By the end of the night, only four of them were alive. Shanda was born on June 6th, 1979, and was born in Pineville, Kentucky. When they returned to Tacketts house, she laughingly described what had just happened to Rippey. In the end, Melinda and Mary pleaded guilty to murder, arson, and criminal confinement, receiving a 60-year sentence in January 1993. State trooper David Camm and Jefferson County Sheriff Buck Shippley and detectives began an investigation, collecting forensic evidence at the scene. 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. [72], The murder of Sharer was covered in the first of two segments in the Lifetime series Killer Kids, episode "Jealousy", aired: July 2014. [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]. 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. Be the first one to comment on this story. [32], Rippey told Sharer that Heavrin was still at the Witch's Castle. The church later arranged for Melinda to be taken to a motel room with a 50-year-old man for a five-hour exorcism. [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. "That's the one Jacque had touched, had held, had named. 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.. Shanda Renee Sharer was born June 6th 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky. I would thank her. An Indiana program called ICAN, or Indiana Canine Assistant Network, has been helping Loveless. Her name was Shanda Sharer; her age--twelve. The four girls who took place in the events that occured that night are Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey and Toni Lawrence. Thereafter, Minato and Miyano, then aged 15 and 18, respectively, and two other youths took her to a residence in the Ayase area of Adachi Ward . The man definitely died from a broken heart".[61]. The case was covered on national news and talk shows and has inspired a number of episodes on fictional crime shows. Craig Schoonover made that statement after Melinda. It was Shanda, and the investigation revealed that she had been burned alive after being tortured for hours. When the people of Madison, Indiana heard that a brutal murder had been committed in their midst, they were . Her father was a boilermaker. After treatment of her wound, she was admitted to the hospital's psychiatric ward. So Jacque Vaught did something remarkable. Vaught stated that she hoped to donate a dog every year in honor of Shanda Sharer. It spiraled out of control way too fast. Melinda Loveless, now 44, was one of four women convicted in the 1992 death of Shanda Sharer. 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. Tackett and Loveless were sentenced to 60 years in the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. [65] The play was published by Samuel French, Inc. in September 2009. In 2012, Jacque Vaught made her first contact with Melinda Loveless since the trials, although indirectly. Sharer was reluctant to go with them, yet agreed after changing her clothes. The bulk of the evidence for the arrest warrant came from the statements made by Lawrence and Rippey. 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. [55], On April 28, 2006, Rippey was released from Indiana Women's Prison on parole after serving 14 years of her original sentence. Hours later they took Shanda to another remote location and continued brutalizing her. Shanda was best friends with her mom, and close with her father and stepmother, Sharon. The girls then drove to the field near Madison, covered her with a blanket, and poured gasoline on her. 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. I saw someone almost reborn. Lawrence and Rippey younger, less involved in the torture, and more forthcoming with authorities received lighter sentences, with Lawrence getting 20 years and Rippey getting 50 (shortened to 35 on appeal). I couldnt thank her enough. Indiana Offenders | National Organization of Victims of . Ultimately four teenage girls would be arrested and charged for the murd. Loveless pleaded guilty to the one count of sexual battery. My child would want this.". In March 1991, Loveless revealed to her mother that she was a lesbian. Tackett was released from Rockville Correctional Facility on September 11, 2018, after serving nearly 26 years in prison and completing a year of probation. 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. 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. The foursome drove to where Sharer was spending the weekend with her father. They became lost, so they stopped at a gas station and covered Sharer in a blanket. Image of Melinda Loveless, taken in Dec. 2007. For nearly eight hours, the girls sexually assaulted and tortured Shanda Sharer, except for Toni Lawrence which refused to participate in the heinous act. Sharer entered the car, not knowing Loveless was hiding in the back seat under a blanket, according to IndyStar archives. Rippey was released on parole on April 28, 2006, from Indiana Women's Prison after serving 14 years of her original sentence. To avoid the death penalty, the girls accepted plea bargains.[48]. Extended family members often described the Loveless daughters as visiting their homes hungry, apparently not getting enough food at home. 