They told her that Amanda wanted to meet her, and they were there to pick her up. Shanda Renee Sharer was an American girl who was tortured and burned to death in Madison, Indiana, by four teenage girls. "If you don't let good things come from bad things, nothing gets better. All four girls had troubled backgrounds, with claims of physical or sexual abuse committed by a parent or other adult. She was compassionate. There had been just three other murders in the previous 12 years in the County, and none of them were as gruesome. I've given her medicine, her baths. shanda sharer killers where are they nowtransfer function of capacitor and resistor in parallel. In early October 1991, Heavrin and Sharer attended a school dance, where Loveless found and confronted them. They initially suspected a drug deal gone wrong and did not believe the crime had been committed by locals. Although Heavrin and Loveless had never formally ended their relationship, Loveless started to date an older girl. "I liked it because it wasn't planned," said Loveless. 12-year-old Shanda Sharer was murdered in 1992. 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. That torture wasnt enough to satiate the older girls. And Im doing it for her.. Loveless was released from Indiana Women's Prison on September 5, 2019. Why 12-Year-Old Shanda Sharer Was Tortured And Killed By Four Teenage Girls. I couldnt thank her enough. Ligature marks were found on her wrists, and she had several lacerations on her head, neck and legs. [19], Hope Anna Rippey was born in Madison on June 9, 1976. [54], Lawrence was released on December 14, 2000, after serving nine years. She drove to the burn pile, where they opened the trunk to stare at Sharer. Tackett and Loveless were sentenced to 60 years in the Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. Shanda moved around a few times due to her parents divorcing. The Shanda Sharer Murder. Four teenage girls lured 12-year-old Shanda Sharer to the witch's castle at midnight on the pretense that another friend was in desperate trouble. She claimed that her mother beat her often. At around 7 am on January 11, 1992, Shandas father, Steve, realized that his daughter wasnt at home in Jeffersonville, Indiana; she had been staying with him at the time. Jacque has faced criticism over her decision to let Shanda's killer honor her name. [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. [23], In 1990, 14-year-old Loveless began dating another young girl named Amanda Heavrin. For several months, the prosecutors and defense attorneys did not release any information about the case, giving the news media only the statements by Lawrence and Rippey. Sharer was twelve year old girl from Indiana, USA. This tire-iron assault was off and on for hours as the girls went on a joyride through the countryside. Sharer continued to make crying and gurgling noises, so Tackett stopped the car. Copyright 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. [55], On April 28, 2006, Rippey was released from Indiana Women's Prison on parole after serving 14 years of her original sentence. 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. At present, all of them are out of prison, much before the end of their sentences. She was, by all accounts, a normal girl who made friends easily and had fun at school dances. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. ""All I've ever said is, 'I just want them to serve their sentence.' The 1992 . And I would thank her. To further threaten Sharer, Tackett then retrieved a shirt with a smiley design from the car and lit it on fire, but immediately feared that the fire would be spotted by passing cars, so the girls left with Sharer. Sharer entered the car, not knowing Loveless was hiding in the back seat under a blanket, according to IndyStar archives. [22], Toni Lawrence was born in Madison on February 14, 1976. She convinced three other teens -- Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett and Toni Lawrence -- to participate in the crime because she believed Sharer stole her girlfriend. Shanda attended fifth and sixth grades in Louisville at St. Paul School where she was on the cheer leading, volleyball and softball teams. She began attending Hazelwood Junior High School where she met Amanda Heavrin, 15, and developed a romantic interest in her. At a remote trash dump in a densely overgrown area, Loveless and her gang stripped the clothes from Sharer's body, punched her repeatedly, sprayed window cleaner into her eyes. The four teenagers were eventually arrested, and initially, Melinda and Mary pointed the finger at each other for the torture-murder. [8], The Loveless parents would often visit bars in Louisville where Larry would pretend to be a doctor or a dentist and introduce Marjorie as his girlfriend. I think the ICAN program allows her to have something in her life that she can show love back to and theres never betrayal on either side.. As they got in the car, Rippey began questioning Sharer about her relationship with Heavrin. