shanda sharer killers where are they now

Unfortunately, that did nothing to stop the horrific events that would soon unfold. 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 enlisted the help of her friend Laurie Tackett, 17, and the latter's childhood friends Hope Rippey, 15, and Toni Lawrence, 15. It is also to be noted that her body was posed in a suggestive position, very obviously meaning that this was done on purpose and with intention. Join us as we discuss the motive that turned teenage girls into killers and the aftermath of Shanda's murder. [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. All four girls who perpetrated the assault and murder of Shanda Sharer were tried as adults. copilot vs ynab shanda sharer killers where are they now shanda sharer killers where are they now. 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. Loveless hit the victims face with her knee until she bled profusely from her mouth. She claimed that her mother beat her often. Heavrin was horrified and asked to be taken home. When they opened the trunk, Sharer sat up, covered in blood with her eyes rolled back in her head, but unable to speak. 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. But a breeder who supplies dogs to the ICAN program at the prison forged an unexpected connection. [53] On November 14, 2008, Loveless's appeal was denied by the Indiana Court of Appeals, upholding Judge Todd's ruling. Known For: Being Tortured and killed by 4 teenage girls. 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. Loveless was 18 when she planned the crime. [46], Detectives obtained dental records that positively identified Sharer as the victim. Tackett let Rippey drive the four girls to Jeffersonville, where Sharer stayed with her father on the weekends, stopping at a McDonald's restaurant en route to ask for directions. Melinda was released in September 2019, and while in prison, she trained service dogs for those living with trauma and disabilities. [72], The murder of Sharer was covered in the first of two segments in the Lifetime series Killer Kids, episode "Jealousy", aired: July 2014. She's like my kid," said Loveless. 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. [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. In May 2011, Tackett appeared on an episode of "Dr. 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. 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. After another divorce, she moved her family to New Albany, Indiana. She had since reportedly married her girlfriend and seems to live in Indiana. She got into fights at school and reported being depressed, resulting in her receiving professional counseling. At that point, Amanda was in an on-and-off relationship with another teenager, Melinda Loveless. "Ididn't know Shanda at all. Jacqueline was divorced from Shandas father, but they moved to New Albany, Indiana, to be closer to him. "I liked it because it wasn't planned," said Loveless. In October of that year, the pair attended a school dance together. He said that Loveless had been "profoundly retarded" by childhood abuse. ", "Judge denies Loveless' request for early release in torture-killing", "Woman convicted in 1992 murder released from prison", "Mastermind behind brutal murder of Indiana girl in 1992 released from prison", "New Albany memorial focuses on Shanda, not her murder", "Shanda Sharer's mother and murderer form unlikely alliance", "In Cold Blood: A Daughter's Brutal Murder", "Watch Jealousy Full Episode - Killer Kids | Lifetime", "Sex and Death: Interview with Marlene McCarty", "MOCA Collection: Marlene McCarty: 20002001: Melinda Loveless, Toni Lawrence, Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett, and Shanda Sharer January 11, 1992 (1:39 am)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Shanda_Sharer&oldid=1133311329, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using embedded infobox templates with the title parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Body of Shanda Sharer found in rural Jefferson County, Indiana, Loveless and Tackett accept plea bargains, A judge reduces Rippey's 60-year sentence to 35 years, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 04:34. [58] After serving 26+ years in prison, she will serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky. [41], A friend of Loveless, Crystal Wathen, came over to Loveless's house, and they told her what had happened. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. At some point, Rippey had taken Sharer's Mickey Mouse watch and danced to the tune it played. Veteran journalist and host of Investigation Discovery's "True Crime with Aphrodite Jones", Jones reveals the shocking truth behind the most savage crime in Indiana history-the torture, mutilation, and murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer by four teenage girls. Then, discover the story of teenage serial killer Harvey Robinson. She served over 26 years in prison and will continue to serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky. In 1992, four teen girls tortured and killed 12-year-old Shanda Sharer. In a new twist to the case, police have now arrested a man named Johnny Lee Sharer for . 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 church later arranged for Melinda to be taken to a motel room with a 50-year-old man for a five-hour exorcism. [3] When her mother divorced again, the family moved in June 1991 to New Albany, Indiana, and Sharer enrolled at Hazelwood Middle School. 