Her prediction was partly true. In tears and fearful for her life, Sharer tried to respond but to no avail. Slaughter 35,000 Civilians During One Korean War Massacre Or Is It North Korean Propaganda? 125 miles away, Shanda's mother, Jacque Vaught, still endures shockwaves from her daughter's brutal murder. When they opened the trunk, Sharer sat up, covered in blood with her eyes rolled back in her head, but unable to speak. Full name: Shanda Rene Sharer. The Killing Field. When the people of Madison, Indiana heard that a brutal murder had been committed in their midst, they were . Sharer moved to New Albany with her. Derek Kaufman bids his mother Joan Esposito farewell as he kisses her hand in court after his sentencing. Jun 20, 1992 at 12:00 am. Lawrence refused. Florida Grandma Takes Out Dentures To Scare Off Naked Intruder, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. On this particular weekend Shanda had been staying with her father, Steve Sharer, and Melinda knew it. Investigation Discoverys The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade: The New Girl chronicles what happened to Shanda and how four girls were responsible for her death. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A classmate of a southern Indiana girl murdered in 1992 said the Indiana justice system should be ashamed of itself. She was reunited with friends Tackett and Toni Lawrence, whom she had known since childhood, although her parents saw Tackett as a bad influence. Wikimedia Commons Shanda Sharer In 1991, Shanda Sharer was a bubbly 12-year-old attending Hazelwood Middle School in New Albany, Ind. When they returned to Tacketts house, she laughingly described what had just happened to Rippey. But in prison, it seems as though Loveless has found some measure of escape from the cycle of violence and abuse. Then, discover the story of teenage serial killer Harvey Robinson. Shanda was born on June 6th, 1979, and was born in Pineville, Kentucky. All four girls had troubled backgrounds, with claims of physical or sexual abuse committed by a parent or other adult. Everyone involved had been sworn to secrecy. Among his complaints were that he was not allowed to sleep in his bed during the day or to read the newspaper. In seven years, Loveless has become one of the most trusted and competent trainers in the Indiana Canine Assistance Network (ICAN) program. Tackett was released from Rockville Correctional Facility on September 11, 2018, after serving nearly 26 years in prison and completing a year of probation. The former was released in 2000 after serving nine years while the latter served 14 and got out in 2006. 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. In October of that year, the pair attended a school dance together. 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. 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. The two. And also don't understand your outrage. The incident attracted international attention due to both the brutality of the murder and the young age of the perpetrators, who were aged . [15] Tackett began to engage in self-harm, especially after early 1991 when she began dating a girl who was involved in the practice. The Shanda Sharer Murder has forever changed my life. Loveless hit the victims face with her knee until she bled profusely from her mouth. Despite a desperate search, there was no sign of Shanda, and the family filed a missing person report. Jacque saw something she had never seen before. [3] When her mother divorced again, the family moved in June 1991 to New Albany, Indiana, and Sharer enrolled at Hazelwood Middle School. [62] By November 2018 Shanda's mother Jacque Vaught stated that the scholarship fund had been depleted and is no longer accepting donations. My child would want this." The case was covered on national news and talk shows and has inspired a number of episodes on fictional crime shows. Shanda Renee Sharer was an American girl who was tortured and burned to death in Madison, Indiana, by four teenage girls. Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. In court, Teddy described an incident in which Larry tied all three sisters in a garage and raped them in succession; however, the sisters did not confirm this account. After that incident, she refused him sex for a month, until he raped her as their daughters overheard the event through a closed door. Loveless and Tackett stripped off Sharers clothes and proceeded to punch her repeatedly. The girls then took Sharer into their car and told her they were going to drive her to the meeting place at the Witchs Castle, an isolated and abandoned house that served as a local teen hangout. Derek Kaufman,21, the tough gang leader who was found guilty of first-degree murder. Ligature marks were found on her wrists, and she had several lacerations on her head, neck and legs. Tackett, who was 17 at the time of the killing, was charged as an adult and sentenced to 60 years in the Indiana Women's Prison in 1993 alongside co-defendantMelinda Loveless of New Albany. They then tried to slit Sharers throat, but the knife was too dull. The same morning, a hunter found a badly burned body out in a field in Madison