They removed her jewelry and began threatening to cut off all Sharer's hair before they eventually lit a fire. "Angel is in good hands. Instead, they spent seven hours torturing Shanda, who would later suffer one of the worst deaths in history. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. It spiraled out of control way too fast. There had been just three other murders in the previous 12 years in the County, and none of them were as gruesome. She then attempted suicide again, and her daughters called authorities. Shanda Rene Sharer (June 6, 1979 - January 11, 1992) was an American girl who was tortured and burned to death in Madison, Indiana by four teenage girls. Moreover, she had not been represented competently by counsel during her sentencing, which caused her to accept a plea bargain in the face of exaggerated claims about her chances of receiving the death penalty. Laurie Tackett, now 43, was one of four women convicted in the 1992 death of Shanda Sharer. In May 2011, Tackett appeared on an episode of "Dr. In January 1992, a horrifying discovery out in a field near Madison, Indiana, led the authorities on a shocking inquiry that ultimately led to the conviction of four teenagers. Her parents were Stephen Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught. After this incident, Larry filed for divorce and moved to Avon Park, Florida. Her mom said that her daughter believed it was her destiny that she would murder someone in cold blood and spend the rest of her life in prison. Upon further appeal, the judge reduced her sentence to 35 years. [5], Larry worked irregularly for the Southern Railway after his military service; his profession allowed him to work whenever most convenient for him. "They're going to have that.". In 1965, Larry became a probationary officer with the New Albany Police Department, but was fired after eight months when he and his partner assaulted an African-American man whom Larry accused of sleeping with his wife. The perpetrators were four teenage girls who committed unspeakable crimes under the influence of teenage jealousy and peer pressure. They left soon after, fearing they had drawn attention to themselves. Meanwhile, Lawrence and Rippey stayed behind in Tacketts car. Loveless instructed Rippey and Lawrence to go to the door and introduce themselves as friends of Heavrin (Loveless's former and Sharer's current girlfriend), then invite Sharer to come with them to see Heavrin, who was waiting for them at "the Witch's Castle", or Mistletoe Falls, a ruined stone house located on an isolated hill overlooking the Ohio River. On the morning of Saturday, January 11, 1992, Canaan, Ind., resident Donn Foley and his brother Ralph were quail hunting in nearby Jefferson County when they spotted a strange object in a fallow soybean field near Lemon Road. On this particular weekend Shanda had been staying with her father, Steve Sharer, and Melinda knew it. Murderpedia Shanda Sharer's killers. Jacqueline was divorced from Shandas father, but they moved to New Albany, Indiana, to be closer to him. Sharer was born on June 6, 1979, in the small town of Pineville, Kentucky, to Steve Sharer and Jackie Vaught. Tackett poured out the Pepsi and refilled the bottle with gasoline. She slept in bed with him until he abandoned his family when she was 14. The incident attracted international attention due to both the brutality of the murder and the young age of the perpetrators, who were aged between 15 and 17 years old. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. Loveless, the one angry with Sharer and the ringleader behind the murder, naturally received a longer sentence than the two younger girls, but why would Tackett take so much to the killing and earn herself the longer sentence as well? The girls used the pretense that they were taking Sharer to see Heavrin as the excuse for their visit. By the end of the night, only four of them were alive. On appeal, a judge reduced the sentence to 35 years. Shanda moved around a few times due to her parents divorcing. -- The two bird hunters who found the body of 12-year-old Shanda Renee Sharer on that cold, sunny morning in January, said it looked at . Shanda Sharer. When they arrived at Sharer's house at 12:30a.m., Lawrence refused to retrieve Sharer, so Tackett and Rippey went to the door. Amanda. The two. Two other defendants, Toni Lawrence and Hope A. Rippey, were sentenced to 20 years and 50years respectively, according to IndyStar archives. The incident attracted international attention due to both the brutality of the murder and the young age of the perpetrators, who were aged . Investigation Discoverys The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade: