri Rasmussen
Murder victim
Photo at source · Oxygen · case photograph - Stephanie Lazarus
Convicted of first-degree murder
Photo at source · CBS News · Associated Press courtroom photograph
Look closer · 9 visuals
Inside the evidence.
Open a visual to explore what it contributed to the case—and the limits of what it shows. Photographs, historical reproductions and original illustrations are individually labeled. Open the notes for each image’s source, credit, and limitations; setting photographs do not depict crime scenes.
The burglary interpretation
Original editorial illustration — not an actual evidence photograph or exhibit.
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The scene initially appeared to suggest theft.
Those features could not independently establish a burglar’s identity.
The preserved sample
Original editorial illustration — not an actual evidence photograph or exhibit.
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Testing years later yielded a major female profile.
The evidence is biological, separate from any comparison of tooth shapes.
Comparing three samples
Original editorial illustration — not an actual evidence photograph or exhibit.
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The discarded items supplied a partial comparison; a known sample allowed fuller comparisons.
The first profile had fewer readable markers.
Nail samples versus saliva
Original editorial illustration — not an actual evidence photograph or exhibit.
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The two kinds of DNA findings had different specificity.
Partial consistency is not a unique identification.
The firearm evidence
Original editorial illustration — not an actual evidence photograph or exhibit.
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The evidence supported a firearm class and comparison.
It did not establish a unique match to a recovered gun.
Verdict and release decisions
Original editorial illustration — not an actual evidence photograph or exhibit.
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The conviction and parole process have separate dates.
A panel recommendation does not establish release.
Van Nuys Airport and the San Fernando Valley in 2021
Setting photograph for geographic context.
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Van Nuys Airport and the San Fernando Valley in 2021. The image does not depict the crime or an evidence exhibit. The airport provides neighborhood context only.
The image does not depict the crime or an evidence exhibit. The source and reuse terms are linked below.
Platinummedia · Image source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Parker Center, the former LAPD headquarters, in 2004
Setting photograph for geographic context.
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Parker Center, the former LAPD headquarters, in 2004. The image does not depict the crime or an evidence exhibit.
The image does not depict the crime or an evidence exhibit. The source and reuse terms are linked below.
Skyfox11 at English Wikipedia · Image source · Public domain
The Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles
Setting photograph for geographic context.
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The Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles. The image does not depict the crime or an evidence exhibit.
The image does not depict the crime or an evidence exhibit. The source and reuse terms are linked below.
Amin Eshaker · Image source · CC BY-SA 3.0
★ Key evidence used in a conviction · ✓ Exclusion or reversal · ◇ Disputed evidence · ⊘ Excluded at retrial · ◆ Identity / investigative finding, not a conviction. A symbol does not mean one item proved the whole case.
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Put the story on the map.
Follow the dated entries, then select an event to find its regional setting. Shared-location pins open a group of events. Evidence symbols identify important findings and their limitations.
Open the map in its own window ↗Sources & further reading
- People v. Lazarus · California Court of AppealInvestigation, trial evidence, DNA and affirmance.
- Los Angeles Times · first-degree murder verdictVerdict and victim name as reported.
- Los Angeles Times · parole grant blockedEarlier panel grant and board reversal.
- MyNewsLA · further parole denialReported October 2026 decision.
Editorial review: 2026-11-12 · 442 words