Shanda attended fifth and sixth grades in Louisville at St. Paul School where she was on the cheer leading, volleyball and softball teams. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A classmate of a southern Indiana girl murdered in 1992 said the Indiana justice system should be ashamed of itself. The Abduction. Loveless admitted abducting Sharer, torturing her and burning her to death in Madison. "I've loved her, I've cried on her. 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. primary and secondary emotions chart; dr baig st thomas hospital; equation of elastic curve of a beam; bath and body works lavender shower gel INDIANAPOLIS The last of four women charged as teenagers with the 1992 torture murder of a southern Indiana 12-year-old has been released from prison. 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.. The grieving mother said she did it to honor her little girl, who she still thinks about every day. The foursome drove to where Sharer was spending the weekend with her father. [2] After Sharer's parents divorced, her mother remarried and the family moved to Louisville. The church later arranged for Melinda to be taken to a motel room with a 50-year-old man for a five-hour exorcism. She currently goes by a different name and works for a trucking company based out of Madison. [22], Toni Lawrence was born in Madison on February 14, 1976. Witnesses also testified that Tackett, who was obsessed with the occult and the notion of killing someone, had proposed asking Sharer's ghost during a seance how it felt to die by fire, according to IndyStar archives. Shanda Sharer Murder: Where Are Her Killers Now? Ralph's first thought was that the object was a body, though logic dictated that it were something else. She was close to her mother, Jacqueline Vaught, who said her daughter was good at gymnastics, basketball, and baseball and was a cheerleader. 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. After her parents divorced, her mother re-married and moved to Louisville, Kentucky. [16] Tackett was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and confessed that she had experienced hallucinations since she was a young child. Loveless and Tackett took turns stabbing Sharer in the chest. Shanda Sharer, a 16-year-old girl from Missouri, was murdered in 1998. Laurie Tackett, now 43, was one of four women convicted in the 1992 death of Shanda Sharer. During Loveless's sentencing hearing, extensive open court testimony revealed that her father Larry had abused his wife, his daughters, and other children. Both older girls said he molested them, though Melinda did not admit this ever happened to her. First, they took Sharer to a remote trash dump near a logging road in a densely forested area. [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. [2] After Sharer's parents divorced, her mother remarried and the family moved to Louisville. 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. 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 . In November, 1988, Minato (then using the first name Nobuharu) and Hiroshi Miyano (now using the surname Yokoyama), worked together to abduct Junko Furuta as she commuted home from a part-time job. 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. [PREVIOUS STORY: Judge denies Loveless' request for earlyrelease in torture-killing]. While the four decided never to talk about it, Toni couldnt take it anymore and confessed to the police. Tackett grew up in a strict religious household where normal teenager things were not welcome behaviors. Larry became a marriage counselor with the church and acquired a reputation for being too forward with women, eventually attempting to rape one of them. [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. The killers looked no different than girls I knew in school who walked around, wreaking havoc and completely out of control. The incident attracted international attention due to both the brutality of the murder and the young age of the perpetrators, who were aged between 15 and 17 years old. 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. An Indiana Department of Correction spokeswoman says 44-year-old Melinda Loveless was released from the Indiana Womens Prison in Indianapolis on Thursday after serving 23 years and eight months of a 60-year sentence for the murder and criminal confinement of Shanda Sharer in 1992. She went into counseling after the incident but did not follow through. [54], Lawrence was released on December 14, 2000, after serving nine years. Copyright 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. More: Part 2: How fake witnesses, exposed surveillance operation unravel Grundy murder investigation, More: Burger Chef murder victim's mom had surprising thing to say after 1978 killings. Loveless immediately grew jealous of Heavrin and Sharer's relationship. The ringleader and jealous lover soon leapt out from under the blanket and threatened to slit Sharers throat if she didnt confess to stealing Heavrin away from her. She was compassionate. MADISON, IND. She convinced three other. MurderpediaClockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. [69][70], The Cold Case second-season episode "The Sleepover" is loosely based on this crime. 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. There she met Loveless; the two became friends in late November. 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. Shes my child. The same morning, a hunter found a badly burned body out in a field in Madison and called the authorities. Online records list the earliest possible release date forLoveless as Sept. 5, 2019. 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. "I was the monster. Melinda has also reportedly changed her name since her release and prefers to stay away from the public eyes. I had never heard of Shanda Sharer before she was killed, but her murder has made me a fervent advocate for the prevention of crime. And Im doing it for her.. Meanwhile, Tackett and Loveless both received 60-year sentences. In the end, Melinda and Mary pleaded guilty to murder, arson, and criminal confinement, receiving a 60-year sentence in January 1993. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. 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. Tackett further taunted Sharer, claiming that the Witch's Castle was filled with human remains and Sharer's would be next. Loveless was released from Indiana Women's Prison on September 5, 2019. In 1991, Shanda Sharer was a bubbly 12-year-old attending Hazelwood Middle School in New Albany, Ind. It spiraled out of control way too fast. She claimed that living with her family in Michigan was somewhat turbulent. 125 miles away, Shanda's mother, Jacque Vaught, still endures shockwaves from her daughter's brutal murder. Melinda Loveless has a new lease on life as a trainer of service dogs for the disabled. She became promiscuous, began to self-harm, and attempted suicide in eighth grade. At that point, Amanda was in an on-and-off relationship with another teenager, Melinda Loveless. In 1992, four teen girls tortured and killed 12-year-old Shanda Sharer. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. 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. After that incident, the Loveless parents left the church and returned to their former professions and drinking. Shanda's parents divorced when she was young, and she ended up . Melinda Loveless, now 44, was one of four women convicted in the 1992 death of Shanda Sharer. At present, all of them are out of prison, much before the end of their sentences. Hours later they took Shanda to another remote location and continued brutalizing her. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. Published on May 20, 2011. 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. Unfortunately, that did nothing to stop the horrific events that would soon unfold. While at Hazelwood, Shanda had met Amanda Heavrin. 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. The four teenagers were eventually arrested, and initially, Melinda and Mary pointed the finger at each other for the torture-murder. Her father was a boilermaker. Loveless was released in September 2019. While she was furious at first, she accepted her daughter's lifestyle. [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. She even carved an "M" into the stomach of one . [67], The poem In God's Arms by author Lacy Gray dedicated to the family of Shanda Renee Sharer. 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. "Ididn't know Shanda at all. Derek Kaufman bids his mother Joan Esposito farewell as he kisses her hand in court after his sentencing. Did The U.S. Mary also grew up in a sheltered environment and was rebellious. She took up Charlie, the breeder, on his idea to donate a puppy in Shanda's honor, and she let Melinda loveless train her. "[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. Jacque Vaught said she hopes to give away a service dog raised in prison every year in Shanda's name, and she is open to Melinda raising more of them. 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. But a dog named Angel is a dog like no other -- a four-legged conduit to Melinda's victim, Shanda Sharer. Melinda Loveless, the mastermind behind the cruel gang rape torture-murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer in 1992 was released on Thursday, Sept. 5, after serving more than 26 years in prison. 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. 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.. She's my child," said Jacque. Loveless is the last of the four to be released from prison. I was really taken aback, Vaught said after watching. All four girls who perpetrated the assault and murder of Shanda Sharer were tried as adults. 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. For seven hours, the four girls brutally tortured Shanda Sharer before ultimately killing her. 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. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Shanda was born on June 6th, 1979, and was born in Pineville, Kentucky. In early October 1991, Heavrin and Sharer attended a school dance, where Loveless found and confronted them. That torture wasnt enough to satiate the older girls. 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. Meanwhile, Lawrence and Rippey stayed behind in Tacketts car. Shanda Sharer. Small also argued that Loveless, who was 16 years old when she signed the plea agreement, was too young to enter into a contract in the state of Indiana without consent from a parent or guardian, which had not been obtained. I couldn't thank her enough. Loveless, the one angry with Sharer and the ringleader behind the murder, naturally received a longer sentence than the two younger girls, but why would Tackett take so much to the killing and earn herself the longer sentence as well? Next, Loveless repeatedly slammed Sharer's face into her knee, which cut Sharer's mouth on her own braces. [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. Shanda endured hell and was later put in the trunk of the car, only in her underwear. Then, the three girls drove to pick up Heavrin and take her back to the Loveless home, where they told Heavrin the story. After Loveless's father left the family and her mother remarried, Loveless behaved erratically. The 12-year-old began to cry and tried to answer Loveless' questions, testimony showed. The story was turned into a play by Rob Urbinati called Hazelwood Jr. High, which starred Chlo Sevigny as Tackett. 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. Now 36, she grew up in prison, in the shadow of her legacy: a crime of jealousy. And I know what my child would want. All four girls had troubled backgrounds, with claims of physical or sexual abuse committed by a parent or other adult. Turning cloudy, a shower possible after 3pm. She passed away when she was 12 years old. Like Mary, Melindas last known location is Indiana. [34], Tackett led them to a dark abandoned building off a logging road in a densely forested area. 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. Clockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. I would thank her. 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. She had since reportedly married her girlfriend and seems to live in Indiana. 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. Melinda was released in September 2019, and while in prison, she trained service dogs for those living with trauma and disabilities. 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. Shanda Renee Sharer was a 12 year old who was brutally murdered and tortured by 4 teenage girls (between the ages 15 and 17) in January 12, 1992. "I was the bad person.". After phoning neighbors and friends all morning, he called his former wife, Sharer's mother, at 1:45p.m.; they met and filed a missing person report with the Clark County sheriff. They entered plea bargains to avoid the death penalty. The prosecution immediately declared its intention to try both Loveless and Tackett as adults. Finally, in the early morning hours, the torturers stopped at a gas station and bought a two-liter bottle of Pepsi, which they quickly emptied and refilled with gasoline. When they heard Sharer screaming in the trunk, Tackett went out with a paring knife and stabbed her several more times, coming back a few minutes later covered with blood. Small stated that he would seek to have jurisdiction over the case moved to the Indiana Supreme Court. Her parents would eventually divorce, and Shanda's mother Jacque would move the family to New Albany, Indiana in June 1991. 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. However, Jacqueline forbade her daughter from seeing Amanda because of some letters she had written that were sexual in nature. Jun 20, 1992 at 12:00 am. Shanda was best friends with her mom, and close with her father and stepmother, Sharon. 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