Stephanie Lazarus, a former Los Angeles police detective serving 27 years to life for the 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmussen, was denied parole after her latest review. The decision keeps the 66-year-old at the California Institution for Women in Corona for at least three more years, though she may petition for an earlier hearing under California rules. The denial was reported by MyNewsLA.com.
The panel said it saw little change since Lazarus’s previous review and found the murder was premeditated. Deputy Commissioner Nga Lam questioned the credibility of Lazarus’s account, while Deputy District Attorney Michael Mallano argued she remained unsuitable for parole, according to MyNewsLA.com.
The case and its evidence
Rasmussen, 29, was found shot three times in the Van Nuys condominium she shared with her husband, John Ruetten, in February 1986. She and Ruetten had married three months earlier; Ruetten had previously dated Lazarus. Lazarus was arrested at LAPD headquarters in June 2009 and convicted in March 2012. At the latest parole hearing, she acknowledged killing Rasmussen and breaking her oath as an officer, while saying she no longer wanted Ruetten and would not repeat the crime, according to MyNewsLA.com.
The case had initially been treated as a possible burglary. The LAPD reopened it in 2004, and DNA analysis later indicated that saliva recovered from a bite-mark swab came from a woman, disrupting that theory. The Los Angeles Times reported on the DNA testing and the investigation that led detectives to Lazarus. Investigators matched her DNA to the evidence after obtaining a sample from a discarded drink cup and straw outside a Costco store in 2009, according to MyNewsLA.com.
Competing views at the hearing
Rasmussen’s husband, John Ruetten, and members of her family opposed Lazarus’s release. Ruetten argued that Lazarus had used her police experience to conceal the crime and questioned the sincerity of her account. Connie Wilkinson told the panel the family had spent 23 years uncertain about who killed Rasmussen. In a statement read to the panel, Teresa Lane noted that Lazarus admitted the crime only after pursuing her appeals, according to MyNewsLA.com.
Deputy District Attorneys Gregory Stearns and Paul Nunez also opposed parole. Stearns said Lazarus chose a time when Ruetten was away to kill Rasmussen. Defense attorney Tracy Lum argued that Lazarus accepts responsibility and has shown remorse, citing her rehabilitation and work toward a master’s degree in prison. Their positions were reported by MyNewsLA.com.
Earlier parole decisions
A parole panel recommended Lazarus’s release in November 2023. Governor Gavin Newsom raised concerns, and the recommendation was rescinded in October 2024. A separate panel found her unsuitable in February 2025; Commissioner Kevin Chappell said then that her account of the attack conflicted with evidence used in her conviction. The February 2025 decision and the prior parole history were reported by CBS Los Angeles and MyNewsLA.com.
What a three-year denial means
A three-year denial does not prevent Lazarus from asking for an earlier suitability hearing. According to the California Board of Parole Hearings, a person may petition to advance a hearing any time after their first suitability hearing and may submit another petition once every three years.
How California parole grants are reviewed
The California Board of Parole Hearings says its process returned more than 11,000 people to the community over the last decade, the majority serving life sentences with the possibility of parole. The handbook does not state what share of hearings result in grants, according to the Board’s handbook.
The board defines a grant as a recommendation for release that remains subject to review by its Legal Division and the Governor’s Office before becoming final, according to the California Board of Parole Hearings. The results page describes that review process but does not quantify how often grants are later reversed.