and called the authorities. (Sun. but the best I can do is admit to my mistake. The grieving mother said she did it to honor her little girl, who she still thinks about every day. She was close to her mother, Jacqueline Vaught, who said her daughter was good at gymnastics, basketball, and baseball and was a cheerleader. I read the book about the case. He filed for bankruptcy in 1980. In early October 1991, Heavrin and Sharer attended a school dance, where Loveless found and confronted them. Age at death: 12 years old. The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade: The New Girl chronicles what happened to Shanda and how four girls were responsible for her death. I didnt go into that evening knowing anything was gonna happen, wanting anything to happen I didnt. Melinda Loveless, now 43, was released from the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis on Thursday, according to a spokeswoman for the Indiana Department of Correction. So, lets find out more about this case then, shall we. Online records list the earliest possible release date forLoveless as Sept. 5, 2019. A sleepy Indiana town awoke one chilly morning in the winter of 1992 to discover the lifeless body of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer in an open field. 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 had since reportedly married her girlfriend and seems to live in Indiana. [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. Shanda Sharer, a 16-year-old girl from Missouri, was murdered in 1998. The cause of death was smoke inhalation. She was compassionate. "I was really taken aback," said Jacque. Instead, they spent seven hours torturing Shanda, who would later suffer one of the worst deaths in history. And I know what my child would want. 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. Most of the crimes occurred from 1968 to 1977. While at Hazelwood, Shanda had met Amanda Heavrin. In the end, Melinda and Mary pleaded guilty to murder, arson, and criminal confinement, receiving a 60-year sentence in January 1993. [18] In December, Tackett moved back to Madison on the promise that her father would buy her a car. "Ididn't know Shanda at all. Death of Innocence - The Murder of Young Shanda Sharer BY David Lohr Autopsy On Sunday morning, Dr. George Nichols conducted Shanda's autopsy. In October 2007, Loveless's attorney, Mark Small, requested a hearing to argue for his client's release. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. Her case attracted nationwide attention due to its gruesome nature. And I would thank her. I saw someone almost reborn. In 1992, four teen girls tortured and killed 12-year-old Shanda Sharer. [6] In 1988, Larry briefly worked as a mail carrier, but quit after three months and did very little work, having brought most of his mail home to destroy it. One of the dog breeders who supplies Indiana with pups is a burn victim, much like Shanda Sharer was. Sharer's body was found the morning of Jan. 11, 1992. 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. 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 . Her mother was a fundamentalist Pentecostal Christian and her father was a factory worker with two felony convictions in the 1960s. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. -- 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 . She did a good thing. First, Melinda and Laurie stripped Shanda naked near a remote trash dump while Hope and Toni waited in the . Loveless was 18 when she planned the crime. :confused:--If that's the book by true crime author Aphrodite Jones, I remember it very well He would also embarrass his children by finding their underwear and smelling it in front of other family members. She currently goes by a different name and works for a trucking company based out of Madison. Like Mary, Melindas last known location is Indiana. It spiraled out of control way too fast. Melinda was released in September 2019, and while in prison, she trained service dogs for those living with trauma and disabilities. 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. Authorities quickly narrowed in on the killers four teenage girls, three of whom had never met the victim until . Now 36, she grew up in prison, in the shadow of her legacy: a crime of jealousy. Mary, who was interested in the occult, even talked about holding a seance to ask Shandas ghost how it felt to be burned alive. 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. Melinda has also reportedly changed her name since her release and prefers to stay away from the public eyes. But a dog named Angel is a dog like no other -- a four-legged conduit to Melinda's victim, Shanda Sharer. "I saw someone who was almost reborn.". The 12-year-old began to cry and tried to answer Loveless' questions, testimony showed. In the back seat, Melinda Loveless was hiding under a blanket with a knife. 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. This description of how the investigation unfolded . [29] Loveless was angry at first, but Rippey and Lawrence assured her about returning for Sharer later. 