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. [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. Most of the crimes occurred from 1968 to 1977. Shanda's parents divorced when she was young, and she ended up . Furthermore, Shandas grades were getting affected. [43], Sharer's father, Steven, noticed his daughter was nowhere to be found early on January 11. They then went to Tacketts house to clean up and drink sodas before realizing that their victim, now screaming in the trunk, was still alive. There had been just three other murders in the previous 12 years in the County, and none of them were as gruesome. [69][70], The Cold Case second-season episode "The Sleepover" is loosely based on this crime. On this particular weekend Shanda had been staying with her father, Steve Sharer, and Melinda knew it. But in 2004, five years were shaved off her sentence for good behavior. Pretty much, they'd been a group of strangers who came together in order to murder an innocent 12 year old stranger. For nearly eight hours, the girls sexually assaulted and tortured Shanda Sharer, except for Toni Lawrence which refused to participate in the heinous act. She then attempted suicide again, and her daughters called authorities. [10], The extent of Larry's abuse of his daughters and other children is unclear. The details of her murder shocked the area. par ; mai 21, 2022 [60], Sharer's father, Steven Sharer, died of alcoholism in 2005 at the age of 53. Loveless tried to slash Sharer's throat, but the knife was too dull. 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. Her family has long suspected that her killer is someone she knew, but they have never been able to prove it. And Im doing it for her.. Toni was released in 2000 after serving almost nine years in prison, remaining on parole until late 2002. Loveless ordered Sharer to tell the truth about stealing the girlfriend or have her throat slit. 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. But 20 years later, something no one expected happened. Shanda was born on June 6th, 1979, and was born in Pineville, Kentucky. 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 . Extended family members often described the Loveless daughters as visiting their homes hungry, apparently not getting enough food at home. "If you don't let good things come from bad things, nothing gets better. She remained on supervised parole until April 2011. In January 2018, Mary was released from prison and was on parole for a year after that. In the end, Melinda and Mary pleaded guilty to murder, arson, and criminal confinement, receiving a 60-year sentence in January 1993. That'sall it was. But Tackett also explained how after beating Sharerthey locked the injured but still-living girl in the trunk of her car and drove her to the spot where she was set on fire. In March 1991, Loveless revealed to her mother that she was a lesbian. Shanda Sharer moved to New Albany with her mother in 1991. That same day, the girls started talking. Ligature marks were found on her wrists, and she had several lacerations on her head, neck and legs. She was close friends with Rippey from childhood. Shanda was the kind of girl you wanted to be friends with; she was bubbly, outgoing and a lot of fun. Hang with us: Follow Us on Instagram Like Us on Facebook Join our Case Discussion Group on Facebook Get Killer Queens Merch 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. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. She was sentenced to 60 years in prison but has served the required time for her release. 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. Shanda Sharer met classmate Amanda Heavrin at Hazelwood in 1991, soon after moving to the area with her recently divorced mother from Kentucky. Two days later, with her girlfriend and Toni Lawrence, Tackett cut her wrists deeply and was returned to the hospital. 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. She said her goal is to make Shanda proud of her, and she believes Angel would do that. [52], On January 8, 2008, Loveless's request was rejected by Jefferson Circuit Judge Ted Todd. [45], All four girls were charged as adults. So, lets find out more about this case then, shall we. Ididn't," Tackett said. There were also reports of the victim being sexually assaulted with the same weapon. Then they lit Shanda Sharer on fire and drove off. 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. Shipley felt his heart sink as he read the description - blonde hair, five feet tall, around 100 pounds. She helped me to heal, forgive and grow, whether she wanted that or not. Sharer and Heavrin became fast friends and then romantic partners. Then, the three girls drove to pick up Heavrin and take her back to the Loveless home, where they told Heavrin the story. Upon arrival, they borrowed some clothes from Loveless, and she showed them a knife, telling them she was going to scare Sharer with it. Clockwise from top left: Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence. In seven years, Loveless has become one of the most trusted and competent trainers in the Indiana Canine Assistance Network (ICAN) program. Parents: Jacqueline Vaught, Stephen Sharer. 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