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Subscribe to RSSA veteran Los Angeles Police Department detective was found guilty Thursday of viciously beating and then shooting her romantic nemesis 26 years ago, NBCLosAngeles.com reported.
A jury of eight women and four men found that Stephanie Lazarus, 51, was so jealous of a woman who married a man she had dated that she broke into their Van Nuys condo and killed her. The woman, Sherri Rasmussen, was a 29-year-old hospital nursing director.
NBCLosAngeles.com: Guilty verdict in murder case against ex-LAPD detective
Rasmussen and her husband, John Ruetten, had been married three months. He was the one who found her dead on the floor of their town home. A detective at the time determined that she had been murdered by robbers.
The case went cold despite the Rasmussen family’s pleas that detectives investigate Lazarus. In 2009, the LA Times reported that a low homicide year freed up detectives to dig up cold cases. When DNA evidence from a bite on Rasmussen’s shoulder indicated that she had been attacked by a woman, police pursued the case and quickly came up with Lazarus as a suspect.
The LA Times reported that the .38 caliber revolver used in the shooting matched a gun that Lazarus had purchased from the police academy. Two weeks after the murder, Lazarus reported that her gun had been stolen out of her car.
Lazarus was arrested in June 2009, NBCLosAngeles.com reported. She remained in custody in lieu of $10 million bail. Now, found guilty of murder, she faces 27 years to life in prison.
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Rather than a bite, had they molded the bite marks from the body to preserve as an evidence? Unless they have picture and concrete evidence, such as the width and the depth and the length of each tooth mark, otherwise, it is difficult to support the claim. Have any other physical evidences found in the scence?
Yes, Billie... DNA! What article are you reading?
Billie-2352729, I doubt they're depending on pictures of the bite mark or such. My guess would be that they'd swabbed the bite and saved the swab. Even in a degraded condition it probably allowed them to determine that the person who most likely made the bite mark was female (or else the victim's mother came along and kissed it to "make it better" after it was made).
The forensic and evidenciary problem with bite marks are that skin is elastic and after the pressure and imprint of the teeth is removed the skin will return partially from the actual imprint, and over time reshape to normal. Also unless the victim is completely still there is motion from both parties which distorts the mark.
In most leading bite mark comparison evidence dental forensic specialists can only testify that when comparing the actual bite mark to a suspects teeth there is a reasonable probability that the marks were made by the suspect. They can not state for absolute certain that they match. They only point out enough consistencies to have a person conclude they match.
The only time an exact match is made is when a suspect bites a solid piece of food and bite marks are retained like a mold. Skin wont do that.
In Arizona Ray Krone was convicted of a 1991 rape/murder based primarily on bite mark evidence. 10 years later he was exhonerated when another person (in prison) confessed to it and DNA evidence supported the confession.
More acurate is the DNA evidence swabbed from the bite itself which is crucial evidence and much more binding.
Television has distorted actual truths in evidence procedures.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...especially one with a badge, billy-club and gun.
I saw this case on Dateline or 48 hours last year. They interviewed other members of the force at that time who had suspected her. Some of the higher ups tried to cover it up by refusing to investigate or dismissing leads. More than one officer should be prosecuted for this incident. It's called obstruction of justice. Why else would it have taken them 20+ years to bring her in???
When punishing women, our legal system sucks.
There must be millions of murderesses walking around out there.
Ask any junior high girl, just how evil and mean that females can be.
Whenever they get caught (think Casey Anthony), they ALWAYS have an excuse...usually a lie.
There are a lot more females out there just like Casey Anthony, than there are like Mother Teresa.
Watch all the shows on TV to see how most women really are, when they don't get things to go their way:
Snapped on The Oxygen Network
Bad Girls Club
Jersey Shore
Real Housewives of...
Basketball Wives
etc.
And why do the courts let women get half of a man's fortune? Where was Tiger Woods' wife when he was spending thousands of hours practicing, running, lifting weights, etc.? He didn't make all that money in 10 years; he spend his whole life in training--from the age of 5--training to make that money.
Talk about a high-priced hooker.
Funny post.... That's like saying there are a lot more males out there just like O.J. than there are like ummmmm geesh I can't think of one "saintly" man to put on a pedestal. :)
The Tige was spending thousands of hours with all kinds of women, doing all kinds of things. Are you kidding? He's no angelic golfer, buddy.
Yeah, I bet Tiger wishes he had behave and was a devoted husband and father since his golfing has been very lackluster ever since. Not to mention Tiger Wood will NEVER get his reputation back, and he will never be the best golfer ever again.
well karma strikes again. Don't get even, wait for the good lord to handle the matter.
I'm confused. The "good lord" allows one woman to kill another and then years before allowing the killer to be convicted of the murder. Meanwhile the family of the victims struggle with frustration and grief while the cops ignore clues.
What is so "good" about this lord?
mtr- I'm gonna guess that you're perpetually single aren't you?
