The new episode of “Mean Girl Murders” on ID focuses on the sad case of Shanda Sharer, a 12-year-old girl who was abused and killed by four teenage girls in 1992. The crime got news from all over the world because it was so violent and the people who did it were only 15 to 17 years old. The case was talked about on national news and talk shows, and it has also been the basis for several episodes of made-up crime shows. Here we learn a lot about what happened before the crime and during the investigation.
Who is Shanda Sharer?
Shanda Sharer was born in Pineville, Kentucky, on June 6, 1979. Her parents are Stephen Sharer and Jacqueline Vaught. She grew up in a difficult home because her parents got divorced and her mother then married a man named Donald Sharer, who took in Shanda and her younger brother Steven.
In Shanda’s early years, her life was full of uncertainty and change. Her family moved around a lot, so she went to a lot of different schools and had a lot of trouble in school. Shanda was said to be a kind and loving girl who made friends easily despite these problems.
Sharer and her mother moved to New Albany, Indiana, in 1991 so that Sharer could spend more time with her dad. After going to Hazelwood Middle School, she moved on to Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, a Catholic school in New Albany, and joined the girls’ basketball team there. That’s where she met Amanda Heavrin. She liked to cheer, play basketball, and play softball at school. She did well in school and was smart.
Shanda’s family life was also unstable. She had a tense relationship with her mother because of disagreements about Shanda’s behavior and way of life. The bullying and abuse Shanda was going through at school were not known to her mother and dad. She had a lot of problems, but Shanda was a good daughter and sister who wanted to be a singer.
What happened to Shanda Sharer?
The horrible and sad events that led to Shanda Sharer’s death began on January 10, 1992, in the evening. Lawrence (15), Rippey (15), and Tackett (17) traveled from Madison to Loveless’s house in New Albany in Tackett’s automobile. Melanie Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence, all teenagers, planned to get Shanda to leave her home in New Albany, Indiana. Tackett, Rippey, and Lawrence had never encountered Sharer before that night, but Tackett knew about the murder plan. Loveless told the other females she loathed Sharer for “copycat” and taking her girlfriend.
Tackett had Rippey drive the four girls to Jeffersonville, where Sharer spent weekends with her father, stopping at McDonald’s for instructions. They arrived at Sharer’s house before dark. Loveless told Rippey and Lawrence to introduce themselves as Heavrin’s buddies at the entrance. Rippey and Lawrence invited Shanda to see Heavrin at “the Witch’s Castle” (Mistletoe Falls), a ruined stone mansion on an isolated hill overlooking the Ohio River. Sharer was reluctant to go out, told them she had a party, and advised the girls to return about midnight.
They talked Shanda into getting into a car with them by saying they were going on a social outing. While in the car, Rippey asked Sharer about her relationship with Heavrin. The girls told her what they were really up to: they were trying to scare and threaten her because she was supposed to be dating Melinda Loveless, who was very jealous. . Lawrence and Rippey stopped and talked to two lads before getting back in the car and leaving, arriving at the edge of some woods near Tackett’s Madison home.
At Castle, a crying Sharer’s arms and legs with rope. Loveless teased her about her gorgeous hair and how she would look without it, which worried Sharer even more. Loveless gave Sharer’s rings to the girls. Rippey danced to Sharer’s Mickey Mouse watch music. Tackett taunted Sharer that the Witch’s Castle was full of human remains and Sharer’s would follow. Tackett then took a happy shirt from the car and ignited it on fire to threaten Sharer, but the girls departed with Sharer because they feared passing cars would see the fire. Sharer begged them to take her home during the drive. After getting disoriented, they stopped at a gas station and blanketed Sharer.
Torture And Murder Of Shanda Sharer
Shanda Sharer was abused and killed by the four girls over seven hours. At first, they led Sharer to a distant landfill in the middle of a deep forest, next to a logging road. Sharing’s clothes were taken off by Loveless and Tackett, who then started punching her over and over. She hit the victim in the face with her knee until she was bleeding a lot from her mouth. Lawrence and Rippey stayed behind in Tackett’s car, though.
The bigger girls were still hungry after all that torture. When they tried to cut Sharer’s throat, the knife wasn’t sharp enough. Instead, they took her lifeless body and threw it in the trunk of the car after stabbing her in the chest and strangling her with a rope. When they got to Tackett’s house to clean up and drink soda, they saw that their target was still alive and screaming in the trunk.
Tackett then stabbed Sharer several more times before leaving again with Loveless to beat and sexify Sharer with a tire iron. When they got back to Tackett’s house, she told Rippey what had happened with a laugh. Finally, early in the morning, the torturers went to a gas station and bought a two-liter bottle of Pepsi. They quickly drained it and filled it back up with gasoline.
Now that they were in a rural area, the girls took their still-alive victim out of the trunk, wrapped her in a blanket, and poured gasoline on her. After setting Shanda Sharer on fire, they left. Just to be sure they were done, Loveless had them come back a few minutes later and pour more gasoline on her. They watched her squirm in pain and then confirmed that she was dead.
How did Shanda Sharer’s killers get caught?
The main reason the killers of Shanda Sharer were caught was because of what Laurie Tackett and Hope Rippey did. A 15-year-old boy told the police that he heard a group of girls talking about killing someone, according to the report. Not long after that, Toni Lawrence and her parents went to the Madison police station, where she told them what happened. They told in great detail what had happened, which led to the arrest of all four girls involved.
Tackett and Rippey likely chose to come forward because they felt guilty, scared of getting caught, or a mix of the two. Their desire to tell the police what they knew and confess was very important in solving the case and putting all four girls in jail.
The people who did it were caught and finally admitted to what they did. Indy Star said that all of the girls were teens when Shanda Sharer was killed, but they were tried as adults. Melinda Loveless planned the attack and was given a 60-year prison term. Hope Rippey and Laurie Tackett were each given 60 years in prison, and Toni Lawrence was given 20 years. Fox 59 says that all of them have been let out of jail.
The case got national news because it was so violent and the people who did it were so young. People also talked about violence, bullying, and the effects of group pressure among teens. Shanda Sharer’s sad death is still a stark reminder of how terrible it is when teens and young adults are mean and violent without being stopped.
