Murdered

by Paul Alexander

LA Police Officer Stephanie Lazarus became the center of national attention in a sensational trial in Los Angeles in March 2012 as the accused murderer of Sherri Rasmussen, her ex-lover's new wife of only three months. What had once seemed unthinkable, had suddenly become a reality. Nels Rasmussen, the victim's father, had, some twenty years prior, pleaded with LAPD to take a look at Lazarus as a possible suspect. His daughter had said that Lazarus had been "stalking" her, but Rasmussen was summarily dismissed by police and told that he should "Stop watching so much television." After five years, he simply gave up.The story here begins on the night of February 24, 1986 and involves three people, certainly one of them innocent; the victim--Sherri Rae Rasmussen--was bludgeoned, bitten, beaten, and then shot to death in what was made to look like a botched robbery. Yet the only thing missing from the scene was a marriage certificate.In 2009, the Cold Case squad in the same building as Officer Lazarus re-opened the Rasmussen case and examined the DNA swabbing from the bite-marks on Rasmussen’s arm. They discovered that the saliva could only have come from a woman. Then, they started to investigate Lazarus based on Rasmussen’s suspicions on record in the file.This is a book that one wishes were fiction. It is written point-of-fact, with all of the details of the case laid out neatly before the reader in police procedural style. The reader becomes the jury. The most shocking part of the story is the identity of the killer.ABOUT THE AUTHORIn true crime, Paul Alexander is the bestselling author of the Kindle Singles Murdered, Accused and Homicidal. A leading journalist for many years, Alexander has published eight widely praised books—among them Rough Magic, a biography of Sylvia Plath; the bestseller Boulevard of Broken The Life, Times, and Legend of James Dean; and A Life—and over one hundred major articles for publications ranging from The New York Times to Rolling Stone.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Crime, Mystery, Adult, Short Stories

26 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 4, 2011

About the author

Besides the bestselling Kindle Singles Murdered, Accused, and Homicidal, Paul Alexander has published eight previous books of nonfiction: Ariel Ascending: Writings About Sylvia Plath; Rough Magic, a biography of Plath; Boulevard of Broken Dreams: The Life, Times, and Legend of James Dean, the bestseller that has been published in 10 countries; Death and Disaster: The Rise of the Warhol Empire and the Race For Andy’s Millions; Man of the People: The Life of John McCain; The Candidate, a chronicle of John Kerry’s presidential campaign; and Machiavelli’s Shadow: The Rise and Fall of Karl Rove.

A former reporter for Time, Alexander has published journalism in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, New York, The Nation, The Village Voice, Salon, Worth, The New York Observer, George, Cosmopolitan, More, Interview, ARTnews, Mirabella, Premiere, Out, The Advocate, Travel & Leisure, The Los Angeles Times Book Review, Biography, Men’s Journal, Best Life, The New York Review of Books, The Daily Beast, and Rolling Stone.

Shane Salerno’s forthcoming feature documentary Salinger is based on Alexander’s biography of J.D. Salinger. Alexander is the author of the plays Strangers in the Land of Canaan and Edge, which he directed. Developed at The Actors Studio, Edge, the critically acclaimed one-woman play about Sylvia Plath, ran in New York, London, Los Angeles, among other cities. Edge toured Australia and New Zealand and enjoyed a second run in New York. In all, Torn performed Edge 400 times. Alexander is also the director of Brothers in Arms, a documentary film about John Kerry and Vietnam (First Run Features).

A graduate of The University of Alabama and The Writers’ Workshop at The University of Iowa, Alexander is a member of the Authors Guild and PEN American Center. In the fall of 2002, he was a Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

True crime short recap style book. 🤓 Felt more like a TV episode than a book. 🧐

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

For an EXTREMELY in-depth look at this crime read The Lazarus Files

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is sad to hear of occasions when police officers get away with severe crimes like murder. This is a short but detailed true story about such an incident. It's a shame the killer, a jealous ex-girlfriend got away with the murder for so long just because she was a police officer. I'm glad it was solved and justice was finally done.

