![]() ![]() Tackett, Rippey, and Lawrence were childhood friends from Madison. She dropped out of high school and met Loveless in Louisville, KY. Tackett was in and out of the hospital for committing self-harm on multiple occasions. Child services had to intervene when Tackett’s mother strangled her for changing into jeans at school. Tackett grew up in a strict Pentecostal home. Loveless's father routinely raped her mother while she and her sisters listened, and he allegedly molested each of his daughters. Laurie Tackett was also 17 years old when she helped murder Shanda. Loveless is eligible for release in 2019, after serving approximately 25 years of a 60-year sentence.Īlthough the courts considered the mitigating factors of the four teens’ backgrounds, the Indiana Supreme Court would not overturn Loveless and Tackett’s sentences during a 1994 appeal. Melinda Loveless, the 17-year-old ringleader of the girls who murdered Shanda, reportedly had a tumultuous upbringing. They accepted plea bargains to avoid the death penalty and pled guilty to counts of murder, arson, and criminal confinement. Jefferson County courts tried the four teens as adults. Prosecutors maintained the motive for the murder was jealousy - the same motive identified in the 2003 ‘ Miss Irresistible’ murders. The girls, minus Lawrence, then carried Shanda to a field and burned her alive. They forced her into the trunk of the car and moved her to another location. Subsequently, the teens beat, strangled, and stabbed Shanda. After Loveless threatened Shanda with a knife, the foursome tied her up. The Indiana teens picked up Shanda under the ruse Amanda was at an abandoned property near the Ohio River. Melinda Loveless, 17, Laurie Tackett, 17, Hope Rippey, 16, and Toni Lawrence, 16, plotted to murder Shanda as retaliation for Shanda dating Loveless’s ex-girlfriend, Amanda Heavrin. A picture, based upon the girls' confessions, statements by witnesses and evidence uncovered by investigators, was beginning to emerge of Shanda Sharer's last hours of life, which would make that possible.In 1992, four teen girls tortured and killed 12-year-old Shanda Sharer. There was no way Shanda could be brought back, but he was determined that she get justice. While each of the girls tried to play down her own role in the murder, most of their statements matched. The facts were starting to fall into place, and investigators were slowly piecing together what had happened to Shanda. Apparently Loveless and Tackett had confessed to at least three people, two of whom swiftly made statements to Shipley and Henry. ![]() The media attention also brought forth several teens who knew the accused and felt they had interesting tidbits of information to contribute. The public was in shock and demanded quick justice for Shanda. Following Loveless and Tackett's hearing, prosecutor Guy Townsend spoke with Hope Rippey's attorney regarding her involvement.īy this time, the media were swarming all over the case, and it was making national headlines. In a separate hearing, Judge Ted Todd waived both girls from the juvenile court system, determining that they would be tried as adults. A single count of murder was entered against both girls, and counsel was appointed to represent them. Investigators questioned both Melinda Loveless and Laurie Tackett before transporting them to the Indiana Circuit Court in Madison. Most revealing of all was the discovery of soot in the upper airway, indicating that she had been alive when she was set on fire. In addition, the extent of rectal bleeding showed that she had been alive at the time of the assault. Lacerations to the anus and rectum indicated a blunt object had been inserted at least three and a half inches. The upper part of the body was covered in third and fourth degree burns, and her tongue protruded through clenched teeth. Her jaw was also removed so that her dentist could make a positive identification. Shanda's fingers were in such distorted condition that they had to be cut off in order to take prints. Ligature marks were found on her wrists, and she had several lacerations on her head, neck and legs. The procedure revealed that she had suffered multiple injuries. George Nichols conducted Shanda's autopsy. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |