Wikimedia CommonsA small memorial to Shanda Sharer in the field where she died. And I know what my child would want. A small memorial to Shanda Sharer in the field where she died. She dropped out of high school in September 1991. She's my child," said Jacque. Ultimately four teenage girls would be arrested and charged for the murd. But the hands that once took life, now nurture it. Shanda Sharer was born on June 6, 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky to Steve Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught. She demanded that the board be burnt and that the Rippey house be exorcised. She was prescribed an anti-depressant and released. Loveless explained to the two other girls that she disliked Sharer for being a copycat and for stealing her girlfriend.[28]. Shanda Renee Sharer was born June 6th 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky. Shanda Sharer moved to New Albany with her mother in 1991. She's like my kid," said Loveless. Shanda attended fifth and sixth grades in Louisville at St. Paul School where she was on the cheer leading, volleyball and softball teams. But once Shanda got into the car, Melinda got out of her hiding place and held a knife to Shandas throat, and grabbed her hair. If you don't let good things come from bad things, nothing gets better. Heavrin promised she would not before entering her house. In 1992, four teen girls tortured and killed 12-year-old Shanda Sharer. 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. It is alleged that Loveless, Tackett, Rippey and Lawrence came from troubled or abusive . Angel is in good hands. [55], On April 28, 2006, Rippey was released from Indiana Women's Prison on parole after serving 14 years of her original sentence. Lawrence refused. They then tried to slit Sharers throat, but the knife was too dull. I've given her medicine, her baths. If the judge accepted these arguments, Loveless could have been retried or released outright. Tackett told people in one interview that, I didnt know Shanda at all. However, Amanda was in an on-and-off relationship with Loveless, who could not handle the jealousy and made public threats to kill Sharer. She currently goes by a different name and works for a trucking company based out of Madison. 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. [54], Lawrence was released on December 14, 2000, after serving nine years. After this look at the murder of Shanda Sharer, read about the disturbing killing of James Bulger. [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. Two other defendants, Toni Lawrence and Hope A. Rippey, were sentenced to 20 years and 50years respectively, according to IndyStar archives. January 1992- New Albany, Indiana- 12 year old Shanda Sharer is abducted, tortured and killed by 4 teenage girls.I feel like I have done a huge disservice to Shanda and her family. 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. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. But a dog named Angel is a dog like no other -- a four-legged conduit to Melinda's victim, Shanda Sharer. [72], The murder of Sharer was covered in the first of two segments in the Lifetime series Killer Kids, episode "Jealousy", aired: July 2014. but the best I can do is admit to my mistake. 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. A burn victim like Shanda, Charlie Petrizzo convinced Jacque to watch a videotape of the new Melinda. 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. "Angel is in good hands. Sharer continued to make crying and gurgling noises, so Tackett stopped the car. She was reunited with friends Tackett and Toni Lawrence, whom she had known since childhood, although her parents saw Tackett as a bad influence. Laurie Tackett, now 43, was one of four women convicted in the 1992 death of Shanda Sharer. Age at death: 12 years old. [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. They left soon after, fearing they had drawn attention to themselves. In a new twist to the case, police have now arrested a man named Johnny Lee Sharer for . Jacque has faced criticism over her decision to let Shanda's killer honor her name. 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. As a way of rebelling against her parents, the youngster shaved her head and started to engage in occult practices. The Shanda Sharer Murder has forever changed my life. As the year progressed, Loveless's relationship with Heavrin deteriorated. [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. Shanda Sharer was 12 years old on January 11, 1992 when she was brutally tortured and murdered by 4 teenage girls. After her parents got divorced and her mother remarried . The breeder convinced Vaught to watch a video of Loveless grown up and see what she does in prison for the program. Rippey was sentenced to 60 years, with 10 years suspended due to mitigating circumstances plus 10 years of medium-supervision probation. But in prison, it seems as though Loveless has found some measure of escape from the cycle of violence and abuse. In 1965, Larry became a probationary officer with the New Albany Police Department, but was fired after eight months when he and his partner assaulted an African-American man whom Larry accused of sleeping with his wife. Clockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. Its