LOS ANGELES—
A preliminary hearing is scheduled to start today for a veteran LAPD detective accused of killing her ex-boyfriend's wife more than 23 years ago.Stephanie Lazarus is expected to appear in court in downtown Los Angeles to hear whether there is enough evidence against her to go to trial.
Lazarus, 49, is accused in the 1986 shooting death of Sherri Rasmussen.
The 25-year police veteran, who handled art forgery cases, pleaded not guilty to capital murder in May. She was arrested June 5 by detectives who worked across the hall from her. She has remained in custody ever since.
Lazarus dated the victim's husband, John Ruetten, for several years before the marriage, officials said.
Authorities say Lazarus recently was linked to the case by a DNA match of saliva taken from bite marks on the 29-year-old victim.
Rasmussen's body was found by her husband in the living room of their Van Nuys condominium on Feb. 24, 1986. Investigators say she had been shot three times with a .38-caliber gun, bitten and badly beaten.
Her car, a silver BMW, was discovered 10 days after her death about two miles from the couple's condominium in the 7100 block of Balboa Boulevard, but contained no clues, police said.
Lazarus was actually mentioned in the original case file because of her involvement with the victim's husband.
She had reportedly threatened Rasmussen at the hospital where she worked and at her home.
However, Lazarus was not pursued as a suspect at the time because investigators believed Rasmussen was killed by the same men who came close to killing another woman two months later in a botched burglary three blocks from her home.
No suspects were found and the case went cold for years.
Police say Lazarus reported her personal .38-caliber revolver stolen from her car in Santa Monica shortly after the fatal shooting.
Lazarus stated that her pistol -- which was the same caliber as the one used to kill Rasmussen -- was stolen out of her car while it was parked in Second Street.
The gun was never found.
Santa Monica police acknowledged the theft report, but declined to make it public, citing the ongoing murder investigation.
Lazarus worked patrol duty in the San Fernando Valley when she joined the force.
She was later promoted to detective and since 2006 has worked in a unit that tracks stolen art, according to police records.
The murder charge against her includes the special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a burglary.
Lazarus also faces a separate allegation of personal use of a handgun.
If convicted, she could face the death penalty.
In October, Lazarus' attorney filed a motion to have the charges tossed. Defense attorney Mark E. Overland claimed evidence that could be used to present Lazarus' case had been lost over the years, violating her constitutional rights.
