[chris]

Laurie Tackett 921260
I.W.P.
401 N Randolph St.
Indianapolis, IN 46201

<hr>

[chris]

On the morning of Saturday, January 11, 1992, Canaan, Indiana resident Donn Foley and his brother Ralph decided to do some quail hunting in nearby Jefferson County. After a quick cup of coffee, the two men loaded up their bird dogs into Donn’s truck and were on their way. Just one mile into their trip, as Donn turned onto Lemon Road, Ralph spotted a strange object just a few feet from the road in a barren soybean field.

His initial thought was that the object was a body, but logic dictated that it must have been something else. Even so, Donn put the truck in reverse and backed up to get a closer look. It was difficult to tell what the object was, so the two men exited the truck for a closer look. At first glance it appeared to be a rubber blow-up doll someone had discarded and burned, but upon closer inspection the reality became horribly apparent. The object was not a doll, but the charred remains of a human body. Apart from a pair of panties, the body appeared to be naked and the flesh was extensively burnt from the waist up. The legs of the victim were spread open as if they had been posed and the arms stretched out towards the sky with clenched fists. The victim appeared to be a young woman, but the chest had been scorched so badly that it was not clear. Most horrifying of all was the victim’s face – the eyes were empty, without color, and the mouth was wide open, exposing teeth, which were tightly clenched down on the victims tongue. The scene was brutal, and one that neither man would ever be able to forget.

At 10:55 a.m. Chief Deputy Randy Spry from the Jefferson County sheriff’s office in Madison received a call from Donn Foley and set out for Lemon Road. Since there had not been a murder in Jefferson County for at least three years, the deputy was somewhat skeptical of the Foley brothers’ discovery. His initial assumption was that it was most likely a mannequin and the men were overreacting or playing a practical joke. However, after arriving at the scene, his doubts were soon erased. Deputy Spry quickly returned to his patrol car and radioed headquarters to send Sheriff Richard “Buck” Shipley to the scene.

It took over an hour for Shipley to get there from his home in Madison. At first glance he was mystified. He had seen many dead bodies during his time on the force, but he had never seen one in such a grisly state. It was obvious that the sheriff’s department would not have the resources to handle the investigation properly, so Shipley immediately radioed the Indiana State Police for assistance.

Indiana State Police Detective Steve Henry and forensic expert Sergeant Curtis Wells arrived at the crime scene just after 1:00 in the afternoon. Wells immediately recorded the events with a video camera and took several still photographs of the crime scene and surrounding area. After taking castings of various unknown tire tracks and footprints; he began a cursory examination of the body.

Due to Sgt. Wells’ extensive knowledge of forensics, it was immediately apparent that a flammable substance had been used to destroy physical evidence. As he examined the genital area he noted that the victim’s panties had been pulled to one side and that the anus had an unusually wide opening, which suggested some type of sexual molestation, either prior to or directly after death. As Wells examined the body, Detective Henry discovered a melted plastic bottle lying in the weeds, which had apparently contained the flammable liquid used during the crime. The coroner soon arrived and after Wells finished taking hair samples and removing a ring from the victim, the body was turned over so that an autopsy could be performed at the State Medical Examiners Office.

After Wells cleaned up the ring he had removed from the victim, he discovered it to be a class ring from Jeffersonville High School, with the initials SGH inside. As the men prepared to leave the scene, radio messages began to come back from headquarters with missing person’s reports, but none matched the description of their victim.

On the way back to Shipley’s office, the investigators stopped at a local restaurant for some coffee and to compare notes on the crime scene. Their initial feeling was that the killing resulted from a bungled drug deal, but the one thing they could not understand was why the body had been left in plain sight. If the killer or killers had simply carried it another 20 yards or so into the brush, it might not have been discovered for years. The only feasible explanation they could muster was that whoever did the murder assumed that the body was going to be completely reduced to ashes by the fire.

