Trial Murder of Sherri Rasmussen

deputy district attorney shannon presby

the trial began in 2012. in los angeles county superior court, prosecutors argued lazarus motive murder jealousy on sherri rasmussen s relationship ruetten. in opening argument, prosecutor shannon presby summed case as, bite, bullet, gun barrel , broken heart. s evidence prove defendant stephanie lazarus murdered sherri rasmussen. highlight of case ruetten s testimony. several times became emotional , wept, particularly when recalling courtship of rasmussen. allowed having sex lazarus while engaged future wife mistake .

in cross-examining police detectives , other technicians had investigated killing, overland stressed original botched burglary theory , pointed evidence, such similar burglary happened shortly thereafter, claimed supported it. highlighted evidence not analyzed, such bloody fingerprint on 1 of walls, suggest other suspects had not been adequately excluded consideration. questioned whether inferred weapon used lazarus lost gun, since .38s in wide use. since dna bite mark central prosecution s case, attacked vigorously, pointing improper storage procedures , hole tube had left in envelope said have allowed lazarus dna added long after had been collected.

during 2 days in presented case-in-chief, overland focused on prosecution s theme of lovelorn lazarus, presenting friends of hers denied showing signs of violence or despondence on failed relationship ruetten @ time of murder. excerpts contemporaneous journal offered evidence; lazarus wrote in of dating several different men, none of them ruetten. reinforced attack on forensic evidence, calling last witness fingerprint expert said prints @ crime scene did not match of lazarus.

both prosecution , defense reiterated themes in closing arguments. after showing jury of 8 women , 4 men photographs of beaten, bloodied rasmussen, prosecutor paul nunez told them, wasn t fair fight ... prey caught in cage predator. overland dismissed entire case circumstantial fluff , fill , save compromised bite-mark dna sample. moved mistrial after nunez reminded jurors no alibi had been provided time of murder, since defendants refusal testify cannot held against them, perry denied it, saying did not take directly suggesting lazarus herself had refused testify , fifth amendment right against self-incrimination had not been violated.

in march, after several days of deliberations, lazarus (then 52) convicted of first-degree murder. later month, sentenced 27 years life in prison, , serving sentence @ california institution women in corona. eligible parole in 2039.