Episode 202: The Murder of Sherri Rasmussen
A leader in her field at such a young age, married to her dream man, she had no way of knowing her husband’s romantic past would destroy the future they were planning together. After she was brutally murdered at home, the delay of justice was lengthy, but her family never gave up hope. A tenacious criminalist. Two dedicated cold case detectives. One dangerous cop who ended up on the wrong side of the interrogation table. This week’s episode is The Murder of Sherri Rasmussen.
SOURCES
A Case So Cold, It Was Blue, Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/07/lapd-lazurus-murder-mystery-killer
Francis v. City of Los Angeles, Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 1, California (2022): https://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions/documents/B301021.PDF
How Did Detective Get Away With Murder for Over 20 Years?, Inside Edition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn9tMlEfnRI
How Sherri Rasmussen’s Murder Went Unsolved For Decades — Until An LAPD Detective Was Convicted, All That's Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/sherri-rasmussen
Jury sides with city in retaliation lawsuit filed by LAPD criminalist Jennifer Francis, LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-lapd-jennifer-francis-verdict-20190405-story.html
One of Their Own, 48 Hours: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/48-hours-mystery-one-of-their-own/
People v. Lazarus, Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 4, California (2015): https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1707766.html
Photos from Snapped, Oxygen: https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/photos/episode-918-stephanie-lazarus#254006
Rasmussen v. City of L.A., Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 8 (2012): https://casetext.com/case/rasmussen-v-city-of-la
Rasmussen v. Lazarus, Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 8, California (2018): https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1885296.html
Rasmussen v. Lazarus, California Supreme Court, S246939 (2018): https://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/mainCaseScreen.cfm?dist=0&doc_id=2243596&doc_no=S246939&request_token=NiIwLSIkXkw7W1BZSSM9XE1JQEA0UDxTJyM%2BIzlRICAgCg%3D%3D
Sherri Rae Rasmussen, Obituary, Find a Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52954546/sherri-rae-ruetten
Stephanie Ilene Lazarus, California Department of Corrections Public Inmate Locator System: https://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/Details.aspx?ID=WE4479
Stephanie Lazarus Murder Case | Mental Health & Personality | Love Triangle, Dr. Todd Grande: youtube.com/watch?v=hBULroRe7P0
The Interrogation of Stephanie Lazarus, JCS - Criminal Psychology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLSNPkf8RCU
The Lazarus File, The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/06/the-lazarus-file/308499/
Victim’s father told police of young officer’s threats, LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-10-me-stephanie-lazarus10-story.html
