Los Angeles 1986 Cold Case Solved - Arrest Shocked Police Department

Los Angeles 1986 Cold Case Solved - Arrest Shocked Police Department #truecrimedocumentary #truecrimedocumentaries #truecrimestories On February 24th, 1986, Sherri Rasmussen was found dead inside her Van Nuys, Los Angeles condominium. She was 29 years old. Three months married. The director of nursing at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. Beaten, bitten, and shot three times in the chest. Police ruled it a botched burglary. Case closed. Her father didn't believe it for a single day. From the moment he heard the news, Nels Rasmussen told investigators the same thing. Look at Stephanie Lazarus. His son-in-law's ex-girlfriend. An LAPD officer who had reportedly confronted Sherri at her workplace, demanded her husband back, and refused to accept that their relationship was over. Nobody listened. For 23 years, Stephanie Lazarus continued to work as an LAPD detective. She investigated crimes. She taught at the police academy. She was promoted. She built a career inside the same department that had filed Sherri's case as a random burglary — while Sherri's father kept calling, kept pushing, kept being turned away. Then in 2009, Detective Jim Nuttall reopened the file. He noticed that the DNA from a bite mark on Sherri's arm pointed to a female suspect. He compiled a list of five women. Four were cleared. The fifth was Stephanie Lazarus. Surveillance agents followed her. She threw a cup into a public trash can. They collected it. The DNA matched the bite mark on Sherri Rasmussen's arm. The detective who had been investigating crimes for the LAPD for over two decades was arrested for committing one. This is the story of Sherri Rasmussen. And this is the story of what happens when the killer is a cop — and the institution meant to find her is the one protecting her. ⚠️ Content Warning: This video discusses murder and domestic violence. Viewer discretion is advised. ——— 🔎 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: • The February 1986 murder of 29-year-old Sherri Rasmussen — a newlywed nurse director found beaten and shot inside her Van Nuys condo • How LAPD ruled the death a botched burglary — despite her jewelry being untouched, the condo being inside a gated complex, and a bite mark on her arm • How Sherri's father Nels told investigators from day one to look at Stephanie Lazarus — and was dismissed every single time for over two decades • The cold case breakthrough: DNA from the preserved bite mark revealed the attacker was female — completely dismantling the burglary theory • Detective Jim Nuttall's 2009 reinvestigation — the list of five female suspects, the surveillance operation, and the discarded cup that changed everything • The DNA match that identified Stephanie Lazarus: LAPD detective, former college girlfriend of Sherri's husband John Ruetten, and the woman who had reportedly confronted Sherri directly before her death • Lazarus's arrest in 2009 — walked out of a police interview in handcuffs after 23 years of hiding in plain sight inside the LAPD • The 2012 trial: Lazarus pleaded not guilty, her defense claimed contaminated DNA, and the jury convicted her after three days of deliberation • The sentence: 27 years to life in prison • The 2023 parole hearing — where Lazarus finally admitted to the killing but showed no remorse, and Sherri's family fought to keep her behind bars • The systemic failure that allowed a killer to carry a badge for over two decades while the victim's family begged for answers ——— 📌 This case was featured on ABC's 20/20 "The Killer Down the Hall" — and on Dateline NBC. 📌 SOURCES & FURTHER READING: Links in pinned comment below. ——— 🔔 Subscribe for new true crime and cold case videos every week. #SherriRasmussen #StephanieLazarus #TrueCrime #ColdCase #KillerCop #LAPDMurder #ColdCaseSolved #BiMarkDNA #LADPColdCase #LosAngelesMurder #TrueCrimeUSA #20/20 #DatelineNBC #JusticeForSherri #ColdCaseFiles #TrueCrimeCommunity #DetectiveMurder #DNAEvidence #1986Murder #TrueCrimeHistory 00:00 INTRO 00:55 THE SCENE THAT DIDN'T ADD UP 03:17 THE WOMAN ON THE FLOOR 05:32 THE WOMAN WHO WOULDN'T LET GO 08:14 THE INVESTIGATION THAT NEVER WAS 11:58 THE SWAB IN THE FREEZER 15:10 THE CUP AT COSTCO 18:56 THE BITE, THE BULLET, THE BROKEN HEART 22:33 THE CONFESSION THAT WASN'T 24:58 CONCLUSION Copyright Disclaimer Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, commenting, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statutes that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.