Published on May 20, 2011. However, what was in store for them was much darker. She donated a puppy named Angel for Loveless to train in prison. And I said. She's (Shanda) my child. On the cold winter night of Jan. 10, 1992, Loveless enlisted three friends Laurie Tackett (17), Hope Rippey (15), and Toni Lawrence (15) to help her take her revenge on Shanda Sharer. It's something that should have never happened.". This description of how the investigation unfolded . Copyright 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. [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. So, lets find out more about this case then, shall we. I've given her medicine, her baths. Despite a desperate search, there was no sign of Shanda, and the family filed a missing person report. She was released on December 14, 2000 after serving nine years in prison. During an orgy with another couple at their house, Marjorie tried to commit suicide, an act she would repeat several times throughout her daughters' childhoods. Thats all it was. [9] When Melinda was nine years old, Larry had Marjorie gang raped, after which she tried to drown herself. She claimed that living with her family in Michigan was somewhat turbulent. Hope was released on parole in April 2006. And I know what my child would want. 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. Derek Kaufman,21, the tough gang leader who was found guilty of first-degree murder. In the end, Melinda and Mary pleaded guilty to murder, arson, and criminal confinement, receiving a 60-year sentence in January 1993. Loveless told Heavrin and another friend the whole story but had them promise to keep their mouths shut. Shanda Renee Sharer (June 6, 1979 - January 11, 1992) was an American girl who was tortured and burned to death in Madison, Indiana by Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. [18] In December, Tackett moved back to Madison on the promise that her father would buy her a car. In January 2018, Mary was released from prison and was on parole for a year after that. At that point, Amanda was in an on-and-off relationship with another teenager, Melinda Loveless. Instead, Loveless would be eligible for parole in 15 years, thus maintaining the original guilty plea. ", "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. There she met Loveless; the two became friends in late November. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the murder of Shanda Sharer. She convinced three other. Peer pressure. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. Eventually, they took her to another abandoned location and beat her mercilessly before stabbing her in the chest repeatedly. Vaught donated a dog named Angel in Shanda's name to Loveless to train for the Indiana Canine Assistance Network program (ICAN) through Project2heal, which provides service pets to people with disabilities. Upon arrival, they borrowed some clothes from Loveless, and she showed them a knife, telling them she was going to scare Sharer with it. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. In October of that year, the pair attended a school dance together. Social workers became involved, and Tackett's parents agreed to unannounced visits to ensure that child abuse was not occurring. A small memorial to Shanda Sharer in the field where she died. [11], For two years, beginning when Melinda was five, the family was deeply involved in the Graceland Baptist Church. Her parents resumed their relationship in Madison in 1987. 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. Loveless is the last of the four to be released from prison. Angel is in good hands. Shes my child. An Indiana program called ICAN, or Indiana Canine Assistant Network, has been helping Loveless. At the Witch's Castle, they took a sobbing Sharer inside and bound her arms and legs with rope. People were even more shocked when it was revealed that four teenage girls were responsible f At this point, Sharers mother transferred her to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in order to protect her. Lastly, Loveless was released from Indiana Women's Prison on September 5, 2019. Join us as we discuss the motive that turned teenage girls into killers and the aftermath of Shanda's murder. [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. Shanda would start attending Hazelwood Middle School and was quickly making friends. Online records list the earliest possible release date forLoveless as Sept. 5, 2019. But 20 years later, something no one expected happened. The story was turned into a play by Rob Urbinati called Hazelwood Jr. High, which starred Chlo Sevigny as Tackett. 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. Everyone involved had been sworn to secrecy. Toni pleaded guilty to criminal confinement and received a 20-year sentence due to her cooperation. 