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Trail of what we were doing. >> reporter: they even gave lazarus a code name -- number 5. and contrary to police procedure, they decided not to tell lapd headquarters that their new suspect was a fellow detective. you're doing that to protect her or to protect your investigation from her? >> dual purpose. it would protect the integrity of the investigation and if she was not involved, then nobody would mp knever know about it. >> reporter: four cops knowingly department rules to investigate one of their own. >> it was a difficult phase of her careers. she was one of us. she worked our unit. ha...

Prevention program aimed at kids and twice named detective of the year. later she worked at internal affairs investigating other officers accused of wrongdoing or corruption and then promoted to the lapd's art theft unit. her personal life was good, too. in 1996, lazarus got married to another lapd detective. together, they adopted a baby daughter. life both at home and on the job never seemed better. >> she was a happy person. she loved what she did for work. she loved her husband. loved their life. >> reporter: but in 2009 this high achieving cop became the focus of a homicide investigation....

And they didn't listen to the family, those two things are not evidence of a cover-up. >> it wasn't that they didn't close the case. they didn't do anything to create a case. >> reporter: he says that in 1986, the detectives were protecting stephanie lazarus. >> they actively covered up the identity of the person who committed this crime. >> reporter: the rasmussen's lawsuit alleging a cover-up was dismissed in 2011. charlie beck was then the lapd chief and he spoke with us about the case. >> i can accept somebody that is unable to solve a crime that is solvable. i cannot accept somebody that ...

>> reporter: for the lapd, a case was final solved but with painful side effects. >> i'm very pleased but it's bittersweet and i'm thrilled that the conclusion has been reached and that some form of justice has been brought to a family that has grieved for far too long. we would much rather this not be a los angeles police detective for sure. i've known stephanie for laf years. this is a tragedy on a bunch of levels. this is not something that we are proud of in that we had a los angeles police detective involved here. >> reporter: stephanie lazarus was sentenced to 27 years to life in prison ...