The New Girl chronicles what happened to Shanda and how four girls were responsible for her death. For several months, the prosecutors and defense attorneys did not release any information about the case, giving the news media only the statements by Lawrence and Rippey. [60], Sharer's father, Steven Sharer, died of alcoholism in 2005 at the age of 53. Mary also grew up in a sheltered environment and was rebellious. At 2:30a.m., Lawrence and Rippey stayed behind as Tackett and Loveless went "country cruising", driving to the nearby town of Canaan. [24], Heavrin met Shanda Sharer early in the fall semester at Hazelwood Junior High when they got into a fight; however, they became friends while in detention for the altercation, and later exchanged romantic letters. He said that Loveless had been "profoundly retarded" by childhood abuse. 125 miles away, Shanda's mother, Jacque Vaught, still endures shockwaves from her daughter's brutal murder. [15] Tackett began to engage in self-harm, especially after early 1991 when she began dating a girl who was involved in the practice. He would also "share" her with some of his friends from work, which she found disgusting. Jacque never wanted contact with any of Shanda's killers. She began attending Hazelwood Junior High School where she met Amanda Heavrin, 15, and developed a romantic interest in her. Mary Laurine "Laurie" Tackett, 43, of Madison, was released shortly after midnight, according to officials from the Indiana Department of Correction. Sharer's body was found the morning of Jan. 11, 1992. All rights reserved. MurderpediaClockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. But a dog named Angel is a dog like no other -- a four-legged conduit to Melinda's victim, Shanda Sharer. Shanda Sharer, a 16-year-old girl from Missouri, was murdered in 1998. She will now serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky, according to the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Turning cloudy, a shower possible after 3pm. INDIANAPOLIS, IN (WTHR) - In January 1992, 12-year-old Shanda Sharer was lured from her home in Jeffersonville, tortured throughout the night and burned alive. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. Shanda Renee Sharer was a 12 year old who was brutally murdered and tortured by 4 teenage girls (between the ages 15 and 17) in January 12, 1992. Shanda was born in Pineville, Kentucky on June 6th, 1979 to Stephen Sharer and his wife Jacqueline, who was later known as Jacqueline Vaught. Watch the YouTube video part one and part two that tell about the grisley torture murder of young innocent 12 year old Shanda Sharer by teenage young women. The church later arranged for Melinda to be taken to a motel room with a 50-year-old man for a five-hour exorcism. But 20 years later, something no one expected happened. An Indiana Department of Correction spokeswoman says 44-year-old Melinda Loveless was released from the Indiana Womens Prison in Indianapolis on Thursday after serving 23 years and eight months of a 60-year sentence for the murder and criminal confinement of Shanda Sharer in 1992. Furthermore, Melinda had a rough childhood, with her father being accused of sexual abuse. She was discharged on April 12. Peer pressure. Loveless ordered Sharer to tell the truth about stealing the girlfriend or have her throat slit. [16] Tackett was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and confessed that she had experienced hallucinations since she was a young child. "Odle comes in, and he's going to set with them, and they're going him hug him, and they're going to talk to him to make it easier for them," said Loveless. [32], Rippey told Sharer that Heavrin was still at the Witch's Castle. Extended family members often described the Loveless daughters as visiting their homes hungry, apparently not getting enough food at home. Melinda Loveless, now 44, was one of four women convicted in the 1992 death of Shanda Sharer. [69][70], The Cold Case second-season episode "The Sleepover" is loosely based on this crime. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. She went into counseling after the incident but did not follow through. As the four girls ate breakfast at McDonalds just after the killing, the four girls laughed as they compared their sausage breakfast to Shanda Sharers burnt corpse. Craig Schoonover made that statement after Melinda. Washington, Vine Grove man accused of trying to kill a police officer, Baxter Avenue Theatres in the Highlands reopens after brief closure due to water main break, Crestwood man facing more than 100 child pornography charges, Prospect sues to stop low-income apartment development, Construction progressing for outdoor game yard at riverfront near downtown Louisville, 1 killed in collision with semi tractor-trailer on I-264 near Brownsboro Road early Tuesday, Kentucky's largest accounting, advisory firm relocating downtown Louisville office to PNC Tower, WDRB FCC Applications & Related Materials. Join us as we discuss the motive that turned teenage girls into killers and the aftermath of Shanda's murder. Shipley then started the paperwork to get warrants for the arrest of Laurie Tackett and Melinda Loveless. Tackett proceeded to stab Sharer several more times before driving off once more with Loveless to beat and sodomize Sharer with a tire iron. [29] Loveless was angry at first, but Rippey and Lawrence assured her about returning for Sharer later. She still spent most of her time in Louisville and New Albany, and, by December, spent most of it with Loveless. During Loveless's sentencing hearing, extensive open court testimony revealed that her father Larry had abused his wife, his daughters, and other children. Again driving to a remote location, the girls hauled their still-alive victim now only able to whimper mommy out of the trunk, wrapped her in a blanket, and poured the gasoline on her. but the best I can do is admit to my mistake. Both older girls said he molested them, though Melinda did not admit this ever happened to her. [51] Rippey was sentenced to 60 years, with 10 years suspended for mitigating circumstances, plus 10 years of medium-supervision probation. Loveless immediately grew jealous of Heavrin and Sharer's relationship. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The last of four teenagers convicted of the kidnapping, torture and murder of a 12-year-old girl has been released from prison. [55], On April 28, 2006, Rippey was released from Indiana Women's Prison on parole after serving 14 years of her original sentence. [66], The poem The Whole World Is Singing by Daphne Gottlieb, is told from the point of view of Shanda Sharer and includes lines from notes written from Shanda Sharer to Amanda Heavrin. Loveless was released in September 2019. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade: The New Girl chronicles what happened to Shanda and how four girls were responsible for her death. Tackett made Rippey pour the gasoline on Sharer, and then they set her on fire. Heavrin promised she would not before entering her house. She enlisted the help of her friend Laurie Tackett, 17, and the latter's childhood friends Hope Rippey, 15, and Toni Lawrence, 15. The case was covered on national news and talk shows and has inspired a number of episodes on fictional crime shows. Shanda Sharer was born on June 6, 1979 to her father Stephen, and her mother Jacqueline. [10], The extent of Larry's abuse of his daughters and other children is unclear. In the summer of 1986, after she would not let him go home with two women he met at a bar, Larry beat Marjorie so severely that she was hospitalized; he was convicted of battery. Shanda Sharer's mother and murderer form unlikely alliance, 1 dead in crash on I-264 West in Brownsboro Road area; all lanes reopened, 18-year-old killed in west Louisville hit-and run identified; police searching for suspect, PREVIOUS STORY: Judge denies Loveless' request for earlyrelease in torture-killing. Jacque has faced criticism over her decision to let Shanda's killer honor her name. Eventually, they took her to another abandoned location and beat her mercilessly before stabbing her in the chest repeatedly. Sharer moved to New Albany with her mother in 1991 and developed a romantic relationship with Amanda Heavrin, a 15-year-old she met at school. For seven hours, the four girls brutally tortured Shanda Sharer before ultimately killing her. And I would thank her. It was only when the puppy, Angel, ran into her arms the first time they met in a crowd of people that Loveless believed it. [7], Marjorie had worked intermittently since 1974. That'sall it was. And I said. Hours later they took Shanda to another remote location and continued brutalizing her. [2] After Sharer's parents divorced, her mother remarried and the family moved to Louisville. That same day, the girls started talking. My child would want this.". Melinda Loveless was the ringleader responsible for the murder of Shanda Sharer, along with her three accomplices, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey and Toni Lawrence. Jacque saw something she had never seen before. Loveless was 18 when she planned the crime. But the Indiana Supreme Court upheld their sentences. When they pulled up in front of her house, Loveless kissed Heavrin, told her she loved