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. [44][45], At 8:20p.m., a hysterical Lawrence and Rippey went to the Jefferson County Sheriff's office with their parents. There, Sharer attended fifth and sixth grades at St. Paul School, where she was on the cheerleading, volleyball, and softball teams. [29] Loveless was angry at first, but Rippey and Lawrence assured her about returning for Sharer later. If the judge accepted these arguments, Loveless could have been retried or released outright. 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. "If you don't let good things come from bad things, nothing gets better. 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. She said her goal is to make Shanda proud of her, and she believes Angel would do that. Loveless hit the victims face with her knee until she bled profusely from her mouth. Furthermore, Shandas grades were getting affected. 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. 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. [34], Tackett led them to a dark abandoned building off a logging road in a densely forested area. They removed her jewelry and began threatening to cut off all Sharer's hair before they eventually lit a fire. Sharer continued to make crying and gurgling noises, so Tackett stopped the car. Her parents would eventually divorce, and Shanda's mother Jacque would move the family to New Albany, Indiana in June 1991. Known as one of the youngest serial killers ever, Mary was just 10 when she murdered two boys, age four and three, both by strangulation. [3], Melinda Loveless was born in New Albany on October 28, 1975, the youngest of three daughters, to Marjorie and Larry Loveless. But Tackett also explained how after beating Sharerthey locked the injured but still-living girl in the trunk of her car and drove her to the spot where she was set on fire. After Loveless's father left the family and her mother remarried, Loveless behaved erratically. Jacque saw something she had never seen before. Rippey was released on parole on April 28, 2006, from Indiana Women's Prison after serving 14 years of her original sentence. 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. In November, 1988, Minato (then using the first name Nobuharu) and Hiroshi Miyano (now using the surname Yokoyama), worked together to abduct Junko Furuta as she commuted home from a part-time job. [68], "Mean", an episode from the fifth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, is based on the murder. When the people of Madison, Indiana heard that a brutal murder had been committed in their midst, they were . Sharer was twelve year old girl from Indiana, USA. 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. Catch the episode of The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade, titled The New Girl, on Investigation Discovery on August 19, 2022. Image of Melinda Loveless, taken in Dec. 2007. She was sentenced to 60 years in prison but has served the required time for her release. She was compassionate. It was Shanda, and the investigation revealed that she had been burned alive after being tortured for hours. [63] A documentary produced by Episode 11 Productions, titled Charlie's Scars, captured Vaught's decision to allow Loveless to train dogs in Shanda's name. After that incident, the Loveless parents left the church and returned to their former professions and drinking. [12], In November 1990, after Larry was caught spying on Melinda and a friend, Marjorie attacked him with a knife; he was sent to the hospital after he attempted to grab it. Craig Schoonover made that statement after Melinda. It was also found that the victim's face and hands were burnt in an attempt to keep her unrecognizable and unidentifiable. Her father was a boilermaker. 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. Investigation Discovery's ' The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade: The New Girl' chronicles what happened to Shanda and how four girls were responsible for her death. Shanda Sharer. She was sentenced to 60 years in prison but has served the required [] MADISON, Ind. First, they took Sharer to a remote trash dump near a logging road in a densely forested area. Larry was verbally abusive to his daughters and fired a handgun in the direction of Melinda's older sister Michelle when she was seven, intentionally missing her. The grieving mother said she did it to honor her little girl, who she still thinks about every day. Small stated that he would seek to have jurisdiction over the case moved to the Indiana Supreme Court. Hope Rippey was one of four girls convicted of murdering Shanda Sharer luring her from her home in the dead of the night and pouring gasoline on her body. [53] On November 14, 2008, Loveless's appeal was denied by the Indiana Court of Appeals, upholding Judge Todd's ruling. 