An Indiana woman who was 15 years old when she and three others were convicted for the brutal murder of a 12-year-old girl, one of the most grisly murders of 1992, will be released from prison this week, after serving 14 years of a 40-year sentence.
Hope A. Rippey, 29, was sentenced to 40 years for felony murder and 20 years for criminal confinement for the murder of Shanda Sharer. Also convicted in the case were three other teenagers, Toni Lawrence, Lori Tackett and Melinda Loveless. Lawrence was released from prison in 2000.
The four teens lured Sharer into their vehicle on Jan. 11, 1992. Loveless, then 16, was jealous of the 12-year-old because she was involved in a lesbian love triangle with another girl, according to court records. Sharer was beaten and sodomized with a tire iron and her legs were cut with a knife.
The four teens drove around with Sharer in the trunk of their car and then burned her alive near a rural road about 40 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky in Indiana.
Rippey's sentence was reduced because Indiana allows inmates to earn one day credit for each day served for good behavior. Her sentence was further reduced when she obtained an associate degree and a bachelor's degree while in prison.
Lawrence served only nine years of her sentence. It was Lawrence who reported the crime to authorities and the first to work out a plea bargain.
See Also:
Teen Who Took Part in 12-Year-Old's Grisly Slaying to Be Free
Death of Innocence: The Murder of Young Shandra Sharer
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Comments
All 4 of these girls deserve life in prison without the possibility of parole, irregardless of good behavior, because of the brutality inflicted on Shandra Sharer. What was the parole board thinking?
this is so mean! YOU are a thing!
actually no pam’s 100% correct. except they deserve to be tortured daily in prison. if only the law of do unto others could be used in this case. i’d volunteer.
I hope she is living a horrible life, seeking for death, and never being able to receive it. Your life is your hell. YOU are a thing!
Well said, teacher in Florida. She should just kill herself.
can you ever be a good person, when you took part in something so bad, so evil?
hope you get pick ed up by crazies and are tortured they you tortued shandra you piece of no goodf excrement.
It’s difficult to swallow the fact that a cold-hearted sociopath like this was released from prison. But sadly, not difficult to believe. After all, child molesters are released from prison every day, in spite of the fact that almost every child molester goes back to their same M.O. every time.
Disgusting whore should be killed!!! These3 girls should all be destroyed!!!
I can’t believe this sick thing is out of prison!!!
I saw this horrible murder a few years ago and I thought these monsters passed their miserable lives in prison.
What kind of law is that? I don’t even want to think Shandra’s tragic family….
This is a sad disturbing case. Although l partialy agree with the anger others feel towards these murderers,but we are NOT GOD!You peaple shock me!Evil Everywhere! Let God sort it out animals!
kill a child.get an education worth $60.000,get out soon enough to enjoy your prime years.Sounds more like a reward than punishment.
What more can this country do to pervert justice?
I went to school with Lori, Toni, and Hope…we were in the same grade and Toni and Hope and a few others ran around with us. This is not how we expected them to turn out. Once Toni and Hope started running around with Lori, my bff in H.S. and I stopped hanging out with them. Lori as once a very religious person. This was a horrible tragedy in our community and I will never forget the night it happened! Toni and Hope could have gotten away and told on Lori and Melinda, but they chose not to therefore an innocent child was horribly murdered. I see Toni all of the time and she has even asked me why I dont look at her, and I just tell her that I cannot look into the eyes of a killer. She has tried to tell me that she did not do the actual killing and I said no but oyu could have stopped it and we hve not spoken since. She is on facebook and is friends with several of my friends and I will NOT accept her friends request. So disgusting what they did and I amsorry but I cannot forgive someone for taking someone elses life!!
Brandi, kudos to you ladybug, just remember A Leopard never changes it’s stripes. Your disassoication maybe an excuse for a flashback,and in that case i’d have to say NRA, One Shot One Kill, the system should have done it first.
serving 14 years for such a horrible crime is NOT what I call justice. Anyone who commits such a crime should receive life in prision! And to me life in prision is until the day you die,period! She now has her whole life ahead of her free, what does her victim have?
Our justice system stinks!
I WAS IN PRISON WITH TONI AND SHE WAS A GREAT FRIEND TO ME. MAYBE YOU PEOPLE SHOULD FIND JESUS AND HE SAYS WE NEED TO FORGIVE. TONI IS VERY SORRY ABOUT HER PART IN NOT GOING TO SEEK HELP RIGHT AWAY. SHE ALSO WAS A MODEL PRISONER SHE WORKED HARD ON HER SCHOOLING AND DESERVES HER DEGREE. IF YOU THINK WE SHOULD NOT NEED TO HAVE THAT IN PRISONS YOU SHOULD TALK TO THEM ABOUT THAT AND NOT TAKE THAT OUT ON TONI. HELLO TONI I LOVE AND MISS YOU. YOU WERE A JOY TO MY LIFE AND I FORGIVE YOU ALWAYS. I PRAY FOR ALL IN PRISON .
