Stephanie Lazarus is no longer married. At her February 2025 parole hearing, Scott Young was identified as her “now ex-husband, with whom she adopted a daughter,” confirming that the marriage ended sometime during her incarceration.1MyNewsLA. Parole Rejected for Ex-LAPD Detective Convicted of Murder The exact date the divorce was finalized has not been publicly reported, and neither Lazarus nor Young has spoken about it.
Who Scott Young Is
Scott Young was a fellow LAPD detective assigned to the San Fernando Valley when he married Lazarus in 1996. That was ten years after Lazarus shot and killed Sherri Rasmussen, the wife of her former UCLA lover John Ruetten, a crime she concealed for more than two decades. The couple settled in Simi Valley, California.2Los Angeles Magazine. In Plain Sight
When Lazarus was arrested in June 2009, LAPD leadership publicly stated that Young had no knowledge of the 1986 killing. Deputy Chief Charlie Beck said “none of us blames him” and told reporters Young would be interviewed as part of the investigation.3NBC Los Angeles. LAPD Detective Arrested in Connection With 1986 Killing
The Adopted Daughter
Lazarus and Young adopted an infant daughter during the marriage.2Los Angeles Magazine. In Plain Sight4Police1. LAPD Detective Held in 1986 Slaying5Sprocket Trials. Stephanie Lazarus Verdict Aftermath The February 2025 parole reporting referred to Young as the ex-husband “with whom she adopted a daughter,” but did not disclose further details about the child’s current situation or custody.1MyNewsLA. Parole Rejected for Ex-LAPD Detective Convicted of Murder
Young During the Arrest and Trial
Young attended portions of Lazarus’s 2012 murder trial but never spoke publicly about the case.5Sprocket Trials. Stephanie Lazarus Verdict Aftermath When the jury returned its guilty verdict on March 8, 2012, Young and Lazarus’s mother left the courtroom immediately.2Los Angeles Magazine. In Plain Sight He has not made any recorded public statement in the years since, and no reporting has surfaced identifying when he and Lazarus divorced or who filed.
When the Divorce Happened
The public record is silent on the timing. Lazarus was arrested in June 2009 and convicted in March 2012, receiving a sentence of 27 years to life. Somewhere between her incarceration and the February 2025 parole hearing, the marriage ended. The 2025 reporting is the first public confirmation, and it uses only the phrase “now ex-husband” without a date or explanation.1MyNewsLA. Parole Rejected for Ex-LAPD Detective Convicted of Murder
What Lazarus Was Convicted Of
The murder that ended Lazarus’s LAPD career and, eventually, her marriage took place on February 24, 1986. Sherri Rasmussen, a 29-year-old hospital nursing director, was found dead in the Van Nuys condominium she shared with her husband John Ruetten. She had been shot three times in the chest, bludgeoned with a vase, bound at the wrists, and bitten on the forearm.6ABC News. Former LAPD Detective Who Murdered Ex-Lover’s Wife Hid Crime for Decades
Lazarus had known Ruetten since their UCLA days and was reportedly devastated by his 1985 engagement to Rasmussen. The case went cold for 23 years, during which Lazarus was promoted to detective, joined the LAPD art-theft unit, married Young, and raised a child. In 2004, a criminalist located the preserved bite-mark swab from Rasmussen’s arm, and DNA testing eventually identified Lazarus. She was arrested in June 2009 and convicted of first-degree murder in March 2012.7FindLaw. People v. Lazarus, B2411728The Atlantic. The Lazarus File
Where Lazarus Is Now
Lazarus, now 64, remains incarcerated at the California Institution for Women in Corona.9ABC7. Parole Denied for Stephanie Lazarus10NBC News. Ex-LAPD Detective Who Hid Murder for Decades Won’t Be Paroled11LAist. Stephanie Lazarus Parole Rescinded
At her second full hearing on February 12, 2025, parole was again denied. Commissioner Kevin Chappell found that her account of the attack as a mutual “fight” did not match the forensic evidence, telling her, “You were the only one engaging in this extreme act of violence.” Deputy Commissioner Vijai Desai said her “level of minimization” appeared “pretty entrenched.”1MyNewsLA. Parole Rejected for Ex-LAPD Detective Convicted of Murder John Ruetten attended and urged the board to deny release, saying, “I cannot accept that anything she says is genuine.”12CBS News Los Angeles. Stephanie Lazarus Has Parole Denied Again
Her next scheduled parole hearing is in 2028, though she may petition for an earlier one if her circumstances change.12CBS News Los Angeles. Stephanie Lazarus Has Parole Denied Again