Former LA Police Detective Convicted of Killing Ex-Boyfriend’s Wife in 1986 Faces Delay in Parole

Former Los Angeles police detective, Stephanie Lazurus serving a sentence of 27 years for the murder of her ex-boyfriend’s wife in 1986 will have to wait a little bit longer for a chance of parole since it has been delayed. Lazurus was convicted of killing Sherri Rasmussen, a 29-year-old nurse in the apartment that she shared with her husband John Reutten.

In November, a select committee of the state Board of Parole Hearings ruled that Lazurus was eligible for parole. However, on Monday, the full board took up her case and voted to order a recision hearing. The case will be referred to a lower panel to determine whether to keep or rescind the earlier recommendation.

The deceased widower and sisters gave their testimony during the Monday hearing. They described Lazurus as a conniving person who used her training as a police officer to cover up the crime. 

Reutten, Lazarus’s ex-boyfriend told the board that he did not believe that she felt any remorse. He said, “I don’t think she comprehends the breadth and depth of the suffering she has caused”.

Eric Runions, a college professor who facilitates a writing workshop for incarcerated people at the California Institution of Women spoke on behalf of Lazurus saying, “I’ve seen a person who is remorseful, who is caring, and who is very ready to reenter society”.

Rasmussen’s attorney, John Taylor said he was relieved with the Monday decision and hoped that the parole grant would be rescinded in the rescission hearing. He revealed that the hearing is expected to be scheduled in about four months.