her and pleaded with her not to tell anyone. Tackett told people in one interview that, I didnt know Shanda at all. Sharer was reluctant to go with them, yet agreed after changing her clothes. The same morning, a hunter found a badly burned body out in a field in Madison and called the authorities. After phoning neighbors and friends all morning, he called his former wife, Sharer's mother, at 1:45p.m.; they met and filed a missing person report with the Clark County sheriff. The cause of death was smoke inhalation. A sleepy Indiana town awoke one chilly morning in the winter of 1992 to discover the lifeless body of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer in an open field. "I was the bad person.". Catch the episode of The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade, titled The New Girl, on Investigation Discovery on August 19, 2022. [76] McCarty's drawing titled Melinda Loveless, Toni Lawrence, Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett, and Shanda Sharer January 11, 1992 (1:39 am) (20002001) is now in the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Melinda Loveless, now 43, was released from the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis on Thursday, according to a spokeswoman for the Indiana Department of Correction. Her parents discovered the self-mutilation and checked her into a hospital on March 19, 1991. One of the four women convicted ofbeating, burning and killing 12-year-old Shanda Renee Sharer in 1992 was released Thursday from prison on the 26th anniversary of the girl's body being found. Her prediction was partly true. Shanda Sharer was 12 years old on January 11, 1992 when she was brutally tortured and murdered by 4 teenage girls. There she met Loveless; the two became friends in late November. Part 2: How fake witnesses, exposed surveillance operation unravel Grundy murder investigation, Burger Chef murder victim's mom had surprising thing to say after 1978 killings, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. During the car ride, Sharer continued begging them to take her back home. Like Mary, Melindas last known location is Indiana. Ultimately four teenage girls would be arrested and charged for the murd. That torture wasnt enough to satiate the older girls. "Ididn't know Shanda at all. In October of that year, the pair attended a school dance together. Tackett claimed that she was molested at least twice as a child at ages 5 and 12. Image of Melinda Loveless, taken in Dec. 2007. [7], Mary Laurine "Laurie" Tackett was born in Madison, Indiana, on October 5, 1974. She said her goal is to make Shanda proud of her, and she believes Angel would do that. In 1994, Tackett and Loveless appealed their sentences, citing their difficult childhoods. At present, all of them are out of prison, much before the end of their sentences. An Indiana program called ICAN, or Indiana Canine Assistant Network, has been helping Loveless. The 12-year-old seemed to have things working for her, and when she went missing, she was enrolled in a Catholic school. Unfortunately, that did nothing to stop the horrific events that would soon unfold. The girls then took Sharer into their car and told her they were going to drive her to the meeting place at the Witchs Castle, an isolated and abandoned house that served as a local teen hangout. As Shanda Sharers mother, Jacque Vaught, said in a 2012 interview, I had many times said if you want to see as close to a person who has absolutely nothing inside of them, look into Melindas eyes because theres nothing there.. Melinda Loveless has spent more than 7,000 sunrises and sunsets -- half her life -- behind razor wire. Published on May 20, 2011. She's my child," said Jacque. There, Loveless taunted that she had pretty hair and wondered how pretty she would look if they were to cut it off, which frightened Sharer even more. She remained on parole until December 2002. [67], The poem In God's Arms by author Lacy Gray dedicated to the family of Shanda Renee Sharer. [2] After Sharer's parents divorced, her mother remarried and the family moved to Louisville. The whole episode I refer to Shanda as Shandra. Melinda is training Angel to help someone in need, but Angel is already helping her. Larry became a marriage counselor with the church and acquired a reputation for being too forward with women, eventually attempting to rape one of them. Loveless began taking off Sharer's rings and handed each to the girls. Loveless hit the victims face with her knee until she bled profusely from her mouth. Three more hours later, they took her to another . But, that night, Lawrence and Rippey went straight to the Jefferson County Sheriffs