Talk:Murder of Shanda Sharer

Tone

This article needs a substantial re-write, at the moment it reads like a poorly written true crime book not an encyclopedia. One Night In Hackney₃₀₃ 10:43, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

i dont think i agree but i do agree on that it needs some filling. and more descriptions.But i guess it needs a re write.--Matrix17 10:52, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

You think my writing sucks?? :) ۝ ۞ ░ 06:46, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

This article is a terrible mess. Ridiculous inconsistencies in formatting, immature writing style, lack of context for some very important remarks, and sloppy section delineation. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.57.229.118 (talk) 23:07, 31 August 2010 (UTC)

change in scope/move

Partially to address the above concern, and also because this article is more about the murder than Sharer herself, I propose we move this to Shanda Sharer murder case where we can include background on her and the killers, instead of awkwardly spreading it over 5 articles. Perhaps Melinda Loveless should remain a separate article but I'm not really sure yet. --W.marsh 23:47, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm in favour naturally. One Night In Hackney₃₀₃ 06:32, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

For what it's worth I'm slowly writing this article at User:W.marsh/Shanda Sharer murder case. I've just gone through one source so far, I still need to do the other book and the newspaper articles at the very minimum. Doing this article right is not easy. --W.marsh 14:46, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Hmmm it seems someone's already done the move. I should point out the article is very incomplete at this point. I hadn't intended for it to be moved into the article namespace yet. --W.marsh 12:18, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

CRAP

This has got to be one of the worst articles on Wikipedia. And that's saying a lot. It's like a novel about Larry Loveless. Is this some ploy to show that the murderers are just abused victims themselves? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.12.186.247 (talk) 04:04, 19 May 2013 (UTC)

See...this is what I don't get. Why go on the talk page multiple times to complain about poor writing when you are perfectly capable of fixing it yourself? Second, It's beyond rude to go about it in this fashion. Point out issues that need to be fixed, no problem, but whoever wrote this article spent a lot of time on it and deserve a little more respect than to be insulted like that. Bali88 (talk) 13:37, 21 April 2014 (UTC)

Are all the bio's necessary?

I think some biographical info could be merged into the description of the events or the following prosecution, but to me, much of the biographical information about the girls seems unnecessary and seems to break the flow. I wanted other feedback before deleting it and merging it with the rest of the article. Bali88 (talk) 13:44, 21 April 2014 (UTC)

I think biographical material in this particular case is needed. Atleast a few lines. The rest could be incorporated into the article for a nicer flow. --BabbaQ (talk) 15:02, 21 April 2014 (UTC)

I agree that some is beneficial. I'm wondering if the article might be easier to read if the description of the attack comes first and then the biographical info was put into the section about the prosecution as to how the mitigating factors applied. I'll work on this article this month. Bali88 (talk) 17:42, 21 April 2014 (UTC)

Storing the bio info here "temporarily"

She was born in New Albany, Indiana, on October 28, 1975 to Marjorie and Larry Loveless.

Through most of their relationship, Larry was unfaithful and abusive to his wife. Marjorie attempted suicide several times throughout her daughters' childhoods. When Melinda was nine years old, Larry had Margie gang-raped, after which she tried to drown herself. After that incident, she refused him sex for a month, until he violently raped her as their daughters watched. In the summer of 1986, after she would not let him go home with two women he met at a bar, Larry beat Marjorie so severely that she was hospitalized; he was convicted of battery.

The extent of Larry's abuse of his daughters and other children is unclear. Various court testimonies claimed he fondled Michelle as an infant, molested Marjorie's 13-year-old sister early in the marriage, and molested the girls' cousin Teddy from age 10 to 14. Both older girls said he molested them, though Melinda did not admit this ever happened to her. She slept in bed with him until he abandoned his family when she was 14. In court, Teddy described an incident in which Larry tied all three sisters in a garage and raped them in succession; however the sisters did not confirm this account. Larry was verbally abusive to his daughters and fired a handgun in Michelle's direction when she was seven, intentionally missing her. He would also embarrass his children by finding their underwear and smelling it in front of other family members.

In November 1990, Larry was caught spying on Melinda and a friend, and Marjorie attacked him with a knife, sending him to the hospital after he attempted to grab it. She then attempted suicide again and her daughters called authorities. After this incident Larry filed for divorce and moved to Avon Park, Florida.

