Killer LAPD cop Stephanie Lazarus might get out of prison

What is it with cops? There was a cop here in the 80s who poisoned her 3 husbands. They have outrageous levels of spousal abuse and if you date one even once they will stalk you for the rest of your life.

LOL R1!!!!!!! I never use my authenticated name

There is no way this vile pig will get out. what the fuck. are they thinking even considering this?

The way she killed that woman was brutal and hardcore.

Her interrogation is so satisfying as this woman is absolutely NUTS- and a horrible liar.

I don't think she'll get paroled. Too many people followed this story on Dateline, etc. It's a high-profile case. The husband of Sherri, John Ruetten, was an asshole. It's one thing to have an affair, but he allowed this psycho cop to come over to the house, etc. He wasn't protective of Sherri.

Both Sherri and Lazarus look masculine. I think that was Ruetten's type.

r2 What's so funny about r1

I don't even see what the point of parole boards is. This woman should have gotten life without parole. You murder someone and there are no mitigating circumstances you get out early because you've been a good boy or girl? What a joke.

Meanwhile the family of the victim goes through hell the rest of their lives and they've even got the government that's supposed to protect them as their enemy.

Sorry, I meant OP's "name" (Not R1)

Terrible story and terrible person.

That bizarre interrogation footage from years ago went viral for a reason… it was fascinating to watch a cold-blooded murderer squirm like that as she continued to lie about it. The facial contortions!

This is another terrible chapter to this case.

There is also record of her harassing the woman weeks and months leading up to the murder. She had targeted her.

Then after she killed her she lied about it immediately after and covered her crime, then lied about it for decades!

“I didn’t mean to kill her.” She can say *anything* at this point!

Lock her up and throw away the key! Yuck!

Wasn’t the father of the victim the only one saying that he was sure this woman had murdered his daughter, but no one really listened to him? He died before the case was solved. Very sad.

Where is the Netflix documentary on this?

r2 Roy, do you know what Shmeeda's been up to? I was checking my pictures yesterday and it was a million years ago that I last saw her. By the way, Greg is dying.

Correct r11. Sherri's father begged the LAPD to investigate Lazarus for more than 20 years and they ignored him. He knew she did it all along.

It is fucking NUTS that it took almost 25 years to catch Lazarus. She was the obvious suspect. The only thing missing from Sherri's condo was the marriage license. Who the hell breaks into someone's home and steals a marriage license. Then of course the history of stalking, harassment and obsessive behavior. The LAPD clearly didn't want to investigate one of their own. It took over two decades and a whole new crop of detectives to finally solve it.

The LAPD is incredibly corrupt and insular. Has been since the beginning. None of this surprises me.

I like the idea that she'll come before a parole board so all of her sociopathic misdeeds can be heard yet again.

What's amusing about this case is that her sucker of a husband after Ruettan totally and completely supported his wife and they were still married after her sentencing. I don't how that unfolded later, but that ugly bitch scored twice and didn't recognize her good fortune. Needs to be incarcerated for life.

She got the face she deserves. Deeply ugly.

She always looked like that, at R18.

John Ruetten was a POS for never telling Stephanie to fuck off and continuing to allow her into his life, even though she was acting batshit insane. He did absolutely nothing to try and get rid of her and he never told her to stop harassing Sherri.

Not that it may have made any difference in the ultimate outcome, but it's the principle of the whole thing.

R1 a job that overwhelmingly appeals to sadists and narcissists. It shouldn’t be surprising at all.

This is a great podcast on the whole story.

She shouldn’t get paroled for the simple fact of covering up the crime for 20 yrs. I hope that is considered on the parole board. You murdered and hid it for 20 yrs. No remorse.

[quote] Not that it may have made any difference in the ultimate outcome, but it's the principle of the whole thing.

I think him not protecting his wife, letting Lazarus come over to wax her skis, did make a difference. Lazarus became emboldened to come over to the house and harass Sherri.

I would bet $$$$ that Stephanie had broken into the condo more than once when neither John or Sherri was home so nobody ever found out about it.

