Loveless and Tackett took turns stabbing Sharer in the chest. 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. Shanda Sharer was born on June 6, 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky to Steve Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught. Loveless and Tackett stripped off Sharers clothes and proceeded to punch her repeatedly. And I said. Hang with us: Follow Us on Instagram Like Us on Facebook Join our Case Discussion Group on Facebook Get Killer Queens Merch She drove to the burn pile, where they opened the trunk to stare at Sharer. 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. Published on May 20, 2011. 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. Melinda Loveless, mastermind of 1992 murder of Shanda Sharer, released from prison, Woman convicted of gruesome 1992 murder of Shanda Sharer released from prison, WDRB Meteorologist Marc Weinberg's Louisville weather forecast for Wednesday, SPORTS PAGE | Oscar Tshiebwe delivers message, responds with best performance, CRAWFORD | On Kentucky, Tshiebwe's rededication and the value of criticism, Tshiebwe's 37 points, 24 rebounds lead way in Kentucky's win, 2 friends from Louisville claim $1 million Mega Millions winnings, 18-year-old woman dies after hit-and-run in west Louisville, police searching for suspect, Thieves steal 4 cars estimated to be $100k at used car lot in Mt. Hope was handed down a 40-year sentence for her involvement, and she was supposed to serve 17-and-a-half years of it behind bars. Join us as we discuss the motive that turned teenage girls into killers and the aftermath of Shanda's murder. On appeal, a judge reduced the sentence to 35 years. Derek Kaufman bids his mother Joan Esposito farewell as he kisses her hand in court after his sentencing. [3], Melinda Loveless was born in New Albany on October 28, 1975, the youngest of three daughters, to Marjorie and Larry Loveless. 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. It is alleged that Loveless, Tackett, Rippey and Lawrence came from troubled or abusive . For seven hours, the four girls brutally tortured Shanda Sharer before ultimately killing her. 125 miles away, Shanda's mother, Jacque Vaught, still endures shockwaves from her daughter's brutal murder. 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. Shanda Sharer met classmate Amanda Heavrin at Hazelwood in 1991, soon after moving to the area with her recently divorced mother from Kentucky. During Loveless's sentencing hearing, extensive open court testimony revealed that her father Larry had abused his wife, his daughters, and other children. Social workers became involved, and Tackett's parents agreed to unannounced visits to ensure that child abuse was not occurring. Mary, Hope, and Toni drove to Shandas fathers place to lure her out sometime after 11:30 pm. 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. 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. Jacque said she still has no plans to meet face-to-face with her daughter's killers. From what we can tell, she chooses to keep a low profile and spends time with her children and father. Moreover, she had not been represented competently by counsel during her sentencing, which caused her to accept a plea bargain in the face of exaggerated claims about her chances of receiving the death penalty. Later that morning, two hunters found the body. "I've loved her, I've cried on her. Shanda Rene 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. All four girls were tried as adults and accepted plea bargains in order to avoid the death penalty. Death of Innocence - The Murder of Young Shanda Sharer BY David Lohr Autopsy On Sunday morning, Dr. George Nichols conducted Shanda's autopsy. She was sincere. He said that Loveless had been "profoundly retarded" by childhood abuse. [21] As with the other girls, Rippey began to self-harm at age 15. She was abused by a relative at age 9 and was raped by a teenage boy at age 14, although the police only issued an order for the boy to keep away from Lawrence. The two. In the back seat, Melinda Loveless was hiding under a blanket with a knife. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. Shanda Sharer, a 16-year-old girl from Missouri, was murdered in 1998. [53] On November 14, 2008, Loveless's appeal was denied by the Indiana Court of Appeals, upholding Judge Todd's ruling. 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. Copyright 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. There, Sharer attended fifth and sixth grades at St. Paul School, where she was on the cheerleading, volleyball, and softball teams. "They're going to have that.". The film also has three interviews with Loveless. In a new twist to the case, police have now arrested a man named Johnny Lee Sharer for . par ; mai 21, 2022 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. "Ididn't know Shanda at all. I would thank her. Shanda moved around a few times due to her parents divorcing. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. Loveless admitted abducting Sharer, torturing her and burning her to death in Madison. Age at death: 12 years old. When both parents were working, the family was financially well off, living in the upper-middle-class suburb of Floyds Knobs, Indiana. Full name: Shanda Rene Sharer. [47] Loveless and Tackett were arrested on January 12. In 1992, four teen girls tortured and killed 12-year-old Shanda Sharer. Loveless is the last of the four to be released from prison. In March 1991, Loveless revealed to her mother that she was a lesbian. As of September 2019, all four had been released from prison at various times. 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. [2] After Sharer's parents divorced, her mother remarried and the family moved to Louisville. Both older girls said he molested them, though Melinda did not admit this ever happened to her. ""All I've ever said is, 'I just want them to serve their sentence.' I've given her medicine, her baths. 'Wow.'". She told Heavrin that they had killed Sharer and arranged to pick up Heavrin later that day. [15] Tackett began to engage in self-harm, especially after early 1991 when she began dating a girl who was involved in the practice. Tackett made Rippey pour the gasoline on Sharer, and then they set her on fire. They drove north of Madison, past Jefferson Proving Ground to Lemon Road off U.S. Route 421, a place known to Rippey. First, they took Sharer to a remote trash dump near a logging road in a densely forested area. The girls used the pretense that they were taking Sharer to see Heavrin as the excuse for their visit. MADISON, IND. 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. -- 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 . People were even more shocked when it was revealed that four teenage girls were responsible f Sharer's mother and sister were also guests on the show. [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. 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 . 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. Loveless was not convinced Sharer was dead, so they returned a few minutes later to pour the rest of the gasoline on her. 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. The fifth had been tortured and mutilated nearly beyond recognition. In Dec. 1992,Loveless pleaded guilty to the Jan. 11, 1992 murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer of New Albany. If you dont let good things come from bad things nothing gets better. In March 1991, Loveless came out as a lesbian to her mother, who was initially furious but eventually accepted it. [16] Tackett was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and confessed that she had experienced hallucinations since she was a young child. [73][74], The Investigation Discovery series The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade, episode "The New Girl" interviews Sharer's mother along with lead police officers, aired: November 2018. The procedure revealed that she had suffered multiple injuries. Tackett poured out the Pepsi and refilled the bottle with gasoline. Sharer told the girls to return after her parents were asleep, which they did. I couldn't thank her enough. She became promiscuous, began to self-harm, and attempted suicide in eighth grade. Loveless then convinced the other girls to take Sharer to a remote location where there would be no one else around for miles. The four teenagers were eventually arrested, and initially, Melinda and Mary pointed the finger at each other for the torture-murder. Everyone involved had been sworn to secrecy. What followed was a shocking story of deceit and torture. She remained on supervised parole for 5 years until April 2011. She's like my kid," said Loveless. [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. Eventually, they took her to another abandoned location and beat her mercilessly before stabbing her in the chest repeatedly. In early October 1991, Heavrin and Sharer attended a school dance, where Loveless found and confronted them. 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.. [23], In 1990, 14-year-old Loveless began dating another young girl named Amanda Heavrin. 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. One of the dog breeders who supplies Indiana with pups is a burn victim, much like Shanda Sharer was. After she washed, Tackett told the girls' futures with her "runestones". The authorities learned that while Shanda was in middle school, she befriended an older teenager named Amanda. By the next day, all four girls were in custody. Tackett and Loveless were sentenced to 60 years in the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. And I know what my child would want. She had been stabbed, strangled, beaten and burned alive. She convinced three other teens -- Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett and Toni Lawrence -- to participate in the crime because she believed Sharer stole her girlfriend. She dropped out of high school in September 1991. Loveless ordered Sharer to tell the truth about stealing the girlfriend or have her throat slit. "I was really taken aback," said Jacque. Why 12-Year-Old Shanda Sharer Was Tortured And Killed By Four Teenage Girls. Shanda Renee Sharer was born June 6th 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. After that incident, the Loveless parents left the church and returned to their former professions and drinking. [32], Rippey told Sharer that Heavrin was still at the Witch's Castle. Shanda would start attending Hazelwood Middle School and was quickly making friends. 