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. 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. The Abduction. "Odle comes in, and he's going to set with them, and they're going him hug him, and they're going to talk to him to make it easier for them," said Loveless. She convinced three other teens Hope Rippey, Laurie Tackett and Toni Lawrence to participate in the crime because she believed Sharer stole her girlfriend. In an interview with Shanda Sharer's mother, Jacque Vaught, on the Investigation Discovery series Deadly Women, Vaught stated that Sharer's father was so destroyed by his daughter's murder that he "did everything he could to kill himself besides put a gun to his head" and that he "drank himself to death. Catch the episode of The 1990s: The Deadliest Decade, titled The New Girl, on Investigation Discovery on August 19, 2022. [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. [9] When Melinda was nine years old, Larry had Marjorie gang raped, after which she tried to drown herself. My child would want this., Loveless, for her part, feels as if Vaught is helping her to overcome her past. Jacque said she still has no plans to meet face-to-face with her daughter's killers. She served over 26 years in prison and will continue to serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky. By the end of the night, only four of them were alive. The perpetrators were four teenage girls who committed unspeakable crimes under the influence of teenage jealousy and peer pressure. Angel is in good hands. They became lost, so they stopped at a gas station and covered Sharer in a blanket. Court testimony showed Loveless wanted Sharer killed because the two competed for the affections of the same girl. There she met Loveless; the two became friends in late November. 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. Her name was Shanda Sharer; her age--twelve. [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. Jun 20, 1992 at 12:00 am. He filed for bankruptcy in 1980. 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. Shanda was born in Pineville, Kentucky on the 6th of June 1979. 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. Sharer was reluctant to go with them, yet agreed after changing her clothes. The bulk of the evidence for the arrest warrant came from the statements made by Lawrence and Rippey. 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 film also has three interviews with Loveless. When they returned to Tacketts house, she laughingly described what had just happened to Rippey. Rippey sprayed Sharer with Windex and taunted, "You're not looking so hot now, are you? The foursome drove to where Sharer was spending the weekend with her father. Shanda Sharer, 12 years old, had been reported missing by her parents some eight hours earlier. Be the first one to comment on this story. Melinda was someone who had learned to nurture something, love it, then let it go, as she did with Odle last March. Join us as we discuss the motive that turned teenage girls into killers and the aftermath of Shanda's murder. "I was the bad person.". "Angel is in good hands. Shanda Sharer Murder: Where Are Her Killers Now? I couldnt thank her enough. Larry remained in prison for over two years awaiting trial; however, a judge eventually ruled that all charges except one count of sexual battery had to be dropped due to the statute of limitations, which was five years in Indiana. Published on May 20, 2011. 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. WARNING: This article contains graphic content related to physical and s*xual violence and murder. Loveless then convinced the other girls to take Sharer to a remote location where there would be no one else around for miles. Your login session has expired. Eventually, they took her to another abandoned location and beat her mercilessly before stabbing her in the chest repeatedly. In 2012, Shanda Sharer's mother Jackie Vaught made headlines when she publicly forgave Melinda Loveless. Sharer moved to New Albany with her. Lawrence and Rippey were frightened and stayed in the car. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. Loveless ordered Sharer to slip off her bra, which she then handed over to Rippey, who slid off her own bra and replaced it with Sharer's while steering the car. So Jacque Vaught did something remarkable. That'sall it was. They drove towards Utica and the Witch's Castle. There had been just three other murders in the previous 12 years in the County, and none of them were as gruesome. Its my choice to make. Ultimately four teenage girls would be arrested and charged for the murd. [35], The girls drove to Tackett's nearby home and went inside to drink soda and clean themselves. She will now serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky, according to the Kentucky Department of Corrections. After an inter-county investigation, Shippley contacted the Clark County sheriff and was finally able to match the body to Sharer's missing person report. Social workers became involved, and Tackett's parents agreed to unannounced visits to ensure that child abuse was not occurring. Melinda almost immediately found Amanda (the same day Shanda's body was found) and told her the whole story. Photos: Kent's killers; Then-Now - Sun-Sentinel [49] Tackett was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and suffering from hallucinations. The 12-year-old began to cry and tried to answer Loveless' questions, testimony showed. Jacqueline was divorced from Shandas father, but they moved to New Albany, Indiana, to be closer to him. Sharer was tortured, beaten and burned in a rural area of Jefferson County, Indiana. I was only 10 years old when she was killed, but her death has impacted me more than anyone could have imagined. 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. Lawrence was released from prison in 2000, and Rippey was released in 2006. Next, Loveless repeatedly slammed Sharer's face into her knee, which cut Sharer's mouth on her own braces. Known For: Being Tortured and killed by 4 teenage girls. Furthermore, Melinda had a rough childhood, with her father being accused of sexual abuse. [17] Loveless, often described as the ringleader in the attack,[50] had the most extensive history of abuse and mental health issues. 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. Both older girls said he molested them, though Melinda did not admit this ever happened to her. Lastly, Loveless was released from Indiana Women's Prison on September 5, 2019. [54], Lawrence was released on December 14, 2000, after serving nine years. Loveless and Tackett stripped off Sharers clothes and proceeded to punch her repeatedly. There, they cold-heartedly beat and terrorized the girl. Melinda felt crushed, especially when Larry remarried. 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. The Killing Field. In 2012, Jacque Vaught made her first contact with Melinda Loveless since the trials, although indirectly. She went into counseling after the incident but did not follow through. She was sentenced to 60 years in prison but has served the required [] MADISON, Ind. Shanda Renee Sharer (19791992) was a young girl who was tortured and burned to death in Madison, Indiana by four teenage girls. 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. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. She was sentenced to 60 years in prison but has served the required time for her release. 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. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. [11], For two years, beginning when Melinda was five, the family was deeply involved in the Graceland Baptist Church. On the morning of Saturday, January 11, 1992, Canaan, Ind., resident Donn Foley and his brother Ralph were quail hunting in nearby Jefferson County when they spotted a strange object in a fallow soybean field near Lemon Road. copilot vs ynab shanda sharer killers where are they now shanda sharer killers where are they now. She was reunited with friends Tackett and Toni Lawrence, whom she had known since childhood, although her parents saw Tackett as a bad influence. Rippey came out of the car to hold down Sharer. Shanda Renee Sharer was an American girl who was tortured and burned to death in Madison, Indiana, by four teenage girls. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. [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. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. [58] After serving 26+ years in prison, she will serve parole in Jefferson County, Kentucky. It was also found that the victim's face and hands were burnt in an attempt to keep her unrecognizable and unidentifiable. She still spent most of her time in Louisville and New Albany, and, by December, spent most of it with Loveless. Melinda Loveless has a new lease on life as a trainer of service dogs for the disabled. 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. Larry and Marjorie gave full confession and renounced drinking and swinging while they were members. 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