I couldnt thank her enough. If you dont let good things come from bad things nothing gets better. [71], In May 2011, Dr. Phil aired a two-part series on the crime, which featured Shanda Sharer's mother and sister Paige, who both harshly confronted Hope Rippey on the show, and an interview with Amanda Heavrin. In Dec. 1992,Loveless pleaded guilty to the Jan. 11, 1992 murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer of New Albany. Heavrin was horrified and asked to be taken home. He would also embarrass his children by finding their underwear and smelling it in front of other family members. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. Her parents, Stephen Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught got divorced when Shanda was very young. She claimed that living with her family in Michigan was somewhat turbulent. The ringleader and jealous lover soon leapt out from under the blanket and threatened to slit Sharers throat if she didnt confess to stealing Heavrin away from her. 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. "I was the monster. Witnesses also testified that Tackett, who was obsessed with the occult and the notion of killing someone, had proposed asking Sharer's ghost during a seance how it felt to die by fire, according to IndyStar archives. They then strangled Sharer with a rope until she was unconscious, placed her in the trunk of the car, and told the other two girls that Sharer was dead. 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. Loveless ordered Sharer to slip off her bra, which she then handed over to Rippey, who slid off her own bra and replaced it with Sharer's while steering the car. Eventually, they took her to another abandoned location and beat her mercilessly before stabbing her in the chest repeatedly. It was a crime of passion and peer pressure committed by four teenage girls. Just to be sure their work was finished, Loveless had them return a few minutes later to pour some more gasoline on her, watch her writhe in agony, and finally confirm that she was dead. Her prediction was partly true. That torture wasnt enough to satiate the older girls. Instead, they stabbed her in the chest and strangled her with a rope before throwing her in the trunk of the car, thinking she was dead. Melinda was someone who had learned to nurture something, love it, then let it go, as she did with Odle last March. Jacque said she still has no plans to meet face-to-face with her daughter's killers. Thats all it was. On this particular weekend Shanda had been staying with her father, Steve Sharer, and Melinda knew it. Tackett told people in one interview that, I didnt know Shanda at all. 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. Next, Loveless repeatedly slammed Sharer's face into her knee, which cut Sharer's mouth on her own braces. He said that Loveless had been "profoundly retarded" by childhood abuse. And Im doing it for her.. There, they cold-heartedly beat and terrorized the girl. Her family has long suspected that her killer is someone she knew, but they have never been able to prove it. The foursome drove to where Sharer was spending the weekend with her father. Court testimony showed Loveless wanted Sharer killed because the two competed for the affections of the same girl. Veteran journalist and host of Investigation Discovery's "True Crime with Aphrodite Jones", Jones reveals the shocking truth behind the most savage crime in Indiana history-the torture, mutilation, and murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer by four teenage girls. In today's video, we talk about 1992 torture and murder of 12 year old Shanda Sharer where she was kidnapped, beaten, tortured, and then burned alive by four. Melinda Loveless, now 43, left the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis after serving nearly 24 years of a 60-year sentence for the brutal murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer in 1992. The fifth had been tortured and mutilated nearly beyond recognition. copilot vs ynab shanda sharer killers where are they now shanda sharer killers where are they now. She would often attempt to impress her friends by pretending to be possessed by the spirit of "Deanna the Vampire". Shanda Sharer was 12 years old on January 11, 1992 when she was brutally tortured and murdered by 4 teenage girls. All four girls who perpetrated the assault and murder of Shanda Sharer were tried as adults. The foursome drove to where Sharer was spending the weekend with her father. 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. Jun 20, 1992 at 12:00 am. 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. "I liked it because it wasn't planned," said Loveless. 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. Behind bars, she trains puppies to be assistance dogs for disabled people. After Loveless's father left the family and her mother remarried, Loveless behaved erratically. They then tried to slit Sharers throat, but the knife was too dull. She remained on supervised parole until April 2011. Death of Innocence - The Murder of Young Shanda Sharer BY David Lohr Autopsy On Sunday morning, Dr. George Nichols conducted Shanda's autopsy. Meanwhile, Lawrence and Rippey stayed behind in Tacketts car. There, Sharer attended fifth and sixth grades at St. Paul School, where she was on the cheerleading, volleyball, and softball teams. [20] Her father was an engineer at a power plant. Tackett grew up in a strict religious household where normal teenager things were not welcome behaviors. The case was covered on national news and talk shows and has inspired a number of episodes on fictional crime shows. The story was turned into a play by Rob Urbinati called Hazelwood Jr. High, which starred Chlo Sevigny as Tackett. Her parents divorced in February 1984, and she moved with her mother and siblings to Quincy, Michigan, for three years. Shanda Sharer, 12 years old, had been reported missing by her parents some eight hours earlier. A small memorial to Shanda Sharer in the field where she died. Shanda attended fifth and sixth grades in Louisville at St. Paul School where she was on the cheer leading, volleyball and softball teams. "Angel is in good hands. The four girls crossed the river to Louisville and attended a punk rock show by the band Sunspring[30] at the Audubon Skate Park near Interstate 65. It was published February 8, 1993 and May 11, 1995 in the Jeffersonville, Indiana-based newspaper, The Evening News. The 1992 . "I was the bad person.". And I said. [44][45], At 8:20p.m., a hysterical Lawrence and Rippey went to the Jefferson County Sheriff's office with their parents. 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. In 2012, Shanda Sharer's mother Jackie Vaught made headlines when she publicly forgave Melinda Loveless. Itspiraled out of control way too fast. 