SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The parents of a woman murdered by a Los Angeles police officer have lost their last attempt to sue the department over the way it handled the high-profile investigation.

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to take up the appeal of Nels and Loretta Rasmussen, upholding a lower court's ruling that the couple waited too long to file their lawsuit.

The Rasmussen sued the Los Angeles Police Department in 2010, 14 years after their daughter was found dead in the Van Nuys townhouse she shared with her husband.

Investigators initially suspected a robber had beat and shot Sherri Rasmussen to death. In 2009, cold case investigators arrested LAPD detective Stephanie Lazarus after finding her DNA at the crime scene.

A jury convicted Lazarus of first-degree murder in 2012.