Diana! Long time no talk! I miss those days in the dorm!! Sadly Greg already died. Smeeda owns a weed shop in downtown LA.

And people barely remember my name!!!

[QUOTE]she did not apologize to relatives and appeared to downplay the seriousness of the crime, saying that she hadn’t intended to kill Sherri when she went to the Van Nuys condo on Feb. 24, 1986.

IOW, 'If the bitch hadn't fought back, she'd be alive." You just know that's her rationalization.

I wonder if her husband ever divorced her. I read some profile about the case that said he remained supportive through the trial. He was also an LAPD detective. But not the love of Stephanie's life. I can't find anything following up on their marriage.

Jesus, only 11 years for a murderer, one who displayed not an iota of remorse and seems to be classically sociopathic.

Yeah this chick is a fucking bitch. Years ago when I used to be on facebook, I was "friends" with Aphorodite Jones, that shit true crime writer, and she had posted some bullshit about Lazarus being not guilty or the nature of her interrogation or something. I commented that she was incredibly guilty and don't be an idiot, or something like that. And then she unfriended me. I know it's a big money maker now for white chicks to find some horrible fucking killer, like Adnan, or Steven Avery, and spend money on docs saying they didn't do it. I doubt they'd do that for Lazarus though, she's a woman.

Creepy lady

I do think the interrogation was suspect. The 2 cops put her in an interrogation room, supposedly to talk about work, then they start interrogating her about this murder.

Yes, I think she’s guilty and the cops dropped the ball for decades. Sherri’s poor parents and the sad sorry excuse for a husband.

I think I remember this case. They arrested her on camera, right? Pretty funny stuff. She didn’t even seemed surprised.

R30 The detectives already had DNA evidence confirming Stephanie was the murderer. They brought her into the interrogation room because she would have to give up her gun before entering

I thought it odd that she went to the trouble of getting a UCLA degree only to become a cop. This was back in a time when a community college degree was overachieving for police recruits. Yes, she was the LAPD's art theft department and among an "elite" but she started as a beat cop and worked her way up.

Former law enforcement here (state level). All cops, no matter if they have a college degree, will start out doing patrol (beat). The ones with college degrees do tend to get promoted faster than the ones with just high school.

It’s not like the military, where you become an officer due to your college degree.

Yes R30 They had to make up a bullshit reason to get her gun, they didn't want her having it on her since she's, you know, fucking wacko. They didn't want to take any chances on getting shot.

Her interrogation was bonkers. She was obviously lying throughout the whole thing. She could remember trivial little things from decades earlier with perfect clarity, but anything that had to do with Sherri Rasmussen was very vague.

I came here to post her interrogation— but R36 beat me. It’s FASCINATING. She’s an absolute LOON. Lazarus, I mean. Not R36.

The last time I saw Smeeda she was with Diana Basta and Roy Suckaboo but it was a million years ago. I'll have to check my pictures.

A brilliant liar would have stated “yes I remember Sherry. Someone murdered her. It was so crazy and tragic, my God!”She and John were too close for him not to have told her his newlywed wife had been murdered. They even vacationed a few years later. This would have been a convo. It’s a major major fucking thing. But she might be kinda smart but not brilliant. But then again brilliant people don’t usually murder the spouses of a nigga who doesn’t want them.

She knew her ass was cooked right at the beginning of the interview, as soon as John Ruetten's name was mentioned. She knew exactly why she was there but tried to play it nonchalant. When they asked her if she knew him, her response was "yeah, I went to school with him." It wasn't "did something happen to him? Is he in some kind of trouble? Is this about his wife's murder that was never solved?" She never even mentioned the murder. The detectives had to bring it up. She was clearly guilty AF right from the start.

r39 "spouses of a nigga"

Do you speak like an idiot in real life also? Or just here on DL?

R41 😂. Fuck off.

Has Roy Suckaboo ever come forward?

The LAPD needs citizens to terrorize, with Stephanie in the streets they can achieve this goal better.

Roy Suckaboo was interviewed by Smeeda for her memoir: "A Gal Named Smeeda: Memories of Stephanie Lazarus and the Tenth Floor Crew."