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. Died: 11 January 1992. Shanda moved around a few times due to her parents divorcing. Witnesses said thatLoveless plotted to kill Sharer because she believed Sharer had stolen her 15-year-old girlfriend from her. Melinda was released in September 2019, and while in prison, she trained service dogs for those living with trauma and disabilities. Loveless tried to slash Sharer's throat, but the knife was too dull. Slaughter 35,000 Civilians During One Korean War Massacre Or Is It North Korean Propaganda? [43], Sharer's father, Steven, noticed his daughter was nowhere to be found early on January 11. [41], A friend of Loveless, Crystal Wathen, came over to Loveless's house, and they told her what had happened. [7], Mary Laurine "Laurie" Tackett was born in Madison, Indiana, on October 5, 1974. 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. He received a sentence of time served and was released in June 1995. They initially thought it was a mannequin of some sort, but upon exiting the vehicle realized that it was clearly the burned body of a child. There were also reports of the victim being sexually assaulted with the same weapon. She was sincere. Murderpedia Shanda Sharer's killers. I've given her medicine, her baths. After she washed, Tackett told the girls' futures with her "runestones". My opinion is that they [kill] to feel superior, or high on the victims fear, and theyre thirsty for the spill of blood.. I couldn't thank her enough. Her parents would eventually divorce, and Shanda's mother Jacque would move the family to New Albany, Indiana in June 1991. 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. Shanda Renee Sharer was born in June 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky. The description matched his Jane Doe. [3] When her mother divorced again, the family moved in June 1991 to New Albany, Indiana, and Sharer enrolled at Hazelwood Middle School. Tackett told the girls that a local legend said the house was once owned by nine witches and that townspeople burned down the house to get rid of the witches.[33]. Lastly, Loveless was released from Indiana Women's Prison on September 5, 2019. Toni was released in 2000 after serving almost nine years in prison, remaining on parole until late 2002. Lawrence refused. [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. The two. 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. And Im doing it for Shanda. 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. The details of her murder shocked the area. Loveless then convinced the other girls to take Sharer to a remote location where there would be no one else around for miles. [62] By November 2018 Shanda's mother Jacque Vaught stated that the scholarship fund had been depleted and is no longer accepting donations. 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. ""All I've ever said is, 'I just want them to serve their sentence.' [7], Marjorie had worked intermittently since 1974. I think the ICAN program allows her to have something in her life that she can show love back to and theres never betrayal on either side.. Loveless and Tackett took turns stabbing Sharer in the chest. Melinda Loveless, now 43, left the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis after serving nearly 24 years of a 60-year sentence for the brutal murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer in 1992. While Tackett, Rippey, and Lawrence had never met Sharer prior to that night, Tackett had already known of the plan to intimidate the 12-year-old girl. She convinced three other teens -- Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett and Toni Lawrence -- to participate in the crime because she believed Sharer stole her girlfriend. Melinda has also reportedly changed her name since her release and prefers to stay away from the public eyes. In May 1989, her mother discovered that Tackett was changing from a dress into jeans at school, and, after a confrontation that night, attempted to strangle her. She said her goal is to make Shanda proud of her, and she believes Angel would do that. 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. Sharer was twelve year old girl from Indiana, USA. She passed away when she was 12 years old. In exchange for her cooperation, Lawrence was allowed to plead guilty to one count of criminal confinement and was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years. Shanda endured hell and was later put in the trunk of the car, only in her underwear. In court, Teddy described an incident in which Larry tied all three sisters in a garage and raped them in succession; however, the sisters did not confirm this account. 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. Shanda Sharer was a 12 year old girl living in the idyllic town of Madison, Indiana. Sharer's body was found the morning of Jan. 11, 1992. Her parents were Stephen Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught. Sharer's mother, Jacque Vaught, told WAVE 3 News in 2007, when Loveless sought an early release, that Loveless was the mastermind of the crime. Nationality: American. 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. The Shanda Sharer Murder. But the Indiana Supreme Court upheld their sentences. Authorities quickly narrowed in on the killers four teenage girls, three of whom had never met the victim until . She was released on December 14, 2000 after serving nine years in prison. The cause of death was smoke inhalation. April 25, 2016. Her father, a Vietnam veteran, sexually abused her and her siblings when they were younger and experts have attributed her anger to that abuse (for which he was later arrested and convicted). "We bring our challenges, many times, to Melinda because she's able to figure out what their strength is," said Sally Irvin of ICAN. [72], The murder of Sharer was covered in the first of two segments in the Lifetime series Killer Kids, episode "Jealousy", aired: July 2014. It is also to be noted that her body was posed in a suggestive position, very obviously meaning that this was done on purpose and with intention. [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. Shanda Sharer. She's like my kid," said Loveless. Three more hours later, they took her to another . She was kidnapped, tortured and burned alive by four teenage girls. 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. [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. As per the show, Hope and Mary poured the accelerant over Shanda, who was set on fire while she was still alive. At present, all of them are out of prison, much before the end of their sentences. The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade: The New Girl chronicles what happened to Shanda and how four girls were responsible for her death. All rights reserved. The details of her murder shocked the area. More: Part 2: How fake witnesses, exposed surveillance operation unravel Grundy murder investigation, More: Burger Chef murder victim's mom had surprising thing to say after 1978 killings. Vaught did something remarkable after seeing her daughters killer at work. Loveless admitted abducting Sharer, torturing her and burning her to death in Madison. Larry became a Baptist lay preacher and Marjorie became the school nurse. 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