Tackett told people in one interview that, I didnt know Shanda at all. She served over 26 years in prison and will continue to serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky. 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 . 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. 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. 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. Melinda has also reportedly changed her name since her release and prefers to stay away from the public eyes. Her prediction was partly true. Loveless was released from Indiana Women's Prison on September 5, 2019. The girls then drove to the field near Madison, covered her with a blanket, and poured gasoline on her. First, they took Sharer to a remote trash dump near a logging road in a densely forested area. If the judge accepted these arguments, Loveless could have been retried or released outright. The Abduction. All four girls were tried as adults and accepted plea bargains in order to avoid the death penalty. 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. They drove north of Madison, past Jefferson Proving Ground to Lemon Road off U.S. Route 421, a place known to Rippey. 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.. Meanwhile, Lawrence and Rippey stayed behind in Tacketts car. ", "Judge denies Loveless' request for early release in torture-killing", "Woman convicted in 1992 murder released from prison", "Mastermind behind brutal murder of Indiana girl in 1992 released from prison", "New Albany memorial focuses on Shanda, not her murder", "Shanda Sharer's mother and murderer form unlikely alliance", "In Cold Blood: A Daughter's Brutal Murder", "Watch Jealousy Full Episode - Killer Kids | Lifetime", "Sex and Death: Interview with Marlene McCarty", "MOCA Collection: Marlene McCarty: 20002001: Melinda Loveless, Toni Lawrence, Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett, and Shanda Sharer January 11, 1992 (1:39 am)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Shanda_Sharer&oldid=1133311329, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using embedded infobox templates with the title parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Body of Shanda Sharer found in rural Jefferson County, Indiana, Loveless and Tackett accept plea bargains, A judge reduces Rippey's 60-year sentence to 35 years, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 04:34. Shanda would start attending Hazelwood Middle School and was quickly making friends. Then, the three girls drove to pick up Heavrin and take her back to the Loveless home, where they told Heavrin the story. I had never heard of Shanda Sharer before she was killed, but her murder has made me a fervent advocate for the prevention of crime. Jacque Vaught said she hopes to give away a service dog raised in prison every year in Shanda's name, and she is open to Melinda raising more of them. MurderpediaClockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. After this look at the murder of Shanda Sharer, read about the disturbing killing of James Bulger. Melinda Loveless, the mastermind behind the cruel gang rape torture-murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer in 1992 was released on Thursday, Sept. 5, after serving more than 26 years in prison. That'sall it was. All four girls had troubled backgrounds, with claims of physical or sexual abuse committed by a parent or other adult. why taoism is often misunderstood as a superstitious religion because eric montross big grits eric montross big grits Loveless and Tackett took turns stabbing Sharer in the chest. She was reunited with friends Tackett and Toni Lawrence, whom she had known since childhood, although her parents saw Tackett as a bad influence. The 12-year-old began to cry and tried to answer Loveless' questions, testimony showed. After reading about the murder of Bobby Kent that inspired the film "Bully," learn about . Next, Loveless repeatedly slammed Sharer's face into her knee, which cut Sharer's mouth on her own braces. They then tried to slit Sharers throat, but the knife was too dull. She got into fights at school and reported being depressed, resulting in her receiving professional counseling. Its something that should have never happened., Furthermore, in an interview on Dr. Phil, the convicted killer explained why she thinks people kill. Authorities quickly narrowed in on the killers four teenage girls, three of whom had never met the victim until . For nearly eight hours, the girls sexually assaulted and tortured Shanda Sharer, except for Toni Lawrence which refused to participate in the heinous act. "They're going to have that.". [31], Eventually, the four girls left for Sharer's house. Hang with us: Follow Us on Instagram Like Us on Facebook Join our Case Discussion Group on Facebook Get Killer Queens Merch 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. After this incident, Larry filed for divorce and moved to Avon Park, Florida. Pretty much, they'd been a group of strangers who came together in order to murder an innocent 12 year old stranger. Sharer entered the car, not knowing Loveless was hiding in the back