Clifton and Glenda Lawrence were spending their Saturday evening enjoying a television program when their youngest daughter, 15-year-old Toni, walked through the front door. It was immediately apparent that something was wrong. Following behind her was her best friend, Hope, and her parents, Carl and Gloria Rippey. Each of them had a solemn look, which reminded Glenda Lawrence of the previous year when she had learned that a local boy had raped Toni. Clifton had tried to press charges against the boy, but he only received a reprimand by police due to lack of evidence. Before her parents could say a word, Toni began babbling incoherently, she was obviously upset and in a state of near shock. Clifton instructed Glenda to take Toni to another room while he talked to the Rippeys.

Carl Rippey told Clifton that the girls said they had witnessed a murder earlier that day. He said that the details were sketchy, but that he felt they were telling the truth. Clifton was speechless for a few moments and then asked the Rippeys to go with him to the police station. They refused, insisting that they were going to talk to an attorney before doing anything. Following a brief discussion, the Rippeys left. Clifton called his daughter and wife into the room and said they were going to the police station.

It was just after 9:00 p.m. when the Lawrences arrived at the Jefferson County sheriff’s office in Madison. Upon learning that a young girl and her family had information regarding a murder in Jefferson County, Sheriff Shipley was quickly ushered them into his office. Toni Lawrence stated that she had spent the previous night with two friends, 15-year-old Hope Rippey and 17-year-old Laurie Tackett. The three drove to New Albany in Tackett’s car and picked up 16-year-old Melinda Loveless, a friend of Tackett’s whom Toni had never met before. After picking up Melinda, they went to a hard-core punk rock show for a few hours and then headed back towards home. According to Toni Lawrence, on the way back Loveless began talking about a girl named Shanda, saying that Shanda was trying to steal her girlfriend and that she wanted to kill her. Shipley stopped Lawrence mid-sentence, had her sign a waiver of her rights and turned on a tape recorder.

On the night of Friday, Jan. 11, 1992, Melinda Loveless reached the boiling point. Her girlfriend, 14-year-old Amanda Heavrin had been cheating on her for months with 12-year-old Shanda Sharer and Melinda decided that enough was enough. She had warned both of them numerous times to no avail. It was now time to show them just how serious she was. Laurie Tackett was coming over and Melinda knew that Laurie would be more than happy to help her put a plan into action. Melinda thought Laurie was strange because she claimed to raise demons and claimed to have another personality that was a vampire, but she was a devoted friend. Most to the point, Laurie had often talked about killing someone for the fun of it.

Laurie picked up two of her friends on her way to Melinda’s house, 15-year-olds Hope Rippey and Toni Lawrence. Toni had never met Melinda before and Hope had only met her once or twice herself. When the girls arrived at Melinda’s, they all went up stairs and began chitchatting about what the night had in store. All of them had lied to their parents earlier that day, telling them they were spending the night at a friend’s house. They believed that there were no rules that night and the town was theirs to take.

As they sat around talking, Melinda pulled a large kitchen knife out of her purse and said that she was going to use it to scare a girl. She then filled Hope and Toni in on the problems she had been having with Shanda Sharer. Melinda had Shanda’s address and within minutes the girls were en route to her house. They had a difficult time locating Shanda’s house, but, after asking directions a few times, they eventually found it and parked half a block away. Since Hope and Toni had never met Shanda, Melinda instructed them to go to the door, claim to be friends of Amanda Heavrin’s, and get Shanda to come out to the car. When the girls knocked on the door, Shanda opened it up, but was confused since she did not recognize either girl. Toni and Hope explained to her that they were friends of Amanda’s and that she was waiting for her at a deserted stone building in the woods called the Witches’ Castle. Shanda could not go then because her parents were up, but she told them she could sneak out around midnight if they wanted to come back. Toni and Hope agreed and headed back for the car. Melinda was angry that Shanda was not with them, but she calmed down when they told her about Shanda’s plan to sneak out later. Since they had some time to kill, the girls decided to go see a concert being held at a nearby state park.

It was after 12:30 a.m. by the time the girls made their way back to Shanda’s from the concert. Toni did not want to go back up to the door, so Hope and Laurie agreed to go. Melinda was the only one of the bunch that Shanda knew, so she hid in the backseat under a blanket. Shanda was waiting at a side door when Laurie and Hope walked up. They explained that Amanda was still waiting for her and that she sent them back to pick her up. Shanda was hesitant at first, but Hope was able to convince her to go and soon they were all getting into Laurie’s car. Toni slid out of the front passenger seat so that Shanda could sit in the middle and they were on their way. Laurie explained to Shanda that the Witches’ Castle was a short drive away in Utica and that it used to be the home of nine witches who controlled the town. As they drove to the castle, Hope asked Shanda questions about Amanda and their relationship. Shanda said that they had been going out for quite a while and that she really cared about her. Suddenly, Melinda popped her head from the backseat, grabbed Shanda by the hair, and placed the knife to her throat. Shanda cried and begged Melinda not to hurt her, but for the remainder of the ride, Melinda berated Shanda and referred to her repeatedly as a “bitch,” all the while holding the knife tightly against her throat.

Shanda was sobbing uncontrollably by the time they reached the Witches’ Castle. Melinda and Laurie pulled Shanda out of the car and held her arms tightly as Hope and Toni illuminated the trail to the castle with lighters. Once inside, Melinda tied Shanda’s hands as Hope taunted her with the knife. Melinda then took several pieces of Shanda’s jewelry, which she and Toni put on. Hope decided she liked a musical Mickey Mouse watch Shanda was wearing, so she took it for herself.

It was dark in the castle, so Laurie took an old t-shirt and started a fire. As the flames grew, Laurie pointed at the fire and told Shanda that was what she was going to look like before the night was over. Shanda was so frightened that she could not even speak -- she just sobbed continuously. Laurie was growing nervous as several cars drove by the castle and suggested that they should leave and go to another place by her house, so they dragged Shanda back to the car and drove off with their prisoner.

The girls stopped at a Five Star station to get some gas. Shanda was stuffed behind the backseat and covered with a blanket as Melinda stood guard. Laurie pumped the gas while Hope went inside to pay and Toni made a phone call to a friend. During the conversation, Toni mentioned nothing of Shanda being held captive. For someone who later claimed to be very distraught over the forthcoming events, she did nothing to save Shanda. As soon as Toni hung up the phone, the group hit the road again.

It took nearly an hour for the girls to reach Madison. Laurie pointed out her house and a few miles later, they pulled onto an old logging road and stopped. Hope and Toni got out of the car and Melinda and Laurie yanked Shanda from the backseat. Melinda untied Shanda’s hands and ordered her to remove her clothes. It was bitterly cold, so Hope and Toni got back in the car and took up positions next to the window so that they could watch what was happening outside. Shanda stripped down to her panties as Melinda threatened her with the knife. Melinda then scooped up the clothes and threw them in the car, telling the others that she wanted them as souvenirs. Hope picked up Shanda’s polka-dot bra and put it on. Toni turned on the radio.

Laurie grabbed both of Shanda’s hands and held them behind her back so that Melinda could hit her. Shanda begged them to let her go and swore to stay away from Amanda, but each request was greeted by Melinda telling her to shut up. Suddenly, Melinda punched Shanda as hard as she could in the stomach and the girl collapsed to the ground. Through gasping breaths Shanda begged them to stop hurting her. Melinda reached down, picked Shanda up by the hair and repeatedly slammed her head into her knee. The multiple blows caused Shanda’s braces to cut into her lips and blood flowed from her mouth.