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. copilot vs ynab shanda sharer killers where are they now shanda sharer killers where are they now. Both Heavrin and Wathen were reluctant to believe the story until Tackett showed them the trunk of the car with Sharer's bloody handprints and socks still present. Melinda has also reportedly changed her name since her release and prefers to stay away from the public eyes. In January 2018, Mary was released from prison and was on parole for a year after that. Please logout and login again. At present, all of them are out of prison, much before the end of their sentences. Catch the episode of The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade, titled The New Girl, on Investigation Discovery on August 19, 2022. Loveless was 18 when she planned the crime. Melinda was someone who had learned to nurture something, love it, then let it go, as she did with Odle last March. This description of how the investigation unfolded . It was a crime of passion and peer pressure committed by four teenage girls. [34], Tackett led them to a dark abandoned building off a logging road in a densely forested area. Small stated that he would seek to have jurisdiction over the case moved to the Indiana Supreme Court. Vaught reported that she had endured criticism over the decision, but defends it saying, "It's my choice to make. 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. During Loveless's sentencing hearing, extensive open court testimony revealed that her father Larry had abused his wife, his daughters, and other children. As a way of rebelling against her parents, the youngster shaved her head and started to engage in occult practices. He thanks you for reading his content. 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. She claimed that her mother beat her often. 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. There, Sharer attended fifth and sixth grades at St. Paul School, where she was on the cheerleading, volleyball, and softball teams. Shanda moved around a few times due to her parents divorcing. During the car ride, Sharer continued begging them to take her back home. The story was turned into a play by Rob Urbinati called Hazelwood Jr. High, which starred Chlo Sevigny as Tackett. If you dont let good things come from bad things nothing gets better. Upon further appeal, the judge reduced her sentence to 35 years. 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. Jacque saw something she had never seen before. While the four decided never to talk about it, Toni couldnt take it anymore and confessed to the police. :confused:--If that's the book by true crime author Aphrodite Jones, I remember it very well Social workers became involved, and Tackett's parents agreed to unannounced visits to ensure that child abuse was not occurring. [4] Early in the school year, she transferred to Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, a Catholic school in New Albany, where she joined the girls' basketball team. Age at death: 12 years old. Sharer's mother and sister were also guests on the show. After this incident, Larry filed for divorce and moved to Avon Park, Florida. [51] Rippey was sentenced to 60 years, with 10 years suspended for mitigating circumstances, plus 10 years of medium-supervision probation. Shanda Sharer, 12 years old, had been reported missing by her parents some eight hours earlier. Her parents resumed their relationship in Madison in 1987. People were even more shocked when it was revealed that four teenage girls were responsible for the brutal murder. There, Sharer and Heavrin were confronted by 16-year-old Melinda Loveless, who had previously been dating Heavrin for more than a year and was now extremely jealous of this new pairing. She served over 26 years in prison and will continue to serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Known For: Being Tortured and killed by 4 teenage girls. [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. Rippey was sentenced to 60 years, with 10 years suspended due to mitigating circumstances plus 10 years of medium-supervision probation. 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. Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Later that morning, two hunters found the body. 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. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. Among his complaints were that he was not allowed to sleep in his bed during the day or to read the newspaper. Vaught did something remarkable after seeing her daughters killer at work. And I know what my child would want. Date of birth: 6 June 1979. [46], Detectives obtained dental records that positively identified Sharer as the victim. She went into counseling after the incident but did not follow through. She was sentenced to 60 years in prison but has served the required time for her release. People were even more shocked when it was revealed that four teenage girls were responsible f Tackett beat her with a tire iron until she was silent, claiming that she felt the victim's head caving in, and then told Loveless to "smell it". From what we can tell, she chooses to keep a low profile and spends time with her children and father. He said that Loveless had been "profoundly retarded" by childhood abuse. 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. [22], Toni Lawrence was born in Madison on February 14, 1976. MADISON, Ind. "We bring our challenges, many times, to Melinda because she's able to figure out what their strength is," said Sally Irvin of ICAN. [41], A friend of Loveless, Crystal Wathen, came over to Loveless's house, and they told her what had happened. Join us as we discuss the motive that turned teenage girls into killers and the aftermath of Shanda's murder. 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. 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. [29] Loveless was angry at first, but Rippey and Lawrence assured her about returning for Sharer later. Heavrin was horrified and asked to be taken home. They entered plea bargains to avoid the death penalty. The Shanda Sharer Murder. Loveless tried to slash Sharer's throat, but the knife was too dull. 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