And annon I'm gonna guess you diddle yourself at the computer while you post witty comments!
Took "her" long enough
A bit late for a reply, Chochobalua, but if I do, wanna watch?
I'm glad they caught her. Give her the max.
Cops should get double time.
They all ready get it for traffic duty!
Good try at cover-up, LAPD.
The real story is that the LAPD's internal investigation department had stone-walled the evidence, and then prevented the case from going to a preliminary hearing or trial. LAPD's Code of Silence is legendary when prima facie evidence is uncovered by non-police personel.
The corrupt LAPD and its Police Benevalent Association have always taken measures to shield crimes committed by its policemen from public view. Police brutality, Rampart Precinct's drug-extortion racket, Hollywood video store robberies, killing of homeless people, and other hideous crimes are just some of the lawless and evil conduct of the LAPD that are never prosecuted. The Men in Blue of the LAPD are just thugs masqueraded as policemen with fancy uniform and a badge to "Protect and Serve" themselves.
It was LAPD Detectives that were working this as a cold case there rocket scientist. If they wanted to sweep it under the rug they would have just let it alone. THe LAPD took the initiative to continue working it and they developed the case that led to her arrest. In the Rampart CRASH team scandal it was also LAPD Detectives who made the case and also the arrests, as well as the Hollywood burglars incident.
Plus, the is no such thing as the LAPD Benevalent Association.
In all of these cases it was the LAPD itself who pushed for prosecutions. Kind of shoots your conspiracy theorys down. But theres always the JFK assisination ones left for you.
Another douche
He makes a good point, though he makes it the wrong way.
So, even though the family said that they may want to look at her, they just ignored it until they had nothing better to do?
What changed, other than the lack of work, that caused this to be looked at again?*I misread the article. I didn't realize this happened 26 years ago. DNA is something that would've changed the case. I still believe they should've investigated the other woman.
Whaaaaat?!?! No "bipolar" or "abused woman" or other excuses were offered or believed??? Who's her lawyer? he must be pittle-poor at his job if he couldn't get a woman off for murdering over the "wrongs" that were done to her by a man -- Especially when the subject of being spurned in romance is concerned. What a travesty of justice.
She gets 27 years to life while in the mean time a hacker that disrupted a few web sites gets 124 years. This country is going down the tubes because we have a legal system that is faulted and corrupt with priorities legally out of wack!
Hackers should be put to death
I agree Doh. Kill 'em both. You wont teach a future killer a lesson by kiling a current killer. They're generally messed up in the head, and nothing is gonna change them, except death. Now... a hacker. Start killing a few of them off, and the other's might not find it so amusing to persue their "harmless fun".
Wow...took them long enough./S
I saw an episode about this on Dateline just a few weeks ago. It was a vicious murder. How anyone can murder someone in cold blood like that, and then just go on to lead a happy little life as a wife and mother, not to mention having a career in law enforcement is beyond me.
Karma always wins in the end though. Sad for the murdered woman's family that they had to wait 27 years for justice to be served. I wonder if this woman ever thought about what she had done? Doesn't sound like there's much of a conscience there.
This psycho b!tch is gonna be a BIIIIIGG hit in prison! Wonder how many other murderous acts she committed while she had a badge? L.A.'s finest right there, folks. It just goes to show you, you can tell the criminals from the cops by the size of the federal grants subsidizing their work!
Time waits for nobody, and it always tells all!
Of course this wasn't solved until after she retired and began receiving her pension. Gotta love Cali...
NYPD IS COVERING UP MURDER BY ITS OWN IN NEW YORK CITY.
This case illustrates the conflict of interest in a police department investigating its own officers.
There is a similar story unfolding in New York City:
Sunny Sheu, a victim of mortgage fraud, discovered that a NY Supreme Court Judge was complicit in the fraud that stole his home.
Sunny was abducted by two NYPD detectives and threatened with death if he "went to the authorities".
Sunny requested witness protection from the FBI and posted a video on Youtube predicting his murder by the judge and the NYPD detectives.
Days later, on June 26th 2010, Sunny was found bludgeoned to death on a dead end street in Flushing Queens.
Just HOURS after his death, the NYPD ILLEGALLY REMOVED HIS BODY from the hospital and sent it to the Medical Examiner with a note saying he had died of an "aneurysm" and that there was "no criminality".
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER WHO DID THE AUTOPSY DISAGREED and ruled the cause of death "Blunt force trauma to the Head with skull fractures and brain injuries." and the manner of death "undetermined", making a criminal investigation mandatory.
THERE HAS BEEN NO INVESTIGATION, EVEN THOUGH SUNNY NAMED HIS MURDERERS - INCLUDING TWO NYPD DETECTIVES- IN A YOUTUBE VIDEO BEFORE HE WAS KILLED.
For the fully documented story, visit:
www.sunnysheu.blogspot.com