I agree. Toni is NOT a killer, but Melinda, Laurie and Hope definately ARE. Melinda plotted the whole thing and poured the gas the 2nd time, Laurie was willing to murder a complete stranger and struck the match and Hope went along with everything and poured the gas the first time. I feel bad for Toni and thought that in exchange for her testimony she should have gotten probation because by all accounts she did nothing to help the other three and was sitting in the car terrified the whole time. Her biggest mistake was not calling 911 while out of sight of the other girls. Hopefully with her ordeal now behind her she can get on with her life and be happy because she is a salvageable human being, unlike the other 3. Good Luck & God Bless Toni
Rose, I agree with you my reasons are a bit different,some GARBAGE is SALVAGEABLE. She is not innocent or without blame, this is the reasons why kids are ot of control, their actions or lack there of is minimized and they are not being held accountable, well although she did’nt help the other three as you stated, she damn well DID’NT do anything to help the one suffering, she sat in the car terrified as you put it? Well hello I never read there was a gun involved, she could have ran, hell it may have been a long walk later for help but the woods would have hid her until later. The ole saying is…fear will make you fight or take flight..her ass should have been in the wind!!!! I hope you are not a parent because you talk like the very type who minimizes bad and undiciplined behavior.
If you feel the need to bring up Jesus in this matter then you need to refer to the old testement of the Bible….where GOD says anyone that kills another person should be killed. Forgiveness isn’t even a thought in this situation. All four of these girls should have gotten the death penalty and then forgiveness would be up to our maker. And i’m pretty sure these girls will go to hell once their lives on earth are over…
How surprising…. CONVICTED convicts defending one another! You ultimate piece of garbage! Maybe for the first time in your selfish life ………THINK ABOUT THE VICTIM & THEIR FAMILY!!!!
God Bless Shanda Sharer & her family
to be forgiven by God you have to repent. To be forgiven by others you have to ask. She was there she could have stopped it. She should have told someone. She has to confess to her part in this crime. My son is in prison I tell him he did the crime he has to pay for it.
Murder and forgive does not go together at all lady! These four sickos are all murderers whether they did the actual killing or just took part in it. I’ll tell you one thing for sure, Jesus and God will never forgive such person who took another life. If we were in another country, these murderers would of been long burning in hell. It’s a harsh thing to say, but what they did to Shanda is beyond any harsh words. I hope they are being haunted by this for the rest of their rotting lives!
I think you’re confused, she did’nt get “help” at all!! The only remorse she has is, let’s see…The three C’s…CAUGHT, CHARGED and CONVICTED. The next time you praise and profess YOUR forgiveness, remember this..that 12yr old little girl WAS NOT YOUR DAUGHTER!!!
Michelle, your institutional mentality is showing, did you forget your wonderful, warm and fuzzy FRIEND robbed Shandra of the opportunity to become a MODEL, productive and DEGREED person,citizen,MOTHER and wife?…oh yeahh I guess you did, that SUCKS BIG TIME, so do YOU.
Michelle Dunning you are right! We are all sinners, some have sinned worse in our eyes yes but a sin is a sin. These girls were young and damaged at the time. While that doesnt excuse what they did, it doesnt mean they shouldnt be forgiven either. Judge not lest ye be judged. Melinda’s life was messed up from the time she emerged from the womb. I believe it played a huge factor in this situation. Its sad and tragic what happened to Shanda and my heart goes out to her family. Senseless tragedy that has effected so many lives. people can change
People can change ok but not under every cicumstances. These circumstances clearly show us that we are dealing with cold blooded murderers, sociopaths. Not only they killed a child, they showed no remourse and even bragged about it. I bet they dont feel anything for that child till this day. They did it for a thrill. Also we have to take into account the brutality of what they did, hell that was more brutal than what nazis did to jews in concentration camps.
Furthermore, this is a slap to the victims family. The feeling of losing a child is just unbarerable, but knowing that the cold blooded killers are walking the same ground and can cross there path one day must be like a nail in the coffin.
