239. From Cop to Killer: The Murder of Sherri Rasmussen

In the summer of 1984, John Ruetten met Sherri Rasmussen, and the two immediately hit it off. Their deep bond led to their marriage in November 1985, and they were thrilled to start life as a couple. On February 24, John left for his job at an engineering company, allowing Sherri to sleep in a little longer. Typically, Sherri would have already left for work by this time, but that particular day brought a change in routine. Sherri had contemplated calling in sick because she was slated to attend a seminar and didn’t really want to deal with that. John's workday began with his arrival just before 8 a.m. A few hours into his day, he attempted to reach Sherri to check if she had gone to work. He continued trying to get her throughout the day but to no avail. Upon returning home, he noticed that the garage door was unexpectedly open, a departure from the norm, and Sherri's car was gone. As he ventured into the garage, he observed broken glass on the ground. A horrifying scene awaited John inside the residence. 29-year-old Sherri lay on the floor, her face bearing the brutal signs of violence—bloodied, with a swollen and bruised right eyelid, a vacant gaze from her open left eye, and her mouth in its final, silent gasp. In desperation, John reached out to touch her, hoping for a sign of life, but her skin was chillingly cold. At that moment, he knew that Sherri was no longer with them. John called 911.

Join Jen and Cam on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled ‘From Cop to Killer: The Murder of Sherri Rasmussen.’

Listener discretion by Edward October @octoberpodVHS

Music is by our EP Nico @theinkypawprint

Promos are by our good friends:
Emily from Mobidology Podcast https://morbidology.com/
And
Eric from True Consequences who has launched ‘Angels' Voices Silenced No More,’ an organization with a mission to empower families of victims by equipping them with the necessary resources and referrals to advocate for their missing or murdered loved ones.
https://www.angelsvoicesnm.org/

Listen to his podcast here: https://www.trueconsequences.com/


Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbenSMLueyE

https://www.westsidecurrent.com/valley/parole-board-recommends-release-for-former-lapd-detective-convicted-of-1986-murder/article_1c207ab6-850e-11ee-b4ce-a35abef146d2.html

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-16/stephanie-lazarus-as-a-cop-killed-ex-boyfriends-wife-now-recommended-for-parole

https://thecrimewire.com/true-crime/A-Dad-Knew-Who-Stalked-and-Murdered-His-Daughter-But-It-Took-23-Years-to-Make-an-Arrest-The-Sherri-Rasmussen

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-court-of-appeal/1707766.html

https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/women/stephanie_lazarus/1.html

https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/nbc-dateline-who-sherri-rasmussen-s-killer-now

https://allthatsinteresting.com/sherri-rasmussen

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6137054/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stephanie-lazarus-former-lapd-detective-sentenced-to-27-years-to-life-in-prison-for-1986-murder

https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/07/lapd-lazurus-murder-mystery-killer

https://www.hastingstribune.com/ap/national/as-a-cop-stephanie-lazarus-murdered-her-ex-boyfriends-wife-shes-now-recommended-for-parole/article_7f67f6fc-8c69-570a-9adc-b00f892d168b.html

https://www.quora.com/What-did-you-see-were-key-mistakes-that-Stephanie-Lazarus-makes-on-videotapes-of-her-interview-by-2-fellow-LAPD-detectives-She-was-in-no-position-to-remain-silent-by-any-practical-definition-so-why-do-many-claim-it

https://www.datalounge.com/thread/28726676-stephanie-lazarus-the-la-cop-who-got-away-with-murder-for-over-20-years

https://www.laweekly.com/stephanie-lazarus-former-lapd-detective-gets-27-years-plus-for-murder/