--LukasMatt (talk) 13:09, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

I don't normally participate in these talk pages, but I wanted to let you all know that the bios seem to be pulled from the book Cruel Sacrifice by Aphrodite Jones. I don't have time to add all the additions right now, but Google books has the book searchable and it should make it pretty easy to substantiate if someone has time. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Veteranbv (talk • contribs) 20:28, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

Yes the article just summarizes the lengthy chapters about each of the perpetrators from that book. The idea that this is illegal is laughable. The book was one of two written about the crime, so relative to all of the reliable sources about this crime it's clear that biographical information about the perpetrators is a notable topic. The other book "Little Lost Angel" focuses more on Sharer and should be summarized too I think. --Here2rewrite (talk) 23:50, 11 January 2018 (UTC)

References

GOCE Copy Edit request

From "Wikipedia:WikiProject Guild of Copy Editors/Requests#Murder of Shanda Sharer":

I am nominating this article as it needs c/e and a full review of the prose overall.--BabbaQ (talk) 09:58, 20 April 2014 (UTC)

Hi, BabbaQ:

I am handling your copy edit request for this article. As I read through the article, I will make minor changes to it directly. I will list lots of other suggestions here on the "Talk" page. Feel free to comment on any suggestion or to ignore any suggestion.

You can also (slowly and carefully) make changes to the article based upon a suggestion while I am still copy editing (approximately one week to complete).

From the "Talk" page, I've noticed that several people have a "vested interest" in the article. Please respect the "GOCEinuse" template and do not edit the article while it still appears. Thanks.
--LukasMatt (talk) 03:17, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

Lead section and Infobox

"The case was covered on national programs..."

I don't like this entire sentence, which seems to cheapen the incident, especially given the prominence of the lead section. I'd delete it. If desired, replace it with more context from the incident.

In its present form, the Infobox reminds me of a grave marker. I wish the Infobox "fleshed out" Shanda or the incident a little more. Could contain these parameters:

• death_cause
• education
• height, weight
• religion (e.g. Attended XXXXX church)

--LukasMatt (talk) 10:38, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

So what is this edit guild thing? I'm thrilled that people have taken an interest in the article. I haven't had the time to research the case well enough for a full rewrite. Bali88 (talk) 18:50, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

Shanda Sharer

The Wiki article "St. Paul Elementary School (Louisville)" no longer exists. It redirects to "Louisville Catholic elementary schools", which does not contain St. Paul Elementary School or the apparent new name "St. Paul Parish School". Therefore, I've removed the internal link. If desired, here is the external link to the school:

http://www.saintpaulschool.net/

Readers would probably be very interested to know why Shanda transferred from Hazelwood Middle School "early in the school year".
--LukasMatt (talk) 23:00, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

Events prior to murder

"In 1990, 14-year-old Melinda Loveless began dating..."

This sentence needs a transition from the preceding "Shanda Sharer" section. The sentence should be worded something like:

In 1990, Melinda Loveless, a 14-year-old student at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, began dating...

or

In 1990, Melinda Loveless, a 14-year-old girl in New Albany, Indiana, began dating...

"Loveless started to date an older girl"

Is this older girl Tackett? If yes, she must be named here. If no, delete the whole sentence.

"arranged for her to transfer to a Catholic school"

At this point, readers have heard about three different schools that Sharer attended. The last school was "Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, a Catholic school in New Albany". To alleviate confusion, the article needs to tell readers the name of the Catholic school where Sharer's parents intended to transfer her.

"arranged for her to transfer to a Catholic school in late November, and the girls started drifting apart"

More confusion. Did Sharer transfer to the school? ("arranged for her to transfer" does not mean that she actually transferred)

If yes

• Then, I understand why the girls started drifting apart
• The sentence should be worded "Sharer's parents transferred her to a Catholic school in late November"

If no

• Then, I don't understand why the girls started drifting apart

--LukasMatt (talk) 17:20, 2 May 2014 (UTC)

Pre-abduction

Again, no transition. This time--from the "Events prior to murder" section to the "Pre-abduction" section. What's the connection between Tackett and Loveless?

"drive the four girls to Jeffersonville, Indiana, where Sharer lived"

Readers were last told "the family moved to New Albany, Indiana, in June 1991"

"with a dull knife"

The article has already mentioned "knife" twice previously, so

• Why does it now use the indefinite article "a" rather than the definite article "the"?
• Why does it now use a descriptive adjective "dull"? This descriptive adjective should appear on the first mention of "knife".

In short, readers are again confused. Is this the same knife as previously mentioned or a second knife?

--LukasMatt (talk) 03:48, 3 May 2014 (UTC)

Abduction

No suggestions
--LukasMatt (talk) 12:29, 3 May 2014 (UTC)

Torture

"drove to the burn pile"

It was not previously described as a "burn pile"; rather, the article said "garbage dump". Moreover, Sharer has not been "burned alive" yet.

The events described here in the article do not agree with the events as described in the David Lohr source.

"Now let's take her pants off"

The same "Torture" section previously said "made Sharer strip naked".

--LukasMatt (talk) 14:29, 3 May 2014 (UTC)

Do you have access to the book about the case? I have a general knowledge about the case, but I haven't read it yet or I'd pitch in. Bali88 (talk) 04:03, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

The best available online is the David Lohr source (see citation #16 in the "References" section of the article). Otherwise, you need to purchase a hard-copy version of the Jones book (see citation #2 in the "References" section). You can supposedly get a .pdf version of the Jones book online, but it's one of those "Here's a password-protected .zip file--If you want the password, select one of the following three offers (which require your telephone number so they can charge you an unspecified amount)" deals.

