"[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. 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. Jacqueline made her daughter switch schools, and that seemed to work. Sharer was twelve year old girl from Indiana, USA. On this particular weekend Shanda had been staying with her father, Steve Sharer, and Melinda knew it. "If you don't let good things come from bad things, nothing gets better. [3], Melinda Loveless was born in New Albany on October 28, 1975, the youngest of three daughters, to Marjorie and Larry Loveless. Loveless then threatened Sharer in public and soon even talked about killing the 12-year-old. Melinda Loveless, now 44, was one of four women convicted in the 1992 death of Shanda Sharer. Indiana Offenders | National Organization of Victims of . Ultimately four teenage girls would be arrested and charged for the murd. 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]. I couldn't thank her enough. Jacque has faced criticism over her decision to let Shanda's killer honor her name. Shanda attended fifth and sixth grades in Louisville at St. Paul School where she was on the cheer leading, volleyball and softball teams. Loveless and Tackett made Sharer strip down to her underwear; then, Loveless beat Sharer with her fists. In 1991, Shanda Sharer was a bubbly 12-year-old attending Hazelwood Middle School in New Albany, Ind. Her family has long suspected that her killer is someone she knew, but they have never been able to prove it. [49] Tackett was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and suffering from hallucinations. She was released on December 14, 2000 after serving nine years in prison. Vaught did something remarkable after seeing her daughters killer at work. My child would want this.". She was reunited with friends Tackett and Toni Lawrence, whom she had known since childhood, although her parents saw Tackett as a bad influence. "She helped me to heal, forgive and grow, whether she wanted that or not," Loveless said through tears, "She did a good thing. I didnt go into that evening knowing anything was gonna happen, wanting anything to happen I didnt. 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. The girls then drove to the field near Madison, covered her with a blanket, and poured gasoline on her. They became lost, so they stopped at a gas station and covered Sharer in a blanket. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. 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. 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. They drove north of Madison, past Jefferson Proving Ground to Lemon Road off U.S. Route 421, a place known to Rippey. 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. 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. The 1992 . Once they had her in their car, they beat and tortured her for hours before finally setting her on fire. The 12-year-old seemed to have things working for her, and when she went missing, she was enrolled in a Catholic school. April 25, 2016. Her death is notable due to the torture she endured for more than 10 hours, and subsequently being burned alive. Copyright 2019 by WDRB Media. 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. It was a crime of passion and peer pressure committed by four teenage girls. Her parents were Stephen Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught. The Events Leading to the Murder At the time of her murder, Shanda Renee Sharer was the 12-year old daughter of divorced parents, attending school at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic school in New Albany, Indiana, after transferring the previous year from Hazelwood Middle School. Loveless began taking off Sharer's rings and handed each to the girls. It was a crime of passion and peer pressure committed by four teenage girls. Unfortunately, that did nothing to stop the horrific events that would soon unfold. So, lets find out more about this case then, shall we. [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. Melinda is training Angel to help someone in need, but Angel is already helping her. She passed away when she was 12 years old. On the morning of January 11, 1992, 2 hunters found Shanda's beaten and burned body. Two other defendants, Toni Lawrence and Hope A. Rippey, were sentenced to 20 years and 50years respectively, according to IndyStar archives. Stephen resettled in Jeffersonville, Indiana with his wife, Sharon. Her parents discovered the self-mutilation and checked her into a hospital on March 19, 1991. This description of how the investigation unfolded . Just to be sure their work was finished, Loveless had them return a few minutes later to pour some more gasoline on her, watch her writhe in agony, and finally confirm that she was dead. Shanda Sharer was a 12 year old girl living in the idyllic town of Madison, Indiana. When her parents divorced, her mother married another man and -- 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 . The Shanda Sharer Murder. 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. She said her goal is to make Shanda proud of her, and she believes Angel would do that. Instead, Loveless would be eligible for parole in 15 years, thus maintaining the original guilty plea. She was kidnapped, tortured and burned alive by four teenage girls. Did The U.S. Although Heavrin and Loveless had never formally ended their relationship, Loveless started to date an older girl. Sharer moved to New Albany with her. [2] After Sharer's parents divorced, her mother remarried and the family moved to Louisville. So I get it," said Loveless from the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. 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. She was close to her mother, Jacqueline Vaught, who said her daughter was good at gymnastics, basketball, and baseball and was a cheerleader. [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. Witnesses said thatLoveless plotted to kill Sharer because she believed Sharer had stolen her 15-year-old girlfriend from her. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. 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. The girls used the pretense that they were taking Sharer to see Heavrin as the excuse for their visit. Meanwhile, Tackett and Loveless both received 60-year sentences. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. Her death has been the subject of much speculation and debate over the years. After her parents divorced, her mother re-married and moved to Louisville, Kentucky. primary and secondary emotions chart; dr baig st thomas hospital; equation of elastic curve of a beam; bath and body works lavender shower gel Shanda Renee Sharer was an American girl who was tortured and burned to death in Madison, Indiana, by four teenage girls. The story was turned into a play by Rob Urbinati called Hazelwood Jr. High, which starred Chlo Sevigny as Tackett. While she was furious at first, she accepted her daughter's lifestyle. During Loveless's sentencing hearing, extensive open court testimony revealed that her father Larry had abused his wife, his daughters, and other children. The three other girls assumed Loveless was simply going to scare Sharer into breaking up with Heavrin. At this point, Sharers mother transferred her to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School in order to protect her. 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. Furthermore, Melinda had a rough childhood, with her father being accused of sexual abuse. But the Indiana Supreme Court upheld their sentences. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. He said that Loveless had been "profoundly retarded" by childhood abuse. The murder of Shanda Sharer occured in Madison, Indiana early in the morning on January 11, 1982. 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. And I'm doing it for Shanda.". LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A classmate of a southern Indiana girl murdered in 1992 said the Indiana justice system should be ashamed of itself. After that incident, the Loveless parents left the church and returned to their former professions and drinking. It spiraled out of control way too fast. A burn victim like Shanda, Charlie Petrizzo convinced Jacque to watch a videotape of the new Melinda. 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. Lawrence was released from prison in 2000, and Rippey was released in 2006. [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. [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. [47] Loveless and Tackett were arrested on January 12. She claimed that her mother beat her often. Melinda Loveless was the ringleader responsible for the murder of Shanda Sharer, along with her three accomplices, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey and Toni Lawrence. 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. Rippey sprayed Sharer with Windex and taunted, "You're not looking so hot now, are you? Death of Innocence - The Murder of Young Shanda Sharer BY David Lohr Autopsy On Sunday morning, Dr. George Nichols conducted Shanda's autopsy. Sharer was reluctant to go with them, yet agreed after changing her clothes. [4] Early in the school year, she transferred to Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, a Catholic school in New Albany, where she joined the girls' basketball team. Its something that should have never happened., Furthermore, in an interview on Dr. Phil, the convicted killer explained why she thinks people kill. Its my choice to make. First, Melinda and Laurie stripped Shanda naked near a remote trash dump while Hope and Toni waited in the . 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. 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. [26] Heavrin states she gave letters Loveless sent her containing death threats towards Sharer to a "youth prosecutor", but the youth prosecutor never did anything about it as far as she knew. 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. [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. Co-defendants Laurie Tackett, Toni Lawrence and Hope Rippey were earlier released from prison. People were even more shocked when it was revealed that four teenage girls were responsible f The church later arranged for Melinda to be taken to a motel room with a 50-year-old man for a five-hour exorcism. Shipley then started the paperwork to get warrants for the arrest of Laurie Tackett and Melinda Loveless. Authorities quickly narrowed in on the killers four teenage girls, three of whom had never met the victim until . The authorities learned that while Shanda was in middle school, she befriended an older teenager named Amanda. :confused:--If that's the book by true crime author Aphrodite Jones, I remember it very well As of September 2019, all four had been released from prison at various times. She then attempted suicide again, and her daughters called authorities. 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. Toni was released in 2000 after serving almost nine years in prison, remaining on parole until late 2002. Loveless explained to the two other girls that she disliked Sharer for being a copycat and for stealing her girlfriend.[28]. Shanda Sherer Shanda Sherer Shanda Sherer was born on June 6, 1979, in Pineville, Kentucky. She convinced three other teens -- Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett and Toni Lawrence -- to participate in the crime because she believed Sharer stole her girlfriend. They lived in or near New Albany throughout Melinda's childhood. They arrived at Sharer's house shortly before dark. [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]. 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. They initially suspected a drug deal gone wrong and did not believe the crime had been committed by locals. Mary, who was interested in the occult, even talked about holding a seance to ask Shandas ghost how it felt to be burned alive. 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