seat under a blanket, according to IndyStar archives. By the end of the night, only four of them were alive. But, that night, Lawrence and Rippey went straight to the Jefferson County Sheriffs office with their parents and spilled the whole story. [47] Loveless and Tackett were arrested on January 12. So I get it," said Loveless from the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. Shanda Renee Sharer (19791992) was a young girl who was tortured and burned to death in Madison, Indiana by four teenage girls. When they heard Sharer screaming in the trunk, Tackett went out with a paring knife and stabbed her several more times, coming back a few minutes later covered with blood. She began attending Hazelwood Junior High School where she met Amanda Heavrin, 15, and developed a romantic interest in her. [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. I was really taken aback, Vaught said after watching. It spiraled out of control way too fast. Larry was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and although horribly emotionally scarred, he was treated as a hero upon his return. [36][37], Loveless and Tackett returned to Tackett's house just before daybreak to clean up again. She was compassionate. There, they cold-heartedly beat and terrorized the girl. Unfortunately, that did nothing to stop the horrific events that would soon unfold. Loveless explained to the two other girls that she disliked Sharer for being a copycat and for stealing her girlfriend.[28]. Her death is notable due to the torture she endured for more than 10 hours, and subsequently being burned alive. Lawrence remained in the car while Tackett and Rippey wrapped Sharer, who was still alive, in a blanket, and carried her to a field by the gravel country road. shanda sharer killers where are they nowtransfer function of capacitor and resistor in parallel. 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. People were even more shocked when it was revealed that four teenage girls were responsible for the brutal murder. She even showed Amanda the bloody trunk and Shanda's bloody clothes. Larry, who was violent and abusive, did not usually share his income with the family and impulsively spent any money he earned on himself, especially firearms, motorcycles and cars. 12-year-old Shanda Sharer was murdered in 1992. Melinda Loveless has a new lease on life as a trainer of service dogs for the disabled. 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. Clockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. In March 1991, Loveless revealed to her mother that she was a lesbian. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. Her parents were Stephen Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught. Its my choice to make. Everyone involved had been sworn to secrecy. She donated a puppy named Angel for Loveless to train in prison. The 1992 . [26] Heavrin states she gave letters Loveless sent her containing death threats towards Sharer to a "youth prosecutor", but the youth prosecutor never did anything about it as far as she knew. "I saw someone who was almost reborn.". Loveless admitted abducting Sharer, torturing her and burning her to death in Madison. State trooper David Camm and Jefferson County Sheriff Buck Shippley and detectives began an investigation, collecting forensic evidence at the scene. Shanda was born in Pineville, Kentucky on the 6th of June 1979. "I've loved her, I've cried on her. 'Wow.'". [18] In December, Tackett moved back to Madison on the promise that her father would buy her a car. Larry and Marjorie gave full confession and renounced drinking and swinging while they were members. [15] Tackett began to engage in self-harm, especially after early 1991 when she began dating a girl who was involved in the practice. A small memorial to Shanda Sharer in the field where she died. Tackett, who was 17 at the time of the killing, was charged as an adult and sentenced to 60 years in the Indiana Women's Prison in 1993 alongside co-defendantMelinda Loveless of New Albany. That's all I've ever said.". She was 12 years old at the time of her death. 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. "If you don't let good things come from bad things, nothing gets better. Melinda felt crushed, especially when Larry remarried. Her parents divorced in February 1984, and she moved with her mother and siblings to Quincy, Michigan, for three years. They entered plea bargains to avoid the death penalty. [10], The extent of Larry's abuse of his daughters and other children is unclear. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A classmate of a southern Indiana girl murdered in 1992 said the Indiana justice system should be ashamed of itself. [7], Marjorie had worked intermittently since 1974. Her parents, Stephen Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught got divorced when Shanda was very young. Vaught reported that she had endured criticism over the decision, but defends it saying, "It's my choice to make. The bulk of the evidence for the arrest warrant came from the statements made by Lawrence and Rippey. Shanda Sharer was born on June 6, 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky to Steve Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught. 