[Nenette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good condensed form of a true crime story. The lesson I learned though is not related to the story at all: The next time I think of buying a Kindle Single, I should first check out the story in the web where I could read it for free.

[Mia Michalek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast read

the story was short and to the point. I enjoyed following the case and finally seeing justice prevailed. I want to learn more about the case now!

[Citri · Rating 3 out of 5]

wild that the husband basically went to police to ask if his ex-gf was cleared, not because he cared about what happened to his murdered wife but because he wanted to bang his ex again🥴

[Laur · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Murdered", is the true story of the coldblooded killing of Sherri Rae Rasmussen, a 29 year old newlywed. Hard to review this one - what a shame it took 26 yrs to get justice for this woman and her family. The "System" definitely was lacking, as were those in authority at the time, but finally the truth prevails.

Being on audible, I like Paul Christy as a narrator (his voice is pleasant and easy to listen to), but the narration in this book was just average - not bad, not great... almost reminded me of a newscaster just recounting the news.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. Talk about a botched case. And what a scum bag of a husband to even consider going back out with his ex and wife's stalker. I enjoyed this free read. Straight to the point.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, this is another true crime audiobook that is not something I would normally go for but something that I actually found myself getting quite into the story which I didn’t expect.

With the focus being on a murder in America, I knew nothing of the case before listening to this book. So I was quite surprised to hear about a murder that had gone unsolved for so long, purely because the prime suspect was a LAPD officer.

There was a part of me that felt I had to suspend my disbelief slightly, I think it was in the first chapter, where it was talking about what happened before the murder took place but then there is nowhere else where it tells us whether that is true. So that was a little bit jarring.

But it was okay to listen to and helped to pass the time while I’ve got no work to do.

[Norma · Rating 3 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned."
A true crime story. Nearly a quarter of a century after the brutal slaughter of newly married Sherri Rasmussen in her home in New York, her killer was finally found guilty of murder in the first degree. When the investigation following her death took place, this person had not even been considered by the police despite Sheri' father's appeals that they do so.
A strange and uncomfortable look at police corruption as well as the cold bloodied death of a woman. Short, clearly stated facts, though at times repetitious, read by Paul Christie in a straightforward, unemotional way, this book is a quick read, a free download from the Audible Plus programme.
What a nasty piece of work her cheating husband must have been.

[M Delea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a while ago, so I cannot recall details.

But I did enjoy it. I knew a bit about this awful murder (maybe it was featured on 48 Hours or Dateline?), but this book delved into much more. The case is very twisted and shows how any murder in which a police officer is suspected or involved becomes very intense with a strong possibility of cover-ups, negligence, or denial. The case took years to resolve and involves some of the most maddening people you will ever encounter in a nonfiction book. (The victim's husband may make you throw the book across the room. Multiple times.)

This is a short book, well-written, and an excellent read for anyone interested in true crime.

[Victoria Pring · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a really interesting look into a ||murder|| case that really should have been solved almost immediately yet due to|| the corrupt police department|| went unsolved for decades. The telling of this case was a little drier than I generally like but I cant deny it kept me interested throughout. The fact that even years later the ||investigator was scared to look into the evidence because of the risk|| is very disturbing to me. Though this wasnt my preffered writing style for true crime the author did a good job giving us all the information as needed. If you are interested in this subject this isn't a bad book to read however its also not the best.

[River Scott Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished listening to MURDERED By Paul Alexander and I rate it 4 star 🌟


This is a story but it gets to the point, this is a crime about love jealousy and murder, I liked listening to this I found it interesting how for so long someone gets away with murder but eventually it catches up with you. It was a sad story a young life taken just for loving a man.

Over the years DNA has grown and different ways to analyse evidence has become available and its time to catch the killer..

I highly recommend this audiobook

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick run down of Sherri Rasmussen, and the decades long search for her killer. This was a great read - as it gave the aspects of the case without a long, drawn out overview.
With DNA evidence, her killer was finally caught, a detective, who was also Sherri's husbands former girlfriend.

