A Los Angeles County jury found a retired police detective guilty of first-degree murder Thursday in the 1986 death of an alleged romantic rival who married the detective 's college sweetheart . Stephanie Ilene Lazarus , now 51 and retired after rising through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department , was accused of beating , biting and shooting to death Sherri Rasmussen , 29 , in her townhouse in the suburban San Fernando Valley . The judge scheduled sentencing for May 4 . Lazarus faces 27 years to life in prison , prosecutors said . Lazarus ' attorney said she will appeal the conviction . The attorney for the Rasmussen family said the murder investigation `` covered the arc of a generation '' for 26 years . `` Today 's verdict absolutely confirms the identify of the person who murdered their daughter and the intent to which she committed the crime , '' said John Taylor , the Rasmussen family lawyer . `` This trial has been a roller coaster for her husband and her family . The family is relieved of this verdict , '' Taylor told reporters . The Rasmussen family will pursue civil action against the police department and the city of Los Angeles , Taylor said . The family has sued the police for failing to investigate one of their own officers , but a judge tossed out the case . The family is appealing . Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said the case was `` a tragedy on every level . '' `` Not only did the family of Sherri Rasmussen lose a wife and a daughter , a life that can never be returned , but also the LAPD family felt a sense of betrayal to have an officer commit such a terrible crime , '' Beck said in a statement . `` I am also sorry it took us so long to solve this case and bring a measure of justice to this tragedy , '' Beck said . The 1986 case went cold for years . Then it was reopened in 2004 and again in 2009 . When Lazarus became a suspect , homicide detectives faced `` special challenges as Lazarus ' office was located next door to the detectives who were now investigating her , '' a police department statement said Thursday . As the jury verdict was read convicting her of murder with a firearm , Lazarus showed no emotion , and she was n't handcuffed as authorities escorted her from the courtroom . Lazarus 's husband , with whom she has a daughter , walked out of the courtroom immediately after the verdict . Some of Lazarus ' relatives were crying as they exited . Her family was escorted by a plainclothes security detail . Rasmussen 's parents did n't express emotion at the verdict , either . Lazarus was charged with staging the crime scene to look like a burglary gone bad . Rasmussen , a hospital nursing supervisor , was the new bride of John Ruetten , who had been Lazarus ' college sweetheart . Ruetten was in the courtroom Thursday to hear the verdict , but he was emotionless . In their investigation of an officer within their own ranks , Los Angeles detectives solved the 23-year-old cold case after DNA testing in 2009 revealed a bite mark on the murder victim 's left forearm came from Lazarus , authorities said . Rasmussen , director of nursing at Glendale Adventist Medical Center , was shot three times in the chest on February 24 , 1986 , prosecutors said . Her husband of three months , Ruetten , discovered her body upon returning from work that evening , prosecutors said . Prosecutors argued that Lazarus was in love with Ruetten and distraught when she learned he was marrying someone else . `` The family of Sherri Rasmussen never gave up their quest for justice for their daughter , '' District Attorney Steve Cooley said in a statement . He added that `` justice was served today . '' Ruetten testified he casually dated Lazarus after college , but he never considered her a girlfriend and dated other women while seeing her , prosecutors said . Police had long believed Rasmussen was the victim of two male burglars , and the case was unsolved until 2009 . Lazarus , who was a veteran art theft detective , has remained in custody since her June 5 , 2009 , arrest at LAPD headquarters . Lazarus ' attorney , John Overland , argued in court that the crime scene evidence from 1986 was mishandled and tainted years ago and could n't be trusted . In speaking with reporters after the verdict , Overland stated : `` Clearly , because of the speed of deliberations , we never had a chance in this case . '' When asked about the DNA evidence , Overland said : `` Clearly , it was the only piece of evidence linking her . ''
Police feel `` betrayal '' for officer committing `` such a terrible crime , '' chief says . Retired detective Lazarus , 2004 , will appeal murder conviction . Lazarus is convicting of beating , biting and shooting to death Rasmussen . Sherri Rasmussen , then 29 , was the bride of Stephanie Ilene Lazarus ' college sweetheart .