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. Her mom said that her daughter believed it was her destiny that she would murder someone in cold blood and spend the rest of her life in prison. She convinced three other. Extended family members often described the Loveless daughters as visiting their homes hungry, apparently not getting enough food at home. Wikimedia CommonsA small memorial to Shanda Sharer in the field where she died. Shanda Rene Sharer (June 6, 1979 - January 11, 1992) was an American girl who was murdered by a group of girls in early 1992. The grieving mother said she did it to honor her little girl, who she still thinks about every day. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. She currently goes by a different name and works for a trucking company based out of Madison. On a freezing January in 1992, five teenage girls crowded into a car. Instead, they spent seven hours torturing Shanda, who would later suffer one of the worst deaths in history. Indiana Offenders | National Organization of Victims of . 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. The killers looked no different than girls I knew in school who walked around, wreaking havoc and completely out of control. My child would want this." A burn victim like Shanda, Charlie Petrizzo convinced Jacque to watch a videotape of the new Melinda. It was published February 8, 1993 and May 11, 1995 in the Jeffersonville, Indiana-based newspaper, The Evening News. Sharer and Heavrin became fast friends and then romantic partners. (Sun. The four girls who took place in the events that occured that night are Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey and Toni Lawrence. [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. Loveless began taking off Sharer's rings and handed each to the girls. The Abduction. Parents: Jacqueline Vaught, Stephen Sharer. They removed her jewelry and began threatening to cut off all Sharer's hair before they eventually lit a fire. 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). As per the show, she was jealous of Shanda and had written angry letters to Amanda about killing her perceived competition. Most of the crimes occurred from 1968 to 1977. However, Jacqueline forbade her daughter from seeing Amanda because of some letters she had written that were sexual in nature. 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. 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). She was prescribed an anti-depressant and released. The case was covered on national news and talk shows and has inspired a number of episodes on fictional crime shows. 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. WARNING: This article contains graphic content related to physical and s*xual violence and murder. Derek Kaufman,21, the tough gang leader who was found guilty of first-degree murder. Vaught stated that she hoped to donate a dog every year in honor of Shanda Sharer. Laurie Tackett, now 43, was one of four women convicted in the 1992 death of Shanda Sharer. But a dog named Angel is a dog like no other -- a four-legged conduit to Melinda's victim, Shanda Sharer. April 25, 2016. In 1992, 12-year-old Shanda Sharer was brutally murdered by four other girls. 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 left soon after, fearing they had drawn attention to themselves. [77], "Shana Sharer's mother to appear on Dr. Phil", Sharer murderer Rippey to be freed from prison, "Amanda Heavrin Speaks About Shanda Sharer - In Cold Blood: A Daughter's Brutal Murder", "Death of Innocence - The Murder of Young Shanda Sharer", "Thinking the Unthinkable: What Led 4 Teens to Torture, Murder Child? 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. [75], American artist Marlene McCarty used the Shanda Sharer murder as one of the subjects for her Murder Girls series of drawings about teenage female murderers, their sexuality and their relationships. Loveless explained to the two other girls that she disliked Sharer for being a copycat and for stealing her girlfriend.[28]. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. The Shanda Sharer Scholarship Fund was established in January 2009. Shes my child. Shanda was born in Pineville, Kentucky on the 6th of June 1979. This description of how the investigation unfolded . 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]. She even carved an "M" into the stomach of one . 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