The fact this case took so long to solve is heartbreaking. The killer is now behind bars - where she belongs.

[Keren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This satisfied my need for something not requiring a great deal of thought. An interesting, if condensed, report of this murder which emphasizes the existence of any police unit as a group of individuals who can be collecting corrupt when protected by "the wall of blue." Similar to the typical policy of most companies, the police don't want bad press, which sometimes leads to cover-ups, which can encourage corruption. Apparently there's another book that's more thorough, The Lazarus Files.

[Bonnie Kernene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short book about the murder of Sherri Rasmussen by Police Officer Stephanie Lazarus. It was not very detailed, but very straight and to the point. It talked about the main points of the case, the trial and the evidence. It was very interesting and does make me want to know more about the case. It is short, therefore a quick read. Very informative.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a horrible story about how her murder had been covered up for years! Maybe stalkers were not that common back then. Sherri should have made sure they had a lock that couldn't be open from the outside. They had an alarm, didn't her husband set it when he left? Maybe alarms were not as sophisticated back then.

I got this book for free from Audible and listened to it.

[Nikki Deeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a true crime book about the murder of Sherri Rasmussen and how Stephanie Lazarus went unsuspected and uncharged for 23 years.

A very quick yet detailed account of the murder of Rasmussen and the misjustices that meant the case went unsolved for 23 years. The book is conscience and well researched.

[Lexi Sølvhammer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though this is a short book and it has some dry spots it wasn’t bad.

It was a quick read to a case one might want to look further into.

Something with this case sort of reminded me of the Jodi Arias case - the hot and cold plus the jealousy aspect.

A great read for the bus ride

*this review has been placed on multiple platforms

[⭐️⭐️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

i listened to this on audible at 1.6 speed, but when i tell you my jaw was on the floor for a solid 20 minutes when i realized the whole case happened out of jealousy.

i’m glad the family got the justice it deserved. may she rest easy.

it did feel like a little recap episode you would hear about on true crime podcasts but i honestly liked the feel.

[Lorri Vilorio · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book

if you like true crime stories this is a good one. This intriguing story is about how justice was finally a family who's killer was a member of the " big blue wall". A very relevant story for today's society.

[Karla Renee Goforth Abreu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shocking cover-up in horrific murder

This book is concise, yet reasonably detailed concerning the murder of Sherri Rasmussen. While glaring evidence pointed to premeditated murder, the police department went to great lengths to cover for one of their own.

[Victoria Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Written

Very detailed. Although I feel the husband had a huge part in this, weather he assisted or just plain stupidity when it came to his secret affair. Anyways, it was a very interesting read.

[Rosalind H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. Riveting right from the start! This is a book anyone could immensely enjoy even if not an avid reader.

Awesome book. Riveting right from the start! This is a book anyone could immensely enjoy, even if not an avid reader.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't finish reading this

I read this book to 98%and then it just stops. Another one of my ten "free" books says it's just a sample. My son got me this Kindle for Christmas, thinking it's not even worth it.

[Sarah Dzikowicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always love a good murder mystery!

I enjoyed this quick read which told an interesting story of what happened to a young, promising woman and how staff at the department initially covered for the murderer.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
I wish there was more, I feel like it was just skimming the details and could have used just a little more. That said, this story was wild and I am glad justice prevailed in the end, however belated.

[Annette McIntyre · Rating 1 out of 5]

LA Police Officer Stephanie Lazarus became the center of national attention in a sensational trial in Los Angeles in March 2012 as the accused murderer of Sherri Rasmussen, her ex-lover's new wife of only three months.

[Annie Booker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a short read about the case but it does contain some odd spelling errors. A better book about the case is The Lazarus Files. But this book certainly covers all the important aspects of the case

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true crime Kindle Single that just goes to show that the police take care of their own. They are even removing forensic evidence from the department and not returning it. Very sad story of course. Had the police department done their job, this would have been solved much sooner.