With a foreword by Diana Basta.

If that let this hoe out of prison it’s just white privileged plain and simple. Drug dealers are serving more time than her. She viciously murdered a young newlywed wife and then covered the crime up for 20 years. She is lucky she did that shit in California and not Alabama. She probably would have gotten the death penalty.

Her interrogation was nuts. She knew the gig was up as soon as John Ruetten's name was mentioned and tried to talk her way out of it, which only made her look more guilty. She could remember all of these trivial little things in detail but anything to do with Sherri or the murder she really couldn't remember. She was the worst liar.

R47 Right. One would never forget that their good friend and fuck buddy’s wife was viciously murdered back in the 80s, especially as a cop. She is so dumb. She should played up that she remembered. I’m just glad they got her. People like her are true sociopaths; worst than terrorists. At least terrorists are some type of indoctrinated religious zealots.

You called, and I'm here!

Where my bitches at!

And Smeeda- you still owe me $500.00 for the interview in your stupid memoir.

And to answer the one question that you all had- Steph ALWAYS had those "crazy eyes'

Always poppin', always bulging!

No joke, this murder was brazen and vicious. If this bitch gets out, I would riot.

She's a fucking psycho. #1 how anyone could commit such a heinous cold-blooded murder of a poor innocent person is beyond comprehension and #2 how they could just go on with their life like nothing happened is unbelievable.

She also used to go to the fucking hospital Sherri worked in and fuck with her there. John is a piece of shit too, and it's too bad none of the nurses teamed up and injected bug eyes with some sleepy juice, back in the 80's you probably didn't need to even sign for it.

Another vote for that bizarre interrogation. It's fascinating.

Can't believe this psycho bitch could get out after only 11 years.

[quote]R15 It is fucking NUTS that it took almost 25 years to catch Lazarus. She was the obvious suspect.

She was a fellow police officer. The police force isn’t known for pushing to indict their own.

R55 Yeah maybe...but she's a shitty, sloppy one. Going to threaten her at a goddamn hospital with many employees was ridiculous. They should have cut their losses, she's a chick cop too so they probably didn't like her.

[quote]R22 This is a great podcast on the whole story.

Thank you.

Watching the interrogation footage absolutely NEVER gets old. And the comments are always so funny.

This one has improved audio.

Oh but you need video to watch her crazy eyes in action.

The interrogation is insane, she's so obviously lying through the whole thing.

[quote]r30 I do think the interrogation was suspect. The 2 cops put her in an interrogation room, supposedly to talk about work, then they start interrogating her about this murder.

They only told her it was about another case so as not to arouse her suspicion beforehand. And the meeting was held in that particular building so she’d have to surrender her weapon when she checked in. They didn’t know what she would do when confronted.

They were very careful about this, as they already knew from the bite mark DNA evidence that she was guilty.

Yep R61, we've already explained that to R30, I don't get why he doesn't get it. They had to get her gun away and they didn't want to give her time to go to Mexico or something crazy, that she'd probably do if she knew what they really wanted. No one gets to bring their fucking guns to an interrogation. There was a video a few years ago of a perp that they forgot to frisk, I guess, and he blew his head off in the interrogation room. R30 do you not think she did this? Okay.

"Diana Basta? I haven't talked to her in a million years!"

She seems nice.

Cops: "Did you and Sherri ever get in a fight?"

Steph: "Geez, I don't know. Let me think. That's not ringing a bell. It was a million years ago."

r62 hates r30 with a passion

R66 No I don't, I just don't get why he doesn't know the fundamentals of police interrogation. You always want them off guard, and you definitely don't want them armed. I don't think anything about this is bad or wrong. And cops are always lying to people in questioning, it's some bullshit but it gets results. Why should Crazy Eyes get special treatment?

Man hands.

She's a filthy animal. Parole is not for cases like her's. I've supported parole for Leslie Van Houten, but NEVER this pig.

Helen Van Patterson Patton

Roy Suckaboo cracks me up to no end.