office with their parents and spilled the whole story. In 2012, Jacque Vaught made her first contact with Melinda Loveless since the trials, although indirectly. Although Heavrin and Loveless had never formally ended their relationship, Loveless started to date an older girl. All four of them were tried as adults and received lengthy sentences instead of the death penalty due to the plea bargain they entered after pleading guilty to their crimes. Clockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. (Sun. According to the show, Shanda began spending much time with her, and the two became romantically involved. Loveless and Tackett took turns stabbing Sharer in the chest. They both gave very rambling statements, identifying the victim as "Shanda", naming the two other girls involved as best as they could, and describing the main events of the previous night. Her case attracted nationwide attention due to its gruesome nature. [58] After serving 26+ years in prison, she will serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. In March 1991, Loveless revealed to her mother that she was a lesbian. And I know what my child would want. An Indiana Department of Correction spokeswoman says 44-year-old Melinda Loveless was released from the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis on Thursday after serving 23 years and eight months . All four girls who perpetrated the assault and murder of Shanda Sharer were tried as adults. Loveless then threatened Sharer in public and soon even talked about killing the 12-year-old. The incident attracted international attention due to both the brutality of the murder and the young age of the perpetrators, who were aged between 15 and 17 years old. In October 2007, Loveless's attorney, Mark Small, requested a hearing to argue for his client's release. All four girls were tried as adults and accepted plea bargains in order to avoid the death penalty. What followed was a shocking story of deceit and torture. Toni was released in 2000 after serving almost nine years in prison, remaining on parole until late 2002. Why 12-Year-Old Shanda Sharer Was Tortured And Killed By Four Teenage Girls. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. why taoism is often misunderstood as a superstitious religion because eric montross big grits eric montross big grits [68], "Mean", an episode from the fifth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, is based on the murder. Melinda Loveless, 17, Laurie Tackett, 17, Hope Rippey, 16, and Toni Lawrence, 16, plotted to murder Shanda as retaliation for Shanda dating Loveless's ex-girlfriend, Amanda Heavrin. There, Sharer attended fifth and sixth grades at St. Paul School, where she was on the cheerleading, volleyball, and softball teams. She told Heavrin that they had killed Sharer and arranged to pick up Heavrin later that day. Loveless and Tackett stripped off Sharers clothes and proceeded to punch her repeatedly. Then, on the night the body was found, a 15-year-old girl, Toni Lawrence, walked into the police station claiming to know about the murder. Tackett let Rippey drive the four girls to Jeffersonville, where Sharer stayed with her father on the weekends, stopping at a McDonald's restaurant en route to ask for directions. First, they took Sharer to a remote trash dump near a logging road in a densely forested area. First, Melinda and Laurie stripped Shanda naked near a remote trash dump while Hope and Toni waited in the . "[38], The girls drove to a gas station near Madison Consolidated High School, pumped some gasoline into the car, and bought a two-liter bottle of Pepsi. Wikimedia Commons Shanda Sharer In 1991, Shanda Sharer was a bubbly 12-year-old attending Hazelwood Middle School in New Albany, Ind. [23], In 1990, 14-year-old Loveless began dating another young girl named Amanda Heavrin. 12-year-old Shanda Sharer was murdered in 1992. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the murder of Shanda Sharer. The crime was documented in two true crime books, Little Lost Angel by Michael Quinlan[30] and Cruel Sacrifice by Aphrodite Jones;[64] Jones's book on the case became a New York Times Bestseller. People were even more shocked when it was revealed that four teenage girls were responsible for the brutal murder. Witnesses said thatLoveless plotted to kill Sharer because she believed Sharer had stolen her 15-year-old girlfriend from her. She was kidnapped, tortured and burned alive by four teenage girls. But once Shanda got into the car, Melinda got out of her hiding place and held a knife to Shandas throat, and grabbed her hair. I couldnt thank her enough. 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