As Shanda lay on the ground moaning, Melinda pulled out the knife and tried to cut her throat, but the knife was too dull to cut the skin. Hope jumped out of the car to help hold Shanda down as Melinda tried using her foot to force the knife, but with no result. Since they could not slit her throat, Melinda and Laurie took turns stabbing her in the chest with the knife. The wounds were not severe enough to cause immediate death, so Laurie decided that they would have to strangle her and ran back to the car for some rope. Shanda continued to beg for her life, but, Melinda simply laughed in her face. As soon as Laurie returned with the rope, Melinda sat on Shanda’s legs and Laurie straddled her chest. Laurie wrapped the rope around Shanda’s neck and pulled with all her might until the body beneath her became limp. Uncertain as to whether or not Shanda was really dead, the girls tossed her body into the trunk and headed for Laurie’s house.

Once they got to Laurie’s house, the girls went up stairs to her room, where Laurie pulled out some mystic stones and tried reading their future. Just as Laurie said that their futures looked good, her dog began barking. As they listened out the window, they could hear Shanda’s muffled screams. Laurie ran into the kitchen and grabbed a paring knife before running outside. She opened the trunk and stabbed Shanda many times, hoping to silence her. Afterwards, Laurie closed the trunk and returned to her room where the others were waiting. She was covered in blood. Then Laurie announced that they needed to go for a ride. Hope and Toni refused, so Melinda and Laurie left by themselves.

As Melinda and Laurie drove around, deciding what to do next, they stopped to see if Shanda was dead. As soon as the trunk lid opened, Shanda sat up. She was covered in blood and her eyes rolled back into her head. She tried to speak, but was only able to utter one word, “mommy.” Laurie then reached into the trunk, picked up a tire iron, and struck Shanda on the head. She closed the trunk and they were on their way once again.

A short time later, as they traveled down winding back roads, they heard gurgling noises coming from the trunk. Laurie pulled over to assess the situation. Melinda stayed inside while Laurie walked to the rear of the car and opened the trunk. Shanda was lying on her side. She looked as though she had been painted red and strange gasping and gurgling noises emitted from her wounds. Laurie grasped the tire iron again and brought it down on Shanda’s head several times. One of the blows was so severe that a chunk of Shanda’s skull broke off. Satisfied with her handiwork, Laurie shut the trunk and walked back up to the car. When she got inside, she placed the end of the tire iron under her nose and smelled it. She began laughing as she explained what had happened and shoved the tire iron under Melinda’s nose.

The sun was starting to rise, so the girls decided to head back to Laurie’s and burn Shanda’s body. Along the way, they stopped several times to try to quiet Shanda with the tire iron. Back at Laurie’s, the two girls woke up Hope and Toni, bragged about the new wounds they had inflicted upon Shanda, and explained their new plan. Hope and Toni got up and followed Laurie and Melinda out back to the burn pile.

Then they discovered that their plan would not work. The burn pile was covered in frost and the girls did not have any gasoline to start a fire. Laurie decided to show Hope her handy work. Toni did not want to look at the body so she was told to start the car and rev the engine in case Shanda started to scream. When Laurie opened the trunk, Hope noticed a bottle of Windex next to Shanda, so she picked it up and began spraying Shanda with the cleaning liquid. As the Windex fizzled in her wounds, Shanda somehow managed the strength to sit up. Her body was blood red, while her eyes were pure white. At some point during this time, the girls anally molested Shanda with the tire iron, however none of the girls have ever admitted any knowledge of the wounds. Shanda began swaying back and forth as Laurie talked to her. Shanda said nothing. Just then Laurie’s mother yelled out the door for her. Laurie slammed the trunk down on Shanda’s head and ran inside to see what her mom wanted.

Once Laurie returned from the house the girls decided it was time to end Shanda once and for all.

As the girls drove down the road they decided that the best way to get rid of Shanda was to burn her. Laurie pulled into a Clark Oil station, north of Madison, to fill up the gas tank. As she worked the pump she had Toni buy a two-liter bottle of pop so that they could fill it with gas. Upon finishing their business at the gas station the girls drove to Lemon Road. Hope was familiar with the area and suggested that it would be a good spot to get rid of Shanda.

