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Stephanie Lazarus, the former LAPD detective who was arrested on the job in 2009, was convicted today in the 1986 killing of Sherri Rae Rasmussen, the wife of a man Lazarus dated for awhile. District Attorney Steve Cooley came to the court for the verdict to be read. Lazarus was arrested in the cold case after her colleagues trailed her, collected a DNA sample and compared it with evidence at the murder scene. The victim's father had long pointed to Lazarus as a suspect. Now convicted of first-degree murder, Lazarus must be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Add LAPD: Chief Charlie Beck, who was the head of detectives when Lazarus was arrested, issued a statement of apology to Rasmussen's family: "To the family of Sherri Rasmussen, I am truly sorry for the loss of your wife, of your daughter. I am also sorry it took us so long to solve this case and bring a measure of justice to this tragedy." LAT