These people should never ever under any circumstances be released from prison. It is a failure of the justice system. As a society however, we should not just let that happen. Remember about this, spread the news and if opportunity arises make the lives of these killers as misearable as possible.
bob i hope you ROT IN HELL
these girls are BEYOND forgiveness
so what if they were damaged and abused as children? HOPE RIPPEY HAD A HAPPY CHILDHOOD
Melinda isnt even SORRY for what she did, she still brags about her act today and is ALWAYS trying for an early release.
forgiveness should ONLY be given to those who seek it. apart from toni, these girls were never sorry for what they did.
i hope you rot in hell for saying these girls should be forgiven
Aishwarya Tewary, while you’re right in that forgiveness should only & with deep consideration be given to those who are sorry for what they did, there’s no need to get personal with Bob & to tell him to rot in hell. Bob has a right to give his view, though we differ with him. This was a hideous crime & the girl should have either spent the rest of her life in prison for 1st Degree Murder or gotten the death penalty. This wasn’t a passion crime.
But this case also goes to show why we must try to find a cure for homosexuality & lesbianism. Hope A. Rippey was a lesbian & lesbian sexual activities are indirectly a reason why she did this.
she needs to die in prison the way Susan Atkins did
She need to die in prison, just like Susan Atkins
Well, all I got to say is, sure forgive them, but make them pay for what they did, simple. They don’t deserve to walk free, period. End of dicussion.
AMEN!!!!!!
She was tortured for 10 hours and burned while still alive. A ‘life’ sentence is not life.You ‘no death penalty’ people out there take heed.Think. Let go of your liberal bleeding hearts.Why does the poor victim get death even slow painful one and the evil wicked criminals get ‘life’and eventually a release. Many murder again and again.I read the stats.
I am glad there is an afterlife that will take care of this injustice. Liberals in this country won’t.
i hope tackett, loveless and the rest experience nothing but profound and total suffering for all the days of their mistaken lives. they are a total shame and embarrassment to the human race.
If someone is really remorseful for what they have done, and forgiveness is asked for, it should be granted. However, forgiveness never absolves a person from the consequences of their actions. The price still must be paid. I have been following this case for a long time, and I am very surprised that Hope and Toni have gained their release after such a short period of time. However, they will never be welcomed in polite society. They will be haunted by the screams of Shanda for the rest of their miserable lives.
Hope poured the gasoline, and she helped lure Shanda out of the house [some say with force] so I don’t understand why she didn’t get a longer sentence since she basically murdered her as Shanda died from the smoke inhalation – not the beating. She should still be in jail.
How the heck can ANY of you say that people SHOULD forgive? Tell me this, if these “things” did this to YOUR child, sister, mother or someone close to you, you can honestly say that you would be able to forgive them? I am a Christian and if anyone did this to my child, I would never be able to forgive them and would want them to rot in hell where they belong.
Just as you say “don’t judge”, don’t judge anyone for thier choice to NOT forgive them. And I can’t stand the ignorance of you who say that these girls had a tough life….there are alot of people who have tough upbringings and the majority don’t murder an innocent girl (not to mention so methodically with torture.)
Karma will come back to these “things” and they will get theirs…
The only reason why she is sorry is because she got caught I don’t feel sorry for no one but the 1 they killed in a 10 hour torcher style.
Laurie is the most evil thing I have ever laid eyes on. I worked with many killers and most had some remorse,, but this manipulative evil will strike again. She managed to have a my space account with nude pictures of herself while in prison and to convince prison leaders that she was a reformed Christian… even touted as such my Ann Ryder int he news… but they will all have blood on their hands when this evil strikes again.
I know Lawrence! Shes such a sweet lady and her kids are beautful! she wasnt even a part of this crul murder!
Kk, I got it…what she was home asleep? You say she’s a sweet lady? Well EVIL’s wearing a pretty face, most often they do,think about it if you saw evil you’d run the other way right? I don’t know with you, you’re suspect. Sounds like you are easily manipulated, yo ‘d probaly let the DEVIL in if he looked like Matthew Macoughy and smelled like Burberry. Watch out Miss She’s So Sweet…History has a way of repeating it’s self…children. FYI
I would like to say I understand being a christian forgiving someone. But I know that if my child were butually murdered this way that God would have to step in because finding forgiveness in my heart wouldn’t be easy.
I just wonder if Toni, “I believe this is the one who has children” ever thinks about someone harming her child?
I Believe the two girls that are supposely sorry “if it is true” deserve a chance with God and his forgiveness. But I believe they should of stayed in prison for the rest of their lives PERIOD!
