LAPD Officer Charged in 23 Year Old Murder

According to various mainstream media reports, Los Angeles Police Department officer Stephanie Lazarus has been charged with the serious criminal offense of premeditated murder some twenty-three odd years after the death of Sherri Rae Rasmussen.

All in all, Rasmussen was found on the floor of her Van Nuys townhouse badly beaten and had been shot three times with a 38 caliber gun in the chest. Rasmussen reportedly was newly married to an ex-boyfriend of the now accused LAPD officer Lazarus, so jealousy was an obvious motive in the alleged crime, if it can be actually proven beyond a reasonable doubt in front of a jury of her peers.

As things stand now, Lazarus is being held without bail after a four-month sting was set up and executed, involving collecting of cups and utensils for DNA testing. This is just the latest in a string of somewhat bizarre crimes that have rocked the Los Angeles area in recent years. After all, this case may not be quite as high profile of a legal case as the O.J. Simpson trial, the Phil Spector murder case or the long murder trial involving veteran television actor and 'Beretta' star Robert Blake, but is really just as bizarre and intriguing.

The original theory by the police department in question was that the woman had entered her home and interrupted a burglary, after taking the day off work. Two men were found in the area that were suspected of burglaries and also carrying a weapon. The police believed them to be the right suspects, due to stereo equipment that was stacked up near the woman’s body and her missing car.

Lazerus became a suspect after the cold case was reviewed, during an original review of the unsolved crime in 2003 by a newly formed unit; DNA testing was done, which was not available in 1986 when the murder took place. But, it was not until it was reviewed again recently that Lazarus became a suspect. Having said that, though, it should be noted that Lazerus is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court of law and currently is only a charged suspect in the crime, not a convicted criminal.

The evidence does not look favourable to her at this time, however. DNA samples from the original murder scene and items collected during the sting are reportedly a match to the LAPD officer. This may be difficult to overcome in a court of law, but it is probable that she will have a first rate Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, perhaps even a celebrity calibre attorney, to represent her in this rather high profile case.

Lazarus had also reported that a gym bag had been stolen from her vehicle in 1986 that along with some clothing, money, and tapes, also had her personal 38-caliber gun. The bag was never found and investigators now believe it to be the gun used in the murder and was likely thrown in the ocean.