I wonder if there was another John Ruetten or two who escaped her attention/wrath. Did she become psychotically murderous only once because she found a target associated with a former love interest, sparing others?

r71 I missed the Roy Suckaboo thing - what does it mean?

If you read The Lazarus Files, which is the definitive book on the case, Stephanie was enamored with at least two other men who she stalked, although it never escalated to violence. There was one man whose house she would stake out when she was on duty.

r72 in the interrogation video Stephanie went on a weird sidebar where she named a bunch of people who were in the college dorm with her. Roy Suckaboo, Diana Basta, Diane Sherman, the other Diane Sherman and this gal named Shmeeda all got a shout out from Steph.

I wondered that too R71. People like that don't usually just stop. And I know she had a kid, or two, but I think she adopted, I don't know if she ever did marry.

Damn it, every time this case comes up I get a million dm's.

Watching the interrogation video you can tell she's absolutely bonkers. And she was a cop for years and years!

She got married to a man who was also a cop years after the murder and they adopted a baby girl. He divorced her right after the trial was over.

Oh, he did? I had asked on one of these threads. It sounded like he was loyal during the trial. I searched his name and he was named in investigations, but nothing at all related to her.

Thanks r73

Did anyone reach out to Roy Suckaboo for comment?

R80, they did not. They absolutely did not. they probably called Smeeda.

Every time I read the name Roy Suckaboo, I burst out laughing. And now we have an authenticated Mr-Roy-Suckaboo! 🤭😂

That must be a phonetic pronunciation of some odd spelling. God forbid, it couldn't be a nickname.

Stephanie Lazarus is poorly named. She should not rise from the dead. I'd rather that she stays in prison until she's so old and decrepit that her batshittery is no longer a danger to anyone. She's too young, she's a poor candidate for parole.

Decision to parole former LAPD detective who murdered her ex's new wife and hid crime for decades faces scrutiny

Oh god, R69 is that damn Leslie Van Houten political prisoner troll.

The family needs to start talking to the press and getting on TV pronto. And they need to show up at the courthouse for the parole hearing. Sharon Tate's family made their presence known at every parole hearing and it helped keep those monsters behind bars for decades

Does Roy Suckaboo visit Steph in prison?

John Ruetten and Sherri's sisters spoke to the parole board this week.

Good. She should die in prison.

R88 oh I LOVE it! I'm so happy this dirty filthy animal THOUGHT she was getting out, only to have all hope ripped from her evil fingers.

I fully support release for people like Leslie Van Houton, but not this bush pig.

She should never get out. That murder was horrifying.

Bitch could've just moved on, people get dumped every day. But no, she had to be a psycho bitch and turn into a monster. No sympathy.

WTAF?? This bitch should NEVER see the light of day.

This bitch is evil as fuck. This murder WAS hardcore. (read up on it- I encourage you)

Smeeda never recovered and raised cats.

She is covered in catshit and meows- instead of speaks)

Love ya, Smeeds!

R91- Gets it. Read up on this case. A sociopathic and psycho cop- evil to her core---

She also did not flush. PIG!!!!!!!

Her doodies were like redwoods!!!

Mr. Roy Suckaboo is also scary...

Stephanie is scarier

Bitch never returned my curling iron when we were on the 10 floor at Dykstra.

Does. Stephanie’s pussy stink?

It stank up the 10th floor at Dykstra.

When is Betty Broderick getting out ?

Betty should get out before Stephanie.

That must have been one hell of a cock she missed!

Free Elisabeth Anne Broderick!!!

Betty doesn’t express remorse for what she did and 2 of her kids don’t want her released, the other 2 do.

Stephanie seems more likely to kill again. Betty's murders seemed more like a one-off.

They should never let this psychotic cunt out of prison. Next levels of crazy.

I love watching her interrogation video and seeing her realize they've got her number and she's fucked.

She needs to stay fucked (behind bars).

R107- I watch that video a few times a year- It is so satisfying. What she did was evil and so brazen and hardcore- She is evil.

Best interrogation interview of all time, she knew her ass was done and kept trying to make shit up but it was so obvious she was lying.