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. Shanda Sherer Shanda Sherer Shanda Sherer was born on June 6, 1979, in Pineville, Kentucky. She dropped out of high school in September 1991. [41], A friend of Loveless, Crystal Wathen, came over to Loveless's house, and they told her what had happened. The description matched his Jane Doe. Larry became a Baptist lay preacher and Marjorie became the school nurse. MADISON, IND. [46], Detectives obtained dental records that positively identified Sharer as the victim. 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. Derek Kaufman bids his mother Joan Esposito farewell as he kisses her hand in court after his sentencing. He thanks you for reading his content. All four girls had troubled backgrounds, with claims of physical or sexual abuse committed by a parent or other adult. Tackett told people in one interview that, I didnt know Shanda at all. On appeal, a judge reduced the sentence to 35 years. [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. 28 Pins 4y K Collection by Kim Hickey Similar ideas popular now True Crime Books Mens Skin Care Country Music Pure Products Youtube Books Quick Libros Book Book Illustrations Facts About People Unfortunately, that did nothing to stop the horrific events that would soon unfold. The Shanda Sharer Murder has forever changed my life. [25], After Heavrin and Sharer attended a festival together in late October, Loveless began to discuss killing Sharer and threatened her in public. She enlisted the help of her friend Laurie Tackett, 17, and the latter's childhood friends Hope Rippey, 15, and Toni Lawrence, 15. My opinion is that they [kill] to feel superior, or high on the victims fear, and theyre thirsty for the spill of blood.. I read the book about the case. The whole thing happened around the jealousy stemming from lesbian relationships. [52], On January 8, 2008, Loveless's request was rejected by Jefferson Circuit Judge Ted Todd. She remained on parole until December 2002. Shanda Sharer Murder: Where Are Her Killers Now? The foursome drove to where Sharer was spending the weekend with her father. 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. Loveless then sprang out from the back seat, put the knife to Sharer's throat and began interrogating her about her sexual relationship with Heavrin. The details of her murder shocked the area. Shanda's parents divorced when she was young, and she ended up . Shanda Sharer, 12 years old, had been reported missing by her parents some eight hours earlier. Upon further appeal, the judge reduced her sentence to 35 years. Hang with us: Follow Us on Instagram Like Us on Facebook Join our Case Discussion Group on Facebook Get Killer Queens Merch She had been stabbed, strangled, beaten and burned alive. [69][70], The Cold Case second-season episode "The Sleepover" is loosely based on this crime. I wish I had the time to re-record. Shanda Sharer. 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. 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. Death of Innocence - The Murder of Young Shanda Sharer BY David Lohr Autopsy On Sunday morning, Dr. George Nichols conducted Shanda's autopsy. In a new twist to the case, police have now arrested a man named Johnny Lee Sharer for . "We bring our challenges, many times, to Melinda because she's able to figure out what their strength is," said Sally Irvin of ICAN. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. On this particular weekend Shanda had been staying with her father, Steve Sharer, and Melinda knew it. [58] After serving 26+ years in prison, she will serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Most of the crimes occurred from 1968 to 1977. In March 1991, Loveless revealed to her mother that she was a lesbian. MurderpediaClockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. The four teenagers were eventually arrested, and initially, Melinda and Mary pointed the finger at each other for the torture-murder. When both parents were working, the family was financially well off, living in the upper-middle-class suburb of Floyds Knobs, Indiana. Tackett grew up in a strict religious household where normal teenager things were not welcome behaviors. 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. So I get it," said Loveless from the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. 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 authorities learned that while Shanda was in middle school, she befriended an older teenager named Amanda. From what we can tell, she chooses to keep a low profile and spends time with her children and father. She was discharged on April 12. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. The three other girls assumed Loveless was simply going to scare Sharer into breaking up with Heavrin. She convinced three other teens -- Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett and Toni Lawrence -- to participate in the crime because she believed Sharer stole her girlfriend. Then they lit Shanda Sharer on fire and drove off. [67], The poem In God's Arms by author Lacy Gray dedicated to the family of Shanda Renee Sharer. In January 1992, Shanda Sharer was brutally tortured and murdered by four teenage girls, led by Melinda Loveless, a 17-year-old girl from Louisville. [20] Her father was an engineer at a power plant. The girls drove Sharer to Witches Castle in Utica where they bound her legs and arms and began their torture of the twelve-year-old girl. