LOS ANGELES (AP) — A chance for parole was rescinded Wednesday for a former Los Angeles police detective serving a sentence of 27 years to life in the cold-case killing of her ex-boyfriend’s wife in 1986.
Stephanie Lazarus was convicted in 2012 of killing Sherri Rasmussen, a 29-year-old nurse who was bludgeoned and shot to death in the condo she shared with her husband of three months, John Ruetten. She wasn’t arrested until 2009.
The state Board of Parole Hearings heard arguments from lawyers on both sides during a hearing Wednesday that lasted about 90 minutes. The three commissioners then met privately and returned with a decision to rescind a previous grant of parole, according to attorney John Taylor, who represents the Rasmussen family.
Taylor said the family was relieved by the decision.
“Lazarus had her parole time up front, evading arrest for 23 years after the murder. She has expressed no remorse for the cold-blooded execution of Sherri Rasmussen committed while she was an LAPD officer. It’s unfair to the family that she should now go free and enjoy her life while receiving her LAPD pension,” Taylor said in a statement following the board’s decision.