Killer Cop: How LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus (Almost) Got Away With Murdering Her Lover's Wife

In 1986, 29-year-old newlywed Sherri Rasmussen was murdered in her home. The investigators initially focused on a burglary gone wrong. However, evidence would eventually lead to one of their own

Depiction of Stephanie Lazarus.

Background

When people say that they are skeptical of the police’s ability and or desire to investigate and prosecute one of their own, cases like the 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmussen are a glaring example of why they feel that way. When suspicion for the murder fell on one of their own detectives, it seemed to many that the LAPD stymied any investigation into one of their own. It was only when the evidence became too overwhelming that the department issued a half-hearted attempt at public damage control.

The case was originally investigated as a burglary gone bad. However, several factors seemed to contradict this theory. One being that although the house appeared to have been rifled through, nothing seemed to be missing. Investigators noted that there were several electronic items piled against a wall near a door, however, they had been left at the scene rather than taken by the presumed burglars.