LOS ANGELES (AP) — The defense has rested in the love-triangle murder trial of former Los Angeles police detective Stephanie Lazarus, a case dating back 26 years.
Lazarus' lawyer ended his brief presentation Tuesday focusing on three letters that have defined the case — DNA.
Attorney Mark Overland suggested critical genetic evidence linking Lazarus to the murder of her romantic rival was mishandled in an era before the value of DNA was known.
Prosecutors have pinned their case on a sample of saliva taken from a bite mark on the arm of victim Sherri Rasmussen in 1986. The evidence sat dormant until DNA analysis was done nearly 30 years later, first showing a woman was involved, then linking it to Lazarus.
Lazarus has pleaded not guilty. She did not testify in her own defense.
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