I don’t even know how they can sleep and I sure don’t know how they feel the priviledge to have any children of their own.
i was in prison with melinda loveless and nary tackket and i had to sleep next to that monster melinda she has no remoese for her crime she glorfies it as if shes proud of what she did shes a sick person i hope she never gets out of prison
Lacy I’m wit u on that, smfh, lol. Now let’s pray
People are forgetting that the “Victim” was a lesbian. GOD knows the evil in peoples hearts and this was his judgement upon the darkness he saw in her’s
Your so right. She was burned in life and now burns in hell for her sins!!!!
You’re ignorant. She was a 12 year old child. I had no idea what my sexual orientation was at 12 years of age- I was just a kid- all I knew was that I wanted to play with Barbies and hang out with friends. I’m a straight adult now, and even as prudish as my views are, I would never be so sick as to say that she deserved what they did to her. If you honestly believe that, you’re as sick as her killers, and I hope to God you don’t live anywhere near me.
This isn’t about religion. As a human being, I can’t even fathom the dissociation neccessary to be capable of not only murdering someone, but torturing someone in the way these girls did. I can’t imagine being so cold that their cries for mercy, hearing them beg for their life would fall on deaf ears. If you CAN imagine that, you’re sociopathic. I believe people that make mistakes can be reformed. If a drunk driver accidentally kills someone, he/she can be reformed (I’m not in any way condoning drunk driving), but sociopaths don’t possess a conscience. You can’t cure that. Any emotion they feel is self serving, and they are pathlogical liars by nature. Prison is just a great venue for fine-tuning these qualities.
I’m appalled that she was released early. So often, our “justice” system fails us and it’s discouraging. We have law abiding citizens out here busting their butts, barely able to eke out a living, while the state is paying for a convicted murderer to earn her bachelor’s degree?! 3 meals a day, a roof over her head, a pillow to rest her head on, free cable, and a college education- who do I need to murder to get that? Sign me up!
Is it me or does Laurie T have a crooked face,all the pictures I;ve seen of her show her face and features as being crooked on her face.Her face looks lop sided with one eye and eye brow up higher.I know everyones face is different from the other side but this looks very noticeable to.So is it me or is she really that deformed looking?
All I have to say about these girls who were involved in the murder of Shanda, is, no matter how major, or minor of a role, I wonder if any of them has done anything to change their lives around enough to ensure that they’ll get past the Pearly Gates once their ticket is punched. I lived in Louisville at the time the murder took place, and have read the book- which I own, about the case…R.I.P. Shanda.
This is a disgrace giving this woman murderer parole. strange how some can kill and hardly serve much time.
I want to make passionate love to these four women, and then rape f*ck them to death.
toni was caught in a web she went with friends and they became evil.
she tried weakly to stop it but then became scared when we think she
could have stopped it like at lauries house she was polorized with fear
she was also 15 not 24 remember when you were that age you think l
ike a armchair quarterback.
God isn’t real anyways. So stick your Christianity judgmental up your ass!
Firstly it is absolutely sad that a young girl had to lose her life in such a terrible way and I’m glad to know that at least two of the people involved are serving out their sentences, as far as I’m concerned Hope Rippey should still be in prison but I won’t say the same for Toni Lawrence as she did not directly participate in that murder but she did do the wrong thing by not calling for help at some point and I’m sure she is suffering for this every single day.
Secondly to those who want to sprout off religious and homophobic crap really need to take a long and hard look at themselves in the mirror, those people are absolutely disgusting and how dare they disrespect and degrade a victim of murder who happened to be an innocent 12 year old child and how dare they disrespect that childs family. Those people who have made those judgmental and irrelevant comments should be ashamed of themselves because they DON’T represent the majority of decent people who just happen to have religious beliefs.
Thirdly sexual orientation of any of these girls did not any direct part in this murder, ok Shanda Sharer was supposedly involved with Amanda Heavrin and had to deal with the jealous ex which was Melinda Loveless but this could have easily happened if Amanda was a boy instead of girl and there are such cases where this type of situation does happen because of a boy so to carry on about a persons sexual orientation and make idiotic homophobic comments is totally irrelevant.
Lastly my heart really does go out to Shanda and her family, I cannot begin to imagine the pain and trauma Shanda herself went through or the pain her family go through on a daily basis and I wish them every bit of peace and happiness they can get in this life.
I would like to send this comment directly to the former prisoner who was locked up with Toni. You are an idiot. Not sure why they let you out. Finding Jesus is all fine and well, but PUNISHMENT should fit the CRIME. She shouldn’t have aire to breathe, she should be raped with a tire iron. She is less than a human being and I hope she DIES. How’s that for finding Jesus you stupid retard????!
Toni’s kids should be raped and murdered. Then maybe she will get it.