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 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. Loveless instructed Rippey and Lawrence to go to the door and introduce themselves as friends of Heavrin (Loveless's former and Sharer's current girlfriend), then invite Sharer to come with them to see Heavrin, who was waiting for them at "the Witch's Castle", or Mistletoe Falls, a ruined stone house located on an isolated hill overlooking the Ohio River. Tackett grew up in a strict religious household where normal teenager things were not welcome behaviors. He received a sentence of time served and was released in June 1995. [19], Hope Anna Rippey was born in Madison on June 9, 1976. Hang with us: Follow Us on Instagram Like Us on Facebook Join our Case Discussion Group on Facebook Get Killer Queens Merch 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. Shanda Renee Sharer was born June 6th 1979 in Pineville, Kentucky. [49] Tackett was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and suffering from hallucinations. Extended family members often described the Loveless daughters as visiting their homes hungry, apparently not getting enough food at home. The details of her murder shocked the area. Lawrence, Rippey, and Tackett all had histories of self-harming behavior. Its my choice to make. Sharer said that she could not go because her parents were awake, and she told the girls to come back around midnight, a few hours later. [34], Tackett led them to a dark abandoned building off a logging road in a densely forested area. Shanda Sharer was born on June 6, 1979 to her father Stephen, and her mother Jacqueline. 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. The girls then drove to the field near Madison, covered her with a blanket, and poured gasoline on her. Copyright 2019 by WDRB Media. But it was one such dance that set in motion a chain of events that would soon bring Shanda Sharers life to a gruesome, torturous end at the hands of four teenage girls. Tackett made Rippey pour the gasoline on Sharer, and then they set her on fire. 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. Mary Bell. She took up Charlie, the breeder, on his idea to donate a puppy in Shanda's honor, and she let Melinda loveless train her. The girls drove around for the next few hours as they tortured Shanda. [14], Tackett became increasingly rebellious after her 15th birthday and also became fascinated with the occult. Her parents would eventually divorce, and Shanda's mother Jacque would move the family to New Albany, Indiana in June 1991. 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. By the next day, all four girls were in custody. Thats all it was. Below read an excerpt from the book and delve into the tragic . She remained on parole until December 2002. In May 1989, her mother discovered that Tackett was changing from a dress into jeans at school, and, after a confrontation that night, attempted to strangle her. 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. 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. Upon arrival, they borrowed some clothes from Loveless, and she showed them a knife, telling them she was going to scare Sharer with it. par ; mai 21, 2022 [31], Eventually, the four girls left for Sharer's house. At this point, Sharers mother transferred her to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in order to protect her. Shanda Sharer was an ordinary Indiana teenager in 1992 until four girls tortured her for hours before finally killing her. Its something that should have never happened., Furthermore, in an interview on Dr. Phil, the convicted killer explained why she thinks people kill. There were also reports of the victim being sexually assaulted with the same weapon. In Dec. 1992,Loveless pleaded guilty to the Jan. 11, 1992 murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer of New Albany. [44][45], At 8:20p.m., a hysterical Lawrence and Rippey went to the Jefferson County Sheriff's office with their parents. As of September 2019, all four had been released from prison at various times. 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. The murder of Shanda Sharer occured in Madison, Indiana early in the morning on January 11, 1982. 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. [59][60] A few weeks following his release, Larry unsuccessfully sued the Floyd County Jail for $39 million in federal court, alleging he had suffered cruel and unusual punishment during his two-year incarceration. But a breeder who supplies dogs to the ICAN program at the prison forged an unexpected connection. It was a crime of passion and peer pressure committed by four teenage girls. Loveless and Tackett took turns stabbing Sharer in the chest. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. 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. Jacque has faced criticism over her decision to let Shanda's killer honor her name. Phil." 12-year-old Shanda Sharer was murdered in 1992. Hope and Toni met Mary, their friend, on January 10, 1992, believing they would go to a concert. Killing her by a different name and works for a trucking company based out of Madison she was 12 old! 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