my choice to make. The four teenagers were eventually arrested, and initially, Melinda and Mary pointed the finger at each other for the torture-murder. Derek Kaufman,21, the tough gang leader who was found guilty of first-degree murder. Later that morning, two hunters found the body. The girls used the pretense that they were taking Sharer to see Heavrin as the excuse for their visit. She did a good thing. In 1994, Tackett and Loveless appealed their sentences, citing their difficult childhoods. [18] In December, Tackett moved back to Madison on the promise that her father would buy her a car. [7], Mary Laurine "Laurie" Tackett was born in Madison, Indiana, on October 5, 1974. The incident attracted international attention due to both the brutality of the murder and the young age of the perpetrators, who were aged . She was close friends with Rippey from childhood. 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. In 2012, Jacque Vaught made her first contact with Melinda Loveless since the trials, although indirectly. Death of Innocence - The Murder of Young Shanda Sharer BY David Lohr Autopsy On Sunday morning, Dr. George Nichols conducted Shanda's autopsy. Co-defendants Laurie Tackett, Toni Lawrence and Hope Rippey were earlier released from prison. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. 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. "I was the monster. Unfortunately, that did nothing to stop the horrific events that would soon unfold. Photos: Kent's killers; Then-Now - Sun-Sentinel April 25, 2016. On the morning of January 11, 1992, 2 hunters found Shanda's beaten and burned body. They removed her jewelry and began threatening to cut off all Sharer's hair before they eventually lit a fire. Sharer was born on June 6, 1979, in the small town of Pineville, Kentucky, to Steve Sharer and Jackie Vaught. 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. [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. It was a crime of passion and peer pressure committed by four teenage girls. But 20 years later, something no one expected happened. Why 12-Year-Old Shanda Sharer Was Tortured And Killed By Four Teenage Girls. Her prediction was partly true. I couldnt thank her enough. Copyright 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. The case was covered on national news and talk shows and has inspired a number of episodes on fictional crime shows. Extended family members often described the Loveless daughters as visiting their homes hungry, apparently not getting enough food at home. The teens then bound, bludgeoned, choked, cut and sodomized Sharer at a remote location. WARNING: This article contains graphic content related to physical and s*xual violence and murder. The same morning, a hunter found a badly burned body out in a field in Madison and called the authorities. 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.. 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. Jacqueline made her daughter switch schools, and that seemed to work. Authorities quickly narrowed in on the killers four teenage girls, three of whom had never met the victim until . She was compassionate. When the group of girls drove up to the house, Toni and Hope knocked on the front door; the girl's Daddy answered . Tacketts motives aside, what would drive 16-year-old Loveless to mastermind such a brutal murder? They drove towards Utica and the Witch's Castle. Jun 20, 1992 at 12:00 am. While Tackett, Rippey, and Lawrence had never met Sharer prior to that night, Tackett had already known of the plan to intimidate the 12-year-old girl. He received a sentence of time served and was released in June 1995. Shipley felt his heart sink as he read the description - blonde hair, five feet tall, around 100 pounds. Upon further appeal, the judge reduced her sentence to 35 years. 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. Lastly, Loveless was released from Indiana Women's Prison on September 5, 2019. The four girls who took place in the events that occured that night are Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey and Toni Lawrence. Image of Melinda Loveless, taken in Dec. 2007. That's all I've ever said.". At that point, Amanda was in an on-and-off relationship with another teenager, Melinda Loveless. Loveless was released from Indiana Women's Prison on September 5, 2019. On this particular weekend Shanda had been staying with her father, Steve Sharer, and Melinda knew it. [35], The girls drove to Tackett's nearby home and went inside to drink soda and clean themselves. 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. She said her goal is to make Shanda proud of her, and she believes Angel would do that. Despite a desperate search, there was no sign of Shanda, and the family filed a missing person report. "They're going to have that.". After this incident, Larry filed for divorce and moved to Avon Park, Florida. I didnt go into that evening knowing anything was gonna happen, wanting anything to happen I didnt. All four girls were tried as adults and accepted plea bargains in order to avoid the death penalty. [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. 100 pounds convinced Jacque to watch a videotape of the murder and the young age the... 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