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. 12-year-old Shanda Sharer was murdered in 1992. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. She was close to her mother, Jacqueline Vaught, who said her daughter was good at gymnastics, basketball, and baseball and was a cheerleader. Lastly, Loveless was released from Indiana Women's Prison on September 5, 2019. Full name: Shanda Rene Sharer. And Im doing it for Shanda. This description of how the investigation unfolded . [52], On January 8, 2008, Loveless's request was rejected by Jefferson Circuit Judge Ted Todd. 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. At around 7 am on January 11, 1992, Shandas father, Steve, realized that his daughter wasnt at home in Jeffersonville, Indiana; she had been staying with him at the time. Vaught stated that she hoped to donate a dog every year in honor of Shanda Sharer. The fund planned to provide scholarships to two students per year from Prosser School of Technology in New Albany; one scholarship to a student who is continuing his or her education, and the other scholarship to a student who is beginning his or her career and must buy tools or other work equipment. Shanda Sharer met classmate Amanda Heavrin at Hazelwood in 1991, soon after moving to the area with her recently divorced mother from Kentucky. 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. She convinced three other teens -- Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett and Toni Lawrence -- to participate in the crime because she believed Sharer stole her girlfriend. She took up Charlie, the breeder, on his idea to donate a puppy in Shanda's honor, and she let Melinda loveless train her. As they got in the car, Rippey began questioning Sharer about her relationship with Heavrin. Your login session has expired. Rippey came out of the car to hold down Sharer. "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. Sharer was born on June 6, 1979, in the small town of Pineville, Kentucky, to Steve Sharer and Jackie Vaught. The perpetrators were four teenage girls who committed unspeakable crimes under the influence of teenage jealousy and peer pressure. In an interview with Shanda Sharer's mother, Jacque Vaught, on the Investigation Discovery series Deadly Women, Vaught stated that Sharer's father was so destroyed by his daughter's murder that he "did everything he could to kill himself besides put a gun to his head" and that he "drank himself to death. Sharer said that she could not go because her parents were awake, and she told the girls to come back around midnight, a few hours later. Hope was handed down a 40-year sentence for her involvement, and she was supposed to serve 17-and-a-half years of it behind bars. [39][40], The girls went to a McDonald's restaurant at 9:30a.m. for breakfast, where they laughed about Sharer's body looking like one of the sausages they were eating. He filed for bankruptcy in 1980. In January 2018, Mary was released from prison and was on parole for a year after that. Be the first one to comment on this story. The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade: The New Girl chronicles what happened to Shanda and how four girls were responsible for her death. [49] Tackett was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and suffering from hallucinations. After she washed, Tackett told the girls' futures with her "runestones". Shanda Sharer was born in the Pineville Community Hospital in Pineville, Kentucky, on June 6, 1979, to Stephen Sharer and his wife Jacqueline, who was later known as Jacqueline Vaught. [73][74], The Investigation Discovery series The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade, episode "The New Girl" interviews Sharer's mother along with lead police officers, aired: November 2018. Slaughter 35,000 Civilians During One Korean War Massacre Or Is It North Korean Propaganda? Among his complaints were that he was not allowed to sleep in his bed during the day or to read the newspaper. I wish I had the time to re-record. An Indiana program called ICAN, or Indiana Canine Assistant Network, has been helping Loveless. Death of Innocence - The Murder of Young Shanda Sharer BY David Lohr Autopsy On Sunday morning, Dr. George Nichols conducted Shanda's autopsy. Concerned about the effects of their daughter's relationship with Heavrin, Sharer's parents arranged for her to transfer to a Catholic school in late November. Please logout and login again. [8], The Loveless parents would often visit bars in Louisville where Larry would pretend to be a doctor or a dentist and introduce Marjorie as his girlfriend. January 1992- New Albany, Indiana- 12 year old Shanda Sharer is abducted, tortured and killed by 4 teenage girls.I feel like I have done a huge disservice to Shanda and her family. As the year progressed, Loveless's relationship with Heavrin deteriorated. He sent letters to her for a while, playing on her emotions, but eventually severed all contact with her, and in December 1998, he died. 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