FWIW - most people who murder a spouse just do it the one time and never kill again. That being said, there are times when one time is one too many for the rest of us and they're not getting a break.

I don't know about Betty Broderick. On the one hand - best rainy afternoon TV movie EVAR. On the other hand - double homicide. It's a tough call. Can we just release Meredith Baxter instead?

Why do we only have these conversations about female murderers? No one sensible argued that Manson should ever get out but people went on and on about Leslie van Houghton-Manson. Those who actually lived through the Manson murders never argued for her release. Join the Manson family? Go out with them on a murderous rampage? Rot and die in prison. It's not a complicated question, at least it doesn't have to be.

Betty Broderick is a special case IMHO. She's the only murderer I have ever had sympathy for and felt truly sorry for.

Same R111. I'm from SD and Betty is my hero. Fuckhead and the cunt drove her to it. Crazy eyes doesn't have that excuse.

Definitely r112. Stephanie is a psycho bitch and should never be let out of prison. Betty Broderick sustained many years of psychological torture that drove her insane. I'm not saying she should've killed Dan and Linda, but she never would've done it if she had been treated fairly and humanely.

Yes R113. Many San Diego husbands that day really thought about how they were treating their wives and made some changes. I used to work downtown by the bar that Dan always went to and they have plaques and shit that mention him but nothing about Linda, aka "the cunt". Stephanie is just a straight up stalker. I wonder if John knew that Stephanie did it. I've never seen any interviews or anything with him. I assume he remarried.

To me she should never get out because of her duplicity. She lied about the shit for 20 years, covered up facts. It’s a miracle she was even caught. She is worst than a regular killer.

Yep R115. And as far as we know, she may have killed other people. If she dated after John and before her hubby, who knows? That shit doesn't seem to be a one off. And it wasn't a crime of passion, that's the scary part. So yeah, she had a badge and a gun and was able to do anything.

R109 The very moment they said the name John Ruetten, she knew they knew.

She definitely knew why she was there. You could see that her mind was going a mile a minute. She was nervous as hell and was the worst liar. She could remember all of these trivial little things like names, dates, addresses etc. but pretended to not know much at all about John. It was so obvious she was full of shit.

She stalked John and Sherri for months and harassed Sherrie at work, showed up unexpectedly at their condo, etc. She was totally unhinged. There's no way that John could not have suspected her, contrary to what he's always claimed.

She got away with it for almost 25 years and after all that time she probably thought she was in the clear and would never be caught. She was totally taken aback and off guard when the detectives sat her down in that interrogation room. She knew her time was up. Psycho cunt.

John Ruetten seems like a scumbag, as well. It's one thing to have an affair, another thing to have Lazarus over at the house, getting to know the wife and the floorplan.

I read an article that stated John called Detectives to confirm/verify that Stephanie had no involvement in his wife’s murder. That tells me that he had extremely strong suspicions that Lazarus did it. I think denial is powerful, and he was in it. Especially after cheating on his wife, I think the guilt that his lover killed her was more than he could live with. He’s still an ass.

R121 He actually apologized to the family at Stephanie’s sentencing. I think he felt awful. This is one of the most fascinating true crime stories to me. They should do Netflix prestige type miniseries about this saga. Very well done.

Just looking at her you could tell something was off with her.

Stephanie- WHAT BIG EYES YOU HAVE!!!!!!!

Every picture of her looks deranged. I think she's dealing with some serious mental illness. I hope she gets prison mandated medication. And I hope to God she doesn't get paroled. She is still very much a danger to society.

r125 imagine being the person who cuts her off in traffic. Yikes!

Stephanie looks like Cherry Jones.

Tell me, where is there justice? Nowhere......

Have Roy Suckaboo and Diana Basta commented yet?

I don't know her

Hello everyone. I know you have been anxiously awaiting a response from Smeeda.

Smeeda is indisposed and will be for a long time.

And my thoughts on this subject are WELL KNOWN to you-

Real life is NOT Dorm life-

Real life sucks losers dry.

The last time I saw Smeeda she was with Diane Sherman but it was a million years ago. I'll have to check my pictures.