Where is Stephanie Ilene Lazarus now? Details explored ahead of People Magazine Investigates on ID

Stephanie Ilene Lazarus is a former detective of the L.A. police who is currently serving a sentence for the murder of Sherri Rasmussen. She was arrested and tried 23 years after the crime took place. The 63-year-old is still serving her sentence, although there were talks about parole in 2023.

The details of the gruesome murder of Sherri Rasmussen at the hands of Stephanie Ilene Lazarus are discussed in detail in the upcoming episode of People Magazine Investigates on ID. The fifth episode of the second season, titled Once Bitten, delves into the case, which remained unsolved for more than two decades. Its official synopsis reads:

"Sherri Rasmussen and John Ruetten are enjoying newlywed life until one morning when Sherri calls into work sick; that night, John returns home to find his wife murdered; years later, detectives discover Sherri's killer was too close for comfort."

The episode initially aired on December 4, 2017, and will re-air on Investigation Discovery on May 6, 2024 at 11.00 PM EST.

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Where is Sherri Rasmussen's murderer Stephanie Ilene Lazarus now?

Stephanie Ilene Lazarus, convicted for the murder of Sherri Rasmussen, is currently serving a life sentence in a Los Angeles prison. Stephanie murdered Sherri in cold blood on February 24, 1986.

Stephanie was arrested when the Los Angeles Police Department started working on cold cases in 2009. At the time, she was a well-respected detective in the Los Angeles Police Department, specializing in art theft.

The detectives working on Sherri's cold murder case covertly attained DNA samples of Stephanie and matched them to the murder site.

Stephanie was arrested in June 2009 after a pair of detectives coaxed her into following them into an interrogation room. Incidentally, Sherri was the wife of Stephanie's ex-lover John Ruetten.

Stephanie was arrested, and her trial proceedings went on for three more years. She was finally convicted of first-degree murder, with a sentence of 27 years to life, in March 2012. She was recommended for parole in 2013 before another plea in 2023. She continues to serve her prison term to date.

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Why did Stephanie Ilene Lazarus murder Sherri Rasmussen?

Sherri Rasmussen was the director of the Glendale Adventist Medical Center in California at the time of her murder. She was married to John Reutten, a graduate of UCLA.

The couple had returned from their honeymoon in 1986 when Stephanie Ilene Lazarus murdered Sherri. The case was initially closed as a botched burglary case. However, it was linked to Stephanie after two decades.

It was uncovered that Stephanie was in an on-and-off s*xual relationship with John Reutten before he married Sherri. Stephanie and John both attended UCLA together and continued their relationship after graduating.

Jealousy towards Sherri has been cited as the main motivation for Stephanie to murder her. Sherri was found shot thrice and beaten. Her wounds showed signs of an altercation.

Ahead of her court verdict, deputy prosecutors Shannon Presby and Paul Nunez presented the following formal statement about Stephanie:

"Lazarus has never taken responsibility for her acts. Lazarus has never expressed any regret or remorse for her actions. Lazarus' profound narcissism led her to kill and continues to motivate her denial of responsibility. This unrepentant selfishness poses a real and significant danger to any person whose interests conflict with Lazarus' egotistic desires."

Stephanie would have almost got away with murder if not for the efforts of L.A.P.D. detectives Jim Nuttall and Pete Barba.

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Learn all about Stephanie Ilene Lazarus and how she was caught for the murder of Sherri Rasmussen in the upcoming episode of People Magazine Investigates on ID.