Shipley then started the paperwork to get warrants for the arrest of Laurie Tackett and Melinda Loveless. Witnesses said thatLoveless plotted to kill Sharer because she believed Sharer had stolen her 15-year-old girlfriend from her. 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. As per the show, she was jealous of Shanda and had written angry letters to Amanda about killing her perceived competition. There, they cold-heartedly beat and terrorized the girl. "She was compassionate. Jacqueline was divorced from Shandas father, but they moved to New Albany, Indiana, to be closer to him. At this point, Sharers mother transferred her to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in order to protect her. I didnt go into that evening knowing anything was gonna happen, wanting anything to happen I didnt. She went into counseling after the incident but did not follow through. 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. In seven years, Loveless has become one of the most trusted and competent trainers in the Indiana Canine Assistance Network (ICAN) program. Amanda. They both gave very rambling statements, identifying the victim as "Shanda", naming the two other girls involved as best as they could, and describing the main events of the previous night. Itspiraled out of control way too fast. Rippey asked about Sharer, and Tackett laughingly described the torture. Derek Kaufman,21, the tough gang leader who was found guilty of first-degree murder. 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.. Next, Loveless repeatedly slammed Sharer's face into her knee, which cut Sharer's mouth on her own braces. When they arrived at Sharer's house at 12:30a.m., Lawrence refused to retrieve Sharer, so Tackett and Rippey went to the door. 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. 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. copilot vs ynab shanda sharer killers where are they now shanda sharer killers where are they now. The teens then bound, bludgeoned, choked, cut and sodomized Sharer at a remote location. However, Jacqueline forbade her daughter from seeing Amanda because of some letters she had written that were sexual in nature. Lawrence, Rippey, and Tackett all had histories of self-harming behavior. 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. Larry became a Baptist lay preacher and Marjorie became the school nurse. After this look at the murder of Shanda Sharer, read about the disturbing killing of James Bulger. Derek Kaufman bids his mother Joan Esposito farewell as he kisses her hand in court after his sentencing. When they opened the trunk, Sharer sat up, covered in blood with her eyes rolled back in her head, but unable to speak. Shanda Sharer Murder: Where Are Her Killers Now? She was discharged on April 12. While at Hazelwood, Shanda had met Amanda Heavrin. Why 12-Year-Old Shanda Sharer Was Tortured And Killed By Four Teenage Girls. "Peer pressure. [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. But a dog named Angel is a dog like no other -- a four-legged conduit to Melinda's victim, Shanda Sharer. The case was covered on national news and talk shows and has inspired a number of episodes on fictional crime shows. 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. Online records list the earliest possible release date forLoveless as Sept. 5, 2019. Angel is in good hands. Photos: Kent's killers; Then-Now - Sun-Sentinel The next episode of Investigation Discovery's The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade will explore the horrifying torture and murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer in 1992. Her parents, Stephen Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught got divorced when Shanda was very young. The murder of Shanda Sharer occured in Madison, Indiana early in the morning on January 11, 1982. [1], 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. [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. He would also "share" her with some of his friends from work, which she found disgusting. 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. Loveless then convinced the other girls to take Sharer to a remote location where there would be no one else around for miles. She's (Shanda) my child. 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. [52], On January 8, 2008, Loveless's request was rejected by Jefferson Circuit Judge Ted Todd. The Shanda Sharer Scholarship Fund was established in January 2009. 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. [35], The girls drove to Tackett's nearby home and went inside to drink soda and clean themselves. As of September 2019, all four had been released from prison at various times. 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. Washington, Vine Grove man accused of trying to kill a police officer, Baxter Avenue Theatres in the Highlands reopens after brief closure due to water main break, Crestwood man facing more than 100 child pornography charges, Prospect sues to stop low-income apartment development, Construction progressing for outdoor game yard at riverfront near downtown Louisville, 1 killed in collision with semi tractor-trailer on I-264 near Brownsboro Road early Tuesday, Kentucky's largest accounting, advisory firm relocating downtown Louisville office to PNC Tower, WDRB FCC Applications & Related Materials. She was sincere. MurderpediaClockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. Vaught did something remarkable after seeing her daughters killer at work. Tackett told people in one interview that, I didnt know Shanda at all. [68], "Mean", an episode from the fifth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, is based on the murder. In October of that year, the pair attended a school dance together. It spiraled out of control way too fast. In March 1991, Loveless revealed to her mother that she was a lesbian. 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.. The foursome drove to where Sharer was spending the weekend with her father. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. Loveless explained to the two other girls that she disliked Sharer for being a copycat and for stealing her girlfriend.[28]. A burn victim like Shanda, Charlie Petrizzo convinced Jacque to watch a videotape of the new Melinda. Shanda would start attending Hazelwood Middle School and was quickly making friends. [13] Tackett and her mother came into periodic conflict; at one point, her mother went to Hope Rippey's house after learning that Rippey's father had purchased an ouija board for the girls. After she washed, Tackett told the girls' futures with her "runestones". [62] By November 2018 Shanda's mother Jacque Vaught stated that the scholarship fund had been depleted and is no longer accepting donations. After her parents got divorced and her mother remarried . [17], Tackett stayed in Louisville in October 1991 to live with various friends. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. Tackett poured out the Pepsi and refilled the bottle with gasoline. Melinda felt crushed, especially when Larry remarried. [47] Loveless and Tackett were arrested on January 12. I read the book about the case. I saw someone almost reborn. All four girls had troubled backgrounds, with claims of physical or sexual abuse committed by a parent or other adult. "We bring our challenges, many times, to Melinda because she's able to figure out what their strength is," said Sally Irvin of ICAN. At that point, Amanda was in an on-and-off relationship with another teenager, Melinda Loveless. She still spent most of her time in Louisville and New Albany, and, by December, spent most of it with Loveless. Oops, this content can't be loadedbecause you're having connectivity problems, Stay always informed and up to date with our breaking news alerts, By Associated Press - Thursday, September 5, 2019. The Shanda Sharer Murder. Various court testimonies claimed he fondled Melinda as an infant, molested Marjorie's 13-year-old sister early in the marriage, and molested the girls' cousin Teddy from age 10 to 14. They initially suspected a drug deal gone wrong and did not believe the crime had been committed by locals. [60], Sharer's father, Steven Sharer, died of alcoholism in 2005 at the age of 53. 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. [42], Later on the morning of January 11, 1992, two brothers from Canaan were driving toward Jefferson Proving Ground to go hunting when they noticed a body on the side of the road. And I know what my child would want. Turning cloudy, a shower possible after 3pm. People were even more shocked when it was revealed that four teenage girls were responsible for the brutal murder. She's my child," said Jacque. 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. In the back seat, Melinda Loveless was hiding under a blanket with a knife. Shanda Sharer was born on June 6, 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky to Steve Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught. Sharer entered the car, not knowing Loveless was hiding in the back seat under a blanket, according to IndyStar archives. Loveless hit the victims face with her knee until she bled profusely from her mouth. 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 former was released in 2000 after serving nine years while the latter served 14 and got out in 2006. The details of her murder shocked the area. You have permission to edit this article. Loveless told Heavrin and another friend the whole story but had them promise to keep their mouths shut. The girls drove around for the next few hours as they tortured Shanda. She donated a puppy named Angel for Loveless to train in prison. According to the show, Shanda began spending much time with her, and the two became romantically involved. Despite a desperate search, there was no sign of Shanda, and the family filed a missing person report. Loveless and Tackett made Sharer strip down to her underwear; then, Loveless beat Sharer with her fists. 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". That's all I've ever said.". She was prescribed an anti-depressant and released. Tackett was released in 2018, and served probation for one year. An unlikely alliance formed between the ringleader of the murder and Shanda's mother. When they divorced; Jacqueline remarried and moved to Louisville, Kentucky. And I said. 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. Shanda was best friends with her mom, and close with her father and stepmother, Sharon. She claimed that her mother beat her often. [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 endured hell and was later put in the trunk of the car, only in her underwear. When the people of Madison, Indiana heard that a brutal murder had been committed in their midst, they were . Ididn't," Tackett said. As the year progressed, Loveless's relationship with Heavrin deteriorated. The incident attracted international attention due to both the brutality of the murder and the young age of the perpetrators, who were aged . Loveless was not convinced Sharer was dead, so they returned a few minutes later to pour the rest of the gasoline on her. She was kidnapped, tortured and burned alive by four teenage girls. Melinda Loveless, now 44, was one of four women convicted in the 1992 death of Shanda Sharer. After her parents divorced, her mother re-married and moved to Louisville, Kentucky. Shanda Sherer Shanda Sherer Shanda Sherer was born on June 6, 1979, in Pineville, Kentucky. 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. (Sun. Sharer was twelve year old girl from Indiana, USA. 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. That'sall it was. "[38], The girls drove to a gas station near Madison Consolidated High School, pumped some gasoline into the car, and bought a two-liter bottle of Pepsi. Shipley felt his heart sink as he read the description - blonde hair, five feet tall, around 100 pounds. While Tackett went inside to ask for directions, Lawrence called a boy she knew in Louisville and chatted for several minutes to ease her worries, but did not mention Sharer's abduction. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. [58] After serving 26+ years in prison, she will serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky. She remained on supervised parole for 5 years until April 2011. During Loveless's sentencing hearing, extensive open court testimony revealed that her father Larry had abused his wife, his daughters, and other children. After this incident, Larry filed for divorce and moved to Avon Park, Florida. She was compassionate. My child would want this., Loveless, for her part, feels as if Vaught is helping her to overcome her past. I've given her medicine, her baths. 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. Now 36, she grew up in prison, in the shadow of her legacy: a crime of jealousy. [23], In 1990, 14-year-old Loveless began dating another young girl named Amanda Heavrin. Marjorie later described him as a sexual deviant who would wear her and her daughters' underwear and makeup, was incapable of staying monogamous, and had a mixture of jealousy and fascination with seeing her have sex with other men and women. Then, discover the story of teenage serial killer Harvey Robinson. While Tackett did have a hand in killing Shanda Sharer, she was released from prison in January 2018. Mary, who was interested in the occult, even talked about holding a seance to ask Shandas ghost how it felt to be burned alive. During the episode, Tackett said that if she could go back, she wouldn't have been there that nightand she would have done everything in her power to stop it. ", "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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