LAPD Detective Accused Of Murder Faces Hearing

LOS ANGELES — A judge has denied a defense motion to dismiss charges against a veteran Los Angeles police detective accused in the 1986 killing of her ex-boyfriend's wife.

Superior Court Judge Robert Perry said Monday that Stephanie Lazarus's rights to a fair trial were not violated. Her defense attorney, Mark Overland, had argued that LAPD investigators were negligent and showed reckless disregard in the probe of their colleague.

Lazarus was tied to the killing of Sherri Rasmussen by a DNA match of saliva taken from bite marks on the victim.

The judge ordered the preliminary hearing to begin.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A judge has denied a defense motion to dismiss charges against a veteran Los Angeles police detective accused in the 1986 killing her ex-boyfriend's wife.

Superior Court Judge Robert Perry said Monday that Stephanie Lazarus's rights to a fair trial were not violated. Her defense attorney, Mark Overland, had argued that LAPD investigators were negligent and showed reckless disregard in the probe of their colleague.

Lazarus was tied to the killing of Sherri Rasmussen by a DNA match of saliva taken from bite marks on the victim.

The judge ordered the preliminary hearing to begin

Comments

[Seeker83]

10:59 PM on 12/07/2009

I guess some good fruits spoil. Just a shame. I have to laugh, why not just leave the guy and go your separate ways!

http://www.stopanxietyhq.com

[shthar]

04:48 PM on 12/07/2009

I hope they never go after me for anyhing I did 20 years ago. Cuz I won't have an alibi.

I can't even remember last year good enuf to make an alibi, let alone 20 years.

[condor101]

03:15 PM on 12/07/2009

Good.
Get the trial going. Find her guilty and give her the death penality.
One less murderous cop.

[Raef53]

01:18 PM on 12/08/2009

I have to agree with you. We have to get our law enforcement officers under control. Too many years of "swat team" mentality has them thinking they can do no wrong and that "Blue Wall" we hear about all the time MUST come down. These are the LAST people we need being corrupt. Zero tolerance. Make them all aware of it when they join the force. Zero tolerance for this sort of crap. Sorry for the rant.

[Dolmance]

12:00 PM on 12/07/2009

Few things are more terrifying than a homicidal cop.

[zkazan]

03:11 PM on 12/07/2009

A hormonal homicidal cop.

[ipastor01]

11:51 AM on 12/07/2009

Almost sure that She also used to be part of the LAPD's S.M.A.R.T team, which is a group of officers who have training in responding to police situations involving mentally ill individual, and people with psychiatric problems.

I used to work for an Ambulance Co. that had a contract with the county of LA to transport 5150's, patients needing to be restraint and taken to psych hospitals ans so on. She was one of the people we would meet from LAPD, one of several. Although I remember that she could not read the patients the same way we did. That means she would typically would tell us that patients were more aggressive then they appear to be to us, but then again we had so much experience that I used to think of my self as the "schizophrenic whisperer"

[sloreader]

06:29 PM on 12/12/2009

Sounds very challenging. Did she look as crazy then as she does in the Court pictures?

[ipastor01]

11:00 PM on 12/13/2009

That is what brought it back to mind.