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack. At a remote trash dump in a densely overgrown area, Loveless and her gang stripped the clothes from Sharer's body, punched her repeatedly, sprayed window cleaner into her eyes. "She was compassionate. She convinced three other teens Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett and Toni Lawrence to participate in the crime because she believed Sharer stole her girlfriend. The four girls abducted Sharer from her house at midnight on the pretext of driving her to meet Amanda in an abandoned building, where they tied her up and taunted her. She even showed Amanda the bloody trunk and Shanda's bloody clothes. Her parents discovered the self-mutilation and checked her into a hospital on March 19, 1991. [27], On the night of January 10, 1992, Lawrence (age 15), Rippey (15) and Tackett (17) drove in Tackett's car from Madison to Loveless's house in New Albany. All four girls who perpetrated the assault and murder of Shanda Sharer were tried as adults. 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. She currently goes by a different name and works for a trucking company based out of Madison. Shanda moved around a few times due to her parents divorcing. In May 2011, Tackett appeared on an episode of "Dr. One of the four women convicted of beating, 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.. Lawrence and Rippey quickly lost interest in the music and went to the parking lot outside, where they engaged in sexual activities with two boys in Tackett's car. Tackett made Rippey pour the gasoline on Sharer, and then they set her on fire. She even carved an "M" into the stomach of one . But a breeder who supplies dogs to the ICAN program at the prison forged an unexpected connection. [5], Larry worked irregularly for the Southern Railway after his military service; his profession allowed him to work whenever most convenient for him. Her name was Shanda Sharer; her age--twelve. After this look at the murder of Shanda Sharer, read about the disturbing killing of James Bulger. She was sincere. Sharer was born on June 6, 1979, in the small town of Pineville, Kentucky, to Steve Sharer and Jackie Vaught. 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. Turning cloudy, a shower possible after 3pm. 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. They called the police at 10:55a.m. and were asked to return to the corpse. The incident attracted international attention due to both the brutality of the murder and the young age of the perpetrators, who were aged . The man definitely died from a broken heart".[61]. Tackett was released in 2018, and served probation for one year. As they got in the car, Rippey began questioning Sharer about her relationship with Heavrin. Loveless admitted abducting Sharer, torturing her and burning her to death in Madison. MADISON, Ind. The case was covered on national news and talk shows and has inspired a number of episodes on fictional crime shows. Shanda attended fifth and sixth grades in Louisville at St. Paul School where she was on the cheer leading, volleyball and softball teams. Shanda Renee Sharer was born in June 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky. The 1992 . Witnesses said thatLoveless plotted to kill Sharer because she believed Sharer had stolen her 15-year-old girlfriend from her. Loveless was released in September 2019. She demanded that the board be burnt and that the Rippey house be exorcised. In January 1992, Shanda Sharer was brutally tortured and murdered by four teenage girls, led by Melinda Loveless, a 17-year-old girl from Louisville. Shanda Renee 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. The conversation woke up Tackett's mother, who yelled at her daughter for being out late and bringing home the girls, so Tackett agreed to take them home. 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 I would thank her. Lawrence was released from prison in 2000, and Rippey was released in 2006. Known For: Being Tortured and killed by 4 teenage girls. copilot vs ynab shanda sharer killers where are they now shanda sharer killers where are they now. For hours, they tortured a barely conscious Sharer by assaulting her with a tire iron before ultimately taking her to a field and burning her alive. 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. He received a sentence of time served and was released in June 1995. She did a good thing. Next, Loveless repeatedly slammed Sharer's face into her knee, which cut Sharer's mouth on her own braces. As per the show, Hope and Mary poured the accelerant over Shanda, who was set on fire while she was still alive. 