But 20 years later, something no one expected happened. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack. Tacketts motives aside, what would drive 16-year-old Loveless to mastermind such a brutal murder? Death of Innocence - The Murder of Young Shanda Sharer BY David Lohr Autopsy On Sunday morning, Dr. George Nichols conducted Shanda's autopsy. The killers looked no different than girls I knew in school who walked around, wreaking havoc and completely out of control. The murder of Shanda Sharer occured in Madison, Indiana early in the morning on January 11, 1982. The Events Leading to the Murder At the time of her murder, Shanda Renee Sharer was the 12-year old daughter of divorced parents, attending school at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic school in New Albany, Indiana, after transferring the previous year from Hazelwood Middle School. 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. Melinda Loveless has spent more than 7,000 sunrises and sunsets -- half her life -- behind razor wire. Later that morning, two hunters found the body. The foursome drove to where Sharer was spending the weekend with her father. Her family has long suspected that her killer is someone she knew, but they have never been able to prove it. They lived in or near New Albany throughout Melinda's childhood. Photos: Kent's killers; Then-Now - Sun-Sentinel Her prediction was partly true. 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. Small stated that he would seek to have jurisdiction over the case moved to the Indiana Supreme Court. Tackett grew up in a strict religious household where normal teenager things were not welcome behaviors. The whole thing happened around the jealousy stemming from lesbian relationships. On the morning of January 11, 1992, 2 hunters found Shanda's beaten and burned body. 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. [3] When her mother divorced again, the family moved in June 1991 to New Albany, Indiana, and Sharer enrolled at Hazelwood Middle School. Shanda Sharer. Melinda Loveless, now 44, was one of four women convicted in the 1992 death of Shanda Sharer. Shanda was born on June 6th, 1979, and was born in Pineville, Kentucky. The girls then drove to the field near Madison, covered her with a blanket, and poured gasoline on her. However, Amanda was in an on-and-off relationship with Loveless, who could not handle the jealousy and made public threats to kill Sharer. Shanda Sharer Murder: Where Are Her Killers Now? I think the ICAN program allows her to have something in her life that shows her unconditional love, that she can show that love back to, and there's a result. [51] Rippey was sentenced to 60 years, with 10 years suspended for mitigating circumstances, plus 10 years of medium-supervision probation. [56], Tackett was released from Rockville Correctional Facility on January 11, 2018, the 26th anniversary of Sharer's death, after serving nearly 26 years, and has completed an additional year of parole.[57]. [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. When both parents were working, the family was financially well off, living in the upper-middle-class suburb of Floyds Knobs, Indiana. In the back seat, Melinda Loveless was hiding under a blanket with a knife. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. She was close friends with Rippey from childhood. -- 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 . A small memorial to Shanda Sharer in the field where she died. [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. 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. Vaught reported that she had endured criticism over the decision, but defends it saying, "It's my choice to make. Shanda Sharer, a young girl with a promising future, was the victim of a brutal torture death that has forever been imprinted into the minds of the locals. 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. According to the show, Shanda began spending much time with her, and the two became romantically involved. 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. My opinion is that they [kill] to feel superior, or high on the victims fear, and theyre thirsty for the spill of blood.. 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. Tackett poured out the Pepsi and refilled the bottle with gasoline. 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. Mary Laurine "Laurie" Tackett, 43, of Madison, was released shortly after midnight, according to officials from the Indiana Department of Correction. She's my child," said Jacque. 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. 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. That'sall it was. And I said. After more than seven hoursof torture, the girls ended itby soaking Sharer with gasoline and burning her alive alongside a country road, evidence revealed. MurderpediaClockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. She was sincere. Her parents divorced in February 1984, and she moved with her mother and siblings to Quincy, Michigan, for three years. [7], Mary Laurine "Laurie" Tackett was born in Madison, Indiana, on October 5, 1974. Amanda. She donated a puppy in her daughter's honor to the Indiana Canine Assistance Network program, where Loveless had taken to training dogs for the disabled. This description of how the investigation unfolded . During her sentencing hearingin 1993, Tackettconceded that she let opportunities to save Sharer's life slip awayand that she was too afraid to stop it. All four girls had troubled backgrounds, with claims of physical or sexual abuse committed by a parent or other adult. Melinda is training Angel to help someone in need, but Angel is already helping her. Toni was released in 2000 after serving almost nine years in prison, remaining on parole until late 2002. Sharer told the girls to return after her parents were asleep, which they did. 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. Sharer's mother and sister were also guests on the show. 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. Loveless ordered Sharer to tell the truth about stealing the girlfriend or have her throat slit. This tire-iron assault was off and on for hours as the girls went on a joyride through the countryside. Its my choice to make. Melinda Loveless has a new lease on life as a trainer of service dogs for the disabled. [59][60] A few weeks following his release, Larry unsuccessfully sued the Floyd County Jail for $39 million in federal court, alleging he had suffered cruel and unusual punishment during his two-year incarceration. 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. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. But it was one such dance that set in motion a chain of events that would soon bring Shanda Sharers life to a gruesome, torturous end at the hands of four teenage girls. Larry became a Baptist lay preacher and Marjorie became the school nurse. On a freezing January in 1992, five teenage girls crowded into a car. She served over 26 years in prison and will continue to serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Despite a desperate search, there was no sign of Shanda, and the family filed a missing person report. 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. Loveless then convinced the other girls to take Sharer to a remote location where there would be no one else around for miles. [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. [17] Loveless, often described as the ringleader in the attack,[50] had the most extensive history of abuse and mental health issues. In 2012, Jacque Vaught made her first contact with Melinda Loveless since the trials, although indirectly. Shanda Renee Sharer was born June 6th 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky. Furthermore, Shandas grades were getting affected. 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. And I would thank her. Both older girls said he molested them, though Melinda did not admit this ever happened to her. In March 1991, Loveless revealed to her mother that she was a lesbian. 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. She has chosen to keep her life private since then, and not much is known about what she currently does; her last known location remains to be Indiana. [2] After Sharer's parents divorced, her mother remarried and the family moved to Louisville. Investigation Discoverys The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade: The New Girl chronicles what happened to Shanda and how four girls were responsible for her death. And also don't understand your outrage. It was Shanda, and the investigation revealed that she had been burned alive after being tortured for hours. Larry and Marjorie gave full confession and renounced drinking and swinging while they were members. 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]. At the Witch's Castle, they took a sobbing Sharer inside and bound her arms and legs with rope. Below read an excerpt from the book and delve into the tragic . Join us as we discuss the motive that turned teenage girls into killers and the aftermath of Shanda's murder. Once they had her in their car, they beat and tortured her for hours before finally setting her on fire. Upon arrival, they borrowed some clothes from Loveless, and she showed them a knife, telling them she was going to scare Sharer with it. She had since reportedly married her girlfriend and seems to live in Indiana. 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.. ", "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. 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