When they spotted an old logging road they turned in and stopped the car. Laurie opened the trunk and Melinda and Hope helped her pick up Shanda with the blanket they had covered her with earlier. Toni chose not to help and sat in the car watching as they carried Shanda several feet behind the car before laying her on the ground. Hope took the bottle of gasoline and poured a generous amount on Shanda, afterwards Laurie struck a match and threw it down on Shanda’s gas soaked body. The gasoline instantly ignited and the fire appeared to be burning well. The girls hopped back into the car and took off. Melinda got nervous as they drove away and told Laurie to turn around. She wanted to make sure the body was burning good. Once back at the scene, Melinda grabbed the pop bottle with the remaining gasoline and ran over to Shanda’s corpse. She stood there staring momentarily as Shanda curled up into a fetal position and her tongue began darting in and out of her mouth. After she felt she had seen enough, she threw the remaining gasoline on Shanda’s smoldering corpse and ran back to the car. Melinda thought Shanda’s movements were funny and bragged to the others about what she had witnessed.

The girls felt the ordeal was over. Shanda was out of Melinda’s life for good. Laurie seemed to enjoy herself during the crime and Hope and Toni must not have been too shook up, because they had several opportunities during the night to summon help for Shanda, but they obviously chose not to. All of their hard work made them tired, so they decided to stop at McDonalds on the way back. During breakfast Laurie and Melinda joked several times about how the sausages they were eating resembled Sandra. After breakfast Laurie drove Hope and Toni to their homes and went with Melinda to her house. They decided earlier that she would sleep over, but first they wanted to make some calls and brag about what they had just done.

[BumbleFuck]

LMAO! and the rug muncher munches the dust

[FireFlyGuts]

So all four are in jail for this?
It seems to me that none of these girls were in fact 'witnesses' and actually just participants, all equally guilty of the crime. If they were black and shot someone during a hold up they would all go down together.

[BumbleFuck]

true dat

[FireFlyGuts]

Double true yo!

[FireFlyGuts]

All four girls were tried as adults. To avoid the death penalty, all four girls accepted plea bargains. Tackett and Loveless were sentenced to 60 years in the Indiana State Women's Prison in Indianapolis. With maximum time off for good behavior, they could be released in 2020. Lawrence was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and with time off for good behavior, she was released in 2000. Hope Rippey was sentenced to 60 years, with 10 suspended for mitigating circumstances, and 10 years of medium supervision probation. With time off for good behavior, Rippey was released in 2006.
Sentencing reductions
In October 2007, Loveless's attorney, Mark Small, requested a hearing to argue for his client's release. He said Loveless had been "profoundly retarded" by childhood abuse, and was not represented competently by counsel during her sentencing, leading her to accept a plea only because of exaggerated claims about the chances of her being executed. Small also argued that Loveless, who was 16 when she signed the plea bargain, was too young to enter into a contract in the state of Indiana without consent from a parent or guardian, which wasn't obtained. If the judge accepted either argument, Loveless could have been retried or released outright. However, after Small was unable to see his client the night before the hearing, the hearing was delayed until December 6, 2007.
On January 8, 2008, a sentence reduction and a request to overturn Loveless's guilty plea, was rejected by Jefferson Circuit Judge Ted Todd. Instead, Loveless will be eligible for parole in 15 years, thus maintaining the original guilty plea.
On November 14, 2008, Loveless' appeal was denied by the Indiana Court of Appeals, upholding Judge Todd's ruling. Her lawyer, Mark Small, stated he will seek to have jurisdiction over the case be moved to the Indiana Supreme Court.

[BumbleFuck]

crazy bitches eh?

[FireFlyGuts]

The part about her tongue darting in and out was actually creepier than some of the vids in the death section for me.

[firedog25]

They all deserve the death penalty.