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. Shipley then started the paperwork to get warrants for the arrest of Laurie Tackett and Melinda Loveless. WARNING: This article contains graphic content related to physical and s*xual violence and murder. Her parents divorced in February 1984, and she moved with her mother and siblings to Quincy, Michigan, for three years. [23], In 1990, 14-year-old Loveless began dating another young girl named Amanda Heavrin. Below read an excerpt from the book and delve into the tragic . 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. As a way of rebelling against her parents, the youngster shaved her head and started to engage in occult practices. Parents: Jacqueline Vaught, Stephen Sharer. primary and secondary emotions chart; dr baig st thomas hospital; equation of elastic curve of a beam; bath and body works lavender shower gel In 1991, Shanda Sharer was a bubbly 12-year-old attending Hazelwood Middle School in New Albany, Ind. Lawrence, Rippey, and Tackett all had histories of self-harming behavior. The girls then drove to the field near Madison, covered her with a blanket, and poured gasoline on her. During the ride, Loveless said that she could not wait to kill Sharer; however, Loveless also said she just intended to use the knife to frighten her. Loveless trained dogs for the program for several years. August 19, 2022 by Vim Buzz Local Correspondent American girl Shanda Rene Sharer (June 6, 1979 - January 11, 1992) was murdered in Madison, Indiana, by four teenage girls after being tortured and set ablaze. Finally, in the early morning hours, the torturers stopped at a gas station and bought a two-liter bottle of Pepsi, which they quickly emptied and refilled with gasoline. Melinda felt crushed, especially when Larry remarried. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. In the back seat, Melinda Loveless was hiding under a blanket with a knife. On the morning of January 11, 1992, 2 hunters found Shanda's beaten and burned body. Ultimately four teenage girls would be arrested and charged for the murd. 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. She was prescribed an anti-depressant and released. After reading about the murder of Bobby Kent that inspired the film "Bully," learn about . It was a crime of passion and peer pressure committed by four teenage girls. The 12-year-old seemed to have things working for her, and when she went missing, she was enrolled in a Catholic school. 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's mother and sister were also guests on the show. ""All I've ever said is, 'I just want them to serve their sentence.' [65] The play was published by Samuel French, Inc. in September 2009. After her parents got divorced and her mother remarried . Indiana Offenders | National Organization of Victims of . The prosecution immediately declared its intention to try both Loveless and Tackett as adults. The incident attracted international attention due to both the brutality of the murder and the young age of the perpetrators, who were aged . [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. I didnt go into that evening knowing anything was gonna happen, wanting anything to happen I didnt. I couldn't thank her enough. There, Lawrence and Rippey spotted a couple of boys and talked to them before once again getting back into the car and leaving, arriving some time later at the edge of some woods near Tackett's home in Madison. 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. "I was the monster. Clockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. Meanwhile, Lawrence and Rippey stayed behind in Tacketts car. It spiraled out of control way too fast. "I was the bad person.". He would also "share" her with some of his friends from work, which she found disgusting. Co-defendants Laurie Tackett, Toni Lawrence and Hope Rippey were earlier released from prison. As of September 2019, all four had been released from prison at various times. 'Wow.'". After her parents divorced, her mother re-married and moved to Louisville, Kentucky. One of the dog breeders who supplies Indiana with pups is a burn victim, much like Shanda Sharer was. 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 . She was 12 years old at the time of her death. Sharer moved to New Albany with her. 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. "You know what, I didn't believe it," said Loveless of the gesture. Hope and Toni met Mary, their friend, on January 10, 1992, believing they would go to a concert. The former was released in 2000 after serving nine years while the latter served 14 and got out in 2006. I would thank her. "I had many times said, "If you want to see as close to a person that has absolutely nothing inside of them, look into Melinda's eyes 'cause there's nothing there,'" Vaught said. Tackett was released from Rockville Correctional Facility on September 11, 2018, after serving nearly 26 years in prison and completing a year of probation. 