In 2026, these four cases remain among the most referenced examples in discussions about law enforcement accountability. Each one exposed a structural failure: when the suspect is a cop, the investigation often bends before it breaks.
Here’s a summary of the chilling stories involving notorious police officers who committed serious crimes:
- William Tally: Former police sergeant William Tally became infamous for shooting his girlfriend, Cali Levenson, during a violent argument on May 11, 2019. Fleeing the scene in her truck, he was later involved in a car accident, hospitalized, and then arrested. His background in police and SWAT training did not prevent his eventual arrest and conviction, demonstrating that no one is above the law.
- Matthew Boon: On April 15, 2016, Matthew Boon’s wife, Jessica, was found unconscious with a serious head injury, initially mistaken for a gunshot wound due to the presence of a police-issued gun. The investigation was compromised by Matthew’s familial connections within the police, as his grandfather, the county sheriff, initially declared Jessica dead at the scene. Matthew was only charged with theft and lying under oath, highlighting potential corruption and the lack of a thorough investigation.
- Stephanie Lazarus: A respected detective, Stephanie Lazarus hid her involvement in the 1986 murder of Sherri Rasmusen, who was found shot in her home. The case went cold until DNA evidence decades later revealed Stephanie’s guilt. She was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to 27 years in prison, underscoring the importance of technological advancements in solving crimes and the accountability of law enforcement officers.
- Drew Peterson: Drew Peterson, a former police officer, was implicated in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio, found in her bathtub in 2004 with signs of a struggle, and the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy, in 2007. He was convicted of Kathleen’s murder in 2012 and later charged with solicitation of murder for hire against the prosecutor who convicted him. Stacy’s disappearance remains unresolved, adding a layer of mystery and ongoing suspicion around Peterson.
Each case demonstrates the severe consequences of abuse of power within the police force, the importance of impartial investigations, and the eventual reach of justice regardless of the individual’s position or connections.
Updates and Context for 2026
These cases did not close when the verdicts were read. Two developments in particular reshape how they read today.
Drew Peterson: a second conviction
In 2021, a Will County jury convicted Drew Peterson on a solicitation of murder-for-hire charge. The target was James Glasgow, the state’s attorney who had prosecuted him for Kathleen Savio’s murder. Peterson received an additional consecutive prison sentence, making any release during his lifetime effectively impossible. The case is now cited in legal scholarship on repeat offending by law enforcement veterans.
DNA evidence and cold case accountability
The Lazarus case was an early signal of what forensic science would do to cold case investigations. According to the National Registry of Exonerations (University of Michigan Law School), DNA evidence has been a determining factor in over 375 wrongful conviction reversals in the United States since 1989. Its role has expanded beyond exonerations: investigators now routinely apply next-generation sequencing to evidence collected decades ago, including in cases where a law enforcement officer is a suspect. The Lazarus bite-mark and DNA match in 2009, taken from her own department’s evidence locker, set a template that prosecutors have since used in similar investigations.
Body cameras and the structural gap they expose
The Matthew Boon case unfolded in 2016, when fewer than half of large U.S. law enforcement agencies had deployed body-worn cameras. By 2024, the Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated that figure had risen to roughly 80% among agencies serving populations over 100,000 (BJS Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2024 update). Cameras have not eliminated misconduct. But their footage has made it harder for initial responders to shape the narrative before an independent investigation begins. In cases like Boon’s, where family proximity to the chain of command allowed an early scene to be mismanaged, a body camera worn by the responding grandfather-sheriff would have been admissible evidence the investigation could not ignore. That gap is now narrower, even if it has not closed.