The Lazarus files : a cold case investigation Cover Image

Book

The Lazarus files : a cold case investigation / Matthew McGough.

Summary:

A deeply-reported, riveting account of a cold case murder in Los Angeles, unsolved until DNA evidence implicated a shocking suspect - a female detective within the LAPD's own ranks. On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old newlywed Sherri Rasmussen was murdered in the home she shared with her husband, John. The crime scene suggested a ferocious struggle, and police initially assumed it was a burglary gone awry. Before her death, Sherri had confided to her parents that an ex-girlfriend of John's, a Los Angeles police officer, had threatened her. The Rasmussens urged the LAPD to investigate the ex-girlfriend, but the original detectives only pursued burglary suspects, and the case went cold. DNA analysis did not exist when Sherri was murdered. Decades later, a swab from a bite mark on Sherri's arm revealed her killer was in fact female, not male. A DNA match led to the arrest and conviction of veteran LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus, John's onetime girlfriend. The Lazarus Files delivers the visceral experience of being inside a real-life murder mystery. McGough reconstructs the lives of Sherri, John and Stephanie; the love triangle that led to Sherri's murder; and the homicide investigation that followed. Was Stephanie protected by her fellow officers? What did the LAPD know, and when did they know it? Are there other LAPD cold cases with a police connection that remain unsolved?

Record details

ISBN: 9780805095593 (hardcover)
Physical Description: xii, 595 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2019.

Content descriptions

Formatted Contents Note:

Sherri, John, and Stephanie. The aftermath (February 24,1986) -- Sherri Rasmussen (1957 to 1984) -- John Ruetten (February 1984 to may 1985) -- Stephanie Lazarus (1960 to March 1984) -- "Admit nothing. Deny everything. Demand proof." : (March 4, 1984 to March 30, 1985) -- Stephanie at club dev (March 31 to June 16, 1985) -- The hospital confrontation (June to August 1985) -- Night Stalkers (August 12 to October 12, 1985) -- Tying the knot (November to December 1985) -- Warning signs (December 1985 to January 1986) -- The month before the murder (mid-January to February 23, 1986) -- The murder of Sherri Rasmussen. Sherri's final day (February 24, 1986) -- The chrono and crime scene (February 24, 1986, 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.) -- John's interview (February 24, 1986, 9:00 p.m.) -- The bite Mark Swab (early morning of February 25, 1986) -- "The day was boring and nothing happened that was worth remembering" (February 25, 1986) -- The first 48 hours ends (February 26 and 27, 1986) -- "There is no power on earth more formidable than the truth" (February 28 to March 2, 1986) -- "Well-reasoned, carefully-documented and insightful investigation" (March 3 to April 8, 1986) -- The burglary suspects (April 10 to May 21, 1986) -- The Rasmussens' pursuit of justice (June 1986 to November 1987) -- The murder of Catherine Braley. Catherine Braley (January 14, 1988) -- Epilogue. "We do not condone murder" (2008-2012).