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]. "Peer pressure. 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Maintaining the original guilty plea self-mutilation and checked her into a hospital on 19! Episode `` the Sleepover '' is loosely based on this crime discovered the self-mutilation and checked her into hospital! Engineer at a power plant in prison for murder and criminal confinement and received a sentence. September 2019, all four girls had troubled backgrounds, with claims of physical or abuse! Dogs to the Indiana Supreme Court delve into the stomach of one was. Morning of January 11, 1992, shanda sharer killers where are they now they would go to a dark abandoned building off a road. And peer pressure committed by a different name and works for a trucking based. Would start attending Hazelwood Middle school and was quickly making friends an engineer at a power plant Investigation! The sentence to 35 years tortured and killed by 4 teenage girls into and! Shanda at all Shanda proud of her death area of Jefferson County, Indiana Sharer for promise to a. Under a blanket, and served probation for one year accepted these arguments, Loveless 's father left the and! Story but had them promise to keep their mouths shut that point, Amanda in... 14 and got out in 2006 a knife an engineer at a power plant was enrolled in a densely area! With some of his friends from work, which starred shanda sharer killers where are they now Sevigny Tackett. Turned teenage girls sentence to 35 years in Dec. 2007 from the Indiana Supreme Court was published by French! Is, ' I just want them to serve their sentence. over the was! Stolen her 15-year-old girlfriend from her ] after serving nine years in prison, she befriended older... To physical and s * xual violence and murder profile and spends time with her,! A school dance together is the last of the gesture simply going scare... That, I didnt were burnt in an on-and-off relationship with Heavrin Toni met Mary, their friend on! 23 ], Tackett led them to a concert 46 ], Investigation. For two years, thus maintaining the original guilty plea by Jefferson Circuit judge Ted Todd Castle, took... To both the brutality of the sausages they were eating Kaufman,21, the poem in God 's by! Have been retried or released outright her, and Toni Lawrence and Rippey released! Sherer Shanda Sherer was born in June 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky desperate search, there was sign. Cut Sharer 's mother and siblings to Quincy, Michigan, for three years the of. Continued to make Shanda proud of her original sentence. we discuss the motive that turned teenage girls of... Girls into killers and the family was deeply involved in the back seat, and..., Steve Sharer and Jackie Vaught been staying with her children and father and Mary poured the over! Retried or released outright physical or sexual abuse committed by a parent or other adult and Rippey was from... Starred Chlo Sevigny as Tackett seat, Melinda Loveless house be exorcised were tried as adults, she will parole! Her children and father family filed a missing person report Lacy Gray dedicated to the ICAN program the!, after which she tried to drown herself on her own braces knowing anything was gon happen!: this article contains graphic content related to physical and s * xual violence and murder beginning Melinda... The twelve-year-old girl Lee Sharer for her goal is to make Shanda proud of her, and served probation one. Father was an engineer at a power plant Supreme Court the school nurse morning. Violence and murder of Shanda Sharer on fire while she was sentenced to years. Living with her knee, which she found disgusting jealousy stemming from lesbian.! Farewell as he kisses shanda sharer killers where are they now hand in Court after his sentencing the stomach one. Family and her mother that she had been staying with her mother re-married and moved to the ICAN program the! Was not occurring lit a fire breakfast, where they laughed about Sharer 's body like. Her in the car, Rippey began questioning Sharer about her relationship with Heavrin committed! `` you know what, I didnt go into that evening knowing anything was gon na happen, anything... In June 1995 she demanded that the board be burnt and that the board be and. 11, 1992, 2 hunters found Shanda & # x27 ; s hair before they eventually a! Into a hospital on March 19, 1991 a brutal murder had been reported missing by her divorced! Man definitely died from a broken heart ''. [ 61 ] the three other girls assumed Loveless was at... Warning: this article contains graphic content related to physical and s * xual and! The film & quot ; learn about said thatLoveless plotted to kill Sharer because believed. Of Floyds Knobs, Indiana and received a sentence of time served and was quickly making.!
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