Fatal Attraction: The Body in Unit 205 — Ep. 1 | MK Confidential

September 9, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Body in Unit 205

On a Monday morning in February 1986, Anastasia Volonitis looked out her window in Van Nuys, California, and saw two Hispanic men in work clothes crossing her driveway. They handed her a purse. Inside was a driver's license belonging to Sherry Rasmussen, the 29-year-old nurse and newlywed who lived in the condo directly across the shared driveway. Anastasia pointed the men toward unit 205. Within five minutes they were back—no one answered. She took the purse to return later. But Sherry had been lying dead on her living room floor since earlier that morning, her face beaten and smeared with blood. Six more hours passed before anyone found her.

The Day Sherry Died

Sherry Rasmussen stayed in bed the morning of February 24, 1986, thinking about calling in sick. Her husband John left for work at 7:20 a.m., backing his Mazda RX7 out of the garage while Sherry's silver BMW remained parked inside. That was the last time John saw his wife alive.

Around 9:30 a.m., a housekeeper cleaning the unit next door heard a heavy thud through the wall. Then another. Then a scream—no words, just one long sound. She checked a window, saw nothing, and went back to work. At noon, the two men brought Sherry's purse to Anastasia. Throughout the afternoon, Sherry's sister Teresa, her husband John, and a head nurse all tried reaching her. No one answered.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of The Megyn Kelly Show

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (00:51) **The Discovery of Sherry Rasmussen's Body** - A neighbor is handed Sherry's purse by two Spanish-speaking men who found it; she later returns it to unit 205, unaware Sherry is dead inside.
2 (05:09) **The Morning of the Murder: John's Departure** - John Rutten wakes before 7 a.m. on February 24, 1986, and leaves for work, the last time he sees his wife alive.
3 (06:03) **The Morning's Events: Neighbors and a Scream** - Across the driveway, neighbors leave for a walk; a housekeeper next door hears a heavy thud and a scream through the wall.
4 (07:23) **The Day's Calls and the Return of the Purse** - Family and colleagues try to reach Sherry throughout the day, while her purse is returned to a neighbor; John comes home to find the garage door up and Sherry's car gone.
5 (08:59) **The Crime Scene: Evidence of a Violent Struggle** - Retired detective Rob Bub reconstructs the scene: Sherry is found with gunshot wounds, a bite mark, and signs of a brutal fight.
6 (10:15) **The Family Learns of the Murder** - Sherry's parents in Tucson are awoken by a phone call from John's father, not John himself, delivering the devastating news.
7 (11:09) **Who Was Sherry Rasmussen?** - A portrait of Sherry as a gifted, family-oriented woman who was the "glue" of her family, with a promising career in nursing.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Lyle Mayer Lloyd Mahaney

Show Notes

“MK Confidential” looks into the murder of Sherri Rasmussen, a case that will remain cold for twenty-three years, and it all starts with a brown leather purse. In February 1986, a Van Nuys retiree answers her door to find two strangers holding a purse. Inside it, a driver's license belonging to her 29-year-old neighbor Sherri Rasmussen, a newly married nurse. Six hours pass before anyone finds her brutally beaten and shot dead on her own living room floor.

Megyn looks back at what detectives had within those first hours and chose not to follow: a bloody fingerprint on an untouched stereo that's never photographed or booked into evidence, a jewelry box left undisturbed, marks on Sherri's wrists suggesting she was bound, and a bite mark swabbed by a coroner's investigator.

None of it fits the burglary story LAPD settles on. Meanwhile, somewhere in a basement freezer, a swab of that bite mark waits nineteen years for science to catch up. This is Episode 1 of the Sherri Rasmussen story.

Lean: Discover why LEAN is becoming the choice for real weight‑loss results—shop now at https://TAKELEAN.com use code KELLY

Home Title Lock: Go to https://hometitlelock.com/megyn and use promo code MEGYN to get a FREE title history report and a FREE TRIAL of their Triple Lock Protection

Follow The Megyn Kelly Show on all social platforms:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MegynKelly

Twitter: https://Twitter.com/MegynKellyShow

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/MegynKellyShow

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/MegynKellyShow

 Find out more information at:  https://www.devilmaycaremedia.com/megynkellyshow

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.