Former LAPD Stephanie Lazarus gets 27 to life for killing ex's wife

Erika Aguilar/KPCC

The Rasmussen family spoke during the sentencing of former LAPD detective Stephanie Lazarus who will spend 27 years to life in prison for the 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmussen.

Convicted in March of killing her ex-boyfriend's wife nearly 30 years ago, former LAPD detective Stephanie Lazarus was sentenced Friday to 27 years to life in prison, with the possibility of parole.

Lazarus, 52, was found to have shot Sherri Rae Rasmussen three times in the chest during a fit of jealous rage on Feb. 24, 1986.

Rasmussen, then a 29-year-old hospital worker, was newly married to John Ruetten, a man Lazarus had casually dated for a number of years.

DNA from a bite mark on Rasmussen's arm was considered the key piece of evidence in the case. Lazarus's attorney argued that it was not reliable evidence, and that the DNA was corrupted.

KPCC's Erika Aguilar was at the criminal courts building for the sentencing where Lazarus' brother Steve spoke out about the verdict.

"There are no words to describe the tragedy that we are here for today...there was never a presumption of innocence," he said. "The media got to listen to DNA and guilt for two and a half years before Stephanie had her trial." 

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