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison for murder and criminal confinement. She had been stabbed, strangled, beaten and burned alive. They beat her, sodomized the 12-year-old with a tire iron, choked her with a cord, and sliced her legs with a knife. But 20 years later, something no one expected happened. I would thank her. [72], The murder of Sharer was covered in the first of two segments in the Lifetime series Killer Kids, episode "Jealousy", aired: July 2014. It was a crime of passion and peer pressure committed by four teenage girls. She convinced three other teens Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett and Toni Lawrence to participate in the crime because she believed Sharer stole her girlfriend. During Loveless's sentencing hearing, extensive open court testimony revealed that her father Larry had abused his wife, his daughters, and other children. The fund planned to provide scholarships to two students per year from Prosser School of Technology in New Albany; one scholarship to a student who is continuing his or her education, and the other scholarship to a student who is beginning his or her career and must buy tools or other work equipment. "I was the monster. She remained on parole until December 2002. When the group of girls drove up to the house, Toni and Hope knocked on the front door; the girl's Daddy answered . She got into fights at school and reported being depressed, resulting in her receiving professional counseling. 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. Copyright 2019 by WDRB Media. The whole thing happened around the jealousy stemming from lesbian relationships. An Indiana program called ICAN, or Indiana Canine Assistant Network, has been helping Loveless. Clockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. I read the book about the case. The church later arranged for Melinda to be taken to a motel room with a 50-year-old man for a five-hour exorcism. The girls used the pretense that they were taking Sharer to see Heavrin as the excuse for their visit. 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. [47] Loveless and Tackett were arrested on January 12. So, lets find out more about this case then, shall we. [21] As with the other girls, Rippey began to self-harm at age 15. She went into counseling after the incident but did not follow through. April 25, 2016. Court testimony indicates that the four girls lured Sharer from her home the night of Jan. 10, 1992, on the pretense that she was being taken to meet her new girlfriend. [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. "That's the one Jacque had touched, had held, had named. [58] After serving 26+ years in prison, she will serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky. [25], After Heavrin and Sharer attended a festival together in late October, Loveless began to discuss killing Sharer and threatened her in public. The 12-year-old seemed to have things working for her, and when she went missing, she was enrolled in a Catholic school. -- 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 . On the cold winter night of Jan. 10, 1992, Loveless enlisted three friends Laurie Tackett (17), Hope Rippey (15), and Toni Lawrence (15) to help her take her revenge on Shanda Sharer. You have permission to edit this article. She was sentenced to 60 years for murder. Peer pressure. 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. In 1994, Tackett and Loveless appealed their sentences, citing their difficult childhoods. [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. 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. The prosecution immediately declared its intention to try both Loveless and Tackett as adults. MADISON, Ind. Sharer moved to New Albany with her mother in 1991 and developed a romantic relationship with Amanda Heavrin, a 15-year-old she met at school. She's my child," said Jacque. My child would want this., Loveless, for her part, feels as if Vaught is helping her to overcome her past. She would often attempt to impress her friends by pretending to be possessed by the spirit of "Deanna the Vampire". Shanda Sharer. The whole episode I refer to Shanda as Shandra. Shanda Sharer moved to New Albany with her mother in 1991. 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. After more than seven hoursof torture, the girls ended itby soaking Sharer with gasoline and burning her alive alongside a country road, evidence revealed. The details of her murder shocked the area. As per the show, she was jealous of Shanda and had written angry letters to Amanda about killing her perceived competition. It was published February 8, 1993 and May 11, 1995 in the Jeffersonville, Indiana-based newspaper, The Evening News. Then they lit Shanda Sharer on fire and drove off. Shanda's parents divorced when she was young, and she ended up . She was sentenced to 60 years in prison but has served the required [] MADISON, Ind. And also don't understand your outrage. All four girls were tried as adults and accepted plea bargains in order to avoid the death penalty. They left soon after, fearing they had drawn attention to themselves. Now 36, she grew up in prison, in the shadow of her legacy: a crime of jealousy. Loveless served more than 26 years in prison, she was jealous of shanda and written. Lets find out more about this case then, shall we 11, 1995 in the Indiana Women 's on... 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