--LukasMatt (talk) 05:23, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

Burned alive

No suggestions
--LukasMatt (talk) 03:42, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

Investigation

The quality of the article starts to decline in this section.

Readers would definitely like to know details about the forensic evidence (such details are readily available on the Internet).

Zero mention about the arrests of Lawrence and Rippey.
--LukasMatt (talk) 09:28, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

People involved in incident

I agree with Bali88, BabbaQ, and 68.12.186.247 regarding the Larry Loveless material. Therefore, the "People involved in incident" section has been deleted with its contents distributed as follows:

• Timeline--given that six out of nine items in the "Timeline" relate to the judicial process, moved to that section;
• Background information about the suspects--moved to the "Judicial Process/Mitigating Factors" section;
• Some Larry Loveless information--moved to the "Aftermath" section
• Some Larry Loveless information--moved to the the "Are all the bio's necessary?" Talk section for safekeeping
  

--LukasMatt (talk) 13:45, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

Judicial Process

I don't know what to think about the "Timeline". Personally, I would rather delete it and include a photo gallery of the four girls.

Sentences

Even though the "TimeLine" includes a vague "Lawrence accepts plea bargain", the article text says nothing about her exact sentence. Readers are especially interested to know Lawrence's sentence because the article seems to describe her as the least willing participant in the attack and the only suspect to contact the police.

Readers want to know the exact mitigating circumstances that caused a 10-year reduction in Rippey's sentence, especially given that she was a very active participant in the attack.

Where were Lawrence and Rippey incarcerated?

Appeals

"Instead, Loveless will be eligible for parole in 15 years, thus maintaining the original guilty plea."

Readers are confused. Did Loveless get something positive from the hearing (e.g. eligible for parole in 15 years when originally she had been eligible for parole, say, in 20 years)? If her request was simply rejected, delete the entire sentence.

Moreover, the math doesn't add up. In the "Sentences" section, readers are told "With maximum time reduced for good behavior, [Loveless] could be released in 2020". Now, in the "Appeals" section, readers are told:

2008 + "eligible for parole in 15 years" = 2023

which leads readers to believe that Loveless has not behaved well in prison.

The citation link is broken.

"Small stated that he would seek to have jurisdiction..."

The citation link is broken.

Any appeals by the other convicted girls?

Incareceration

"both women could possibly walk out of prison in 2022"

Again, readers sense that Loveless and Tackett have not behaved well in prison.

Releases

Toni Lawrence was released from where?

"On April 28, 2006, Hope Rippey was released" and "She will remain on supervised parole for 5 years"

This information is out of date. It is now 2014. Therefore, the sentence should read "She remained on supervised parole for 5 years", or if her conditions after release changed, the sentence must be completely reworded.

--LukasMatt (talk) 04:23, 5 May 2014 (UTC)

Aftermath

No suggestions
--LukasMatt (talk) 16:01, 5 May 2014 (UTC)

In popular culture

When I tried the Dr. Phil external link "In Cold Blood: A Daughter's Brutal Murder", I could not access the entire website. I did not flag the link with a {{dead link}} template, though, because I can't imagine that the site is dead.
--LukasMatt (talk) 01:46, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

References

This article overuses the Jones book Cruel Sacrifice (26 out of 49 citations--53.07%), especially in sections "Shanda Sharer" through "Mitigating Factors" (25 out of 30 citations--83%). Good scholarship relies upon multiple sources. If the sources disagree on an important point--fine...the article can mention the disagreement.

Besides the David Lohr source, which the article cites three times, I also encountered these web pages that cover the Shanda Sharer story in detail:

Fun Trivia: K : Kids Who Kill / Special Sub-Topic: The Murder of Innocence

CMM-Crime, Mystery & Mayhem "SHANDA RENEE SHARER (12) - THE HEINOUS TORTURE & MURDER BY MELINDA LOVELESS (16) - MARY LAURINE "LAURIE" TACKETT (17) - HOPE RIPPEY (15) - TONI LAWRENCE (15)"

I'm not saying that they are reliable sources. At a minimum, they may provide interesting information for additional research. --LukasMatt (talk) 02:36, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

I agree. The tough part is that this crime took place before the internet, so while it got extensive news coverage, most of that is archived and not available online. I think we could probably get away with a less detailed summary of events though and just go with an overview of the crime itself. That would make things easier. Bali88 (talk) 03:34, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

Possibly notable information

There is another case out of Floyd county that is quite notable: the David Camm case. He was prosecuted for the murders of his family by the same prosecutor as in this case, a guy by the name of Stan Faith. Faith's conduct in the Camm case was absolutely ridiculous. Hiding evidence, fabricating evidence, lying about evidence, fabricated credentials for witnesses. He refused to run DNA through codis, then lied about it and said he did, then tried to get the DNA analyst to testify that it was actually camm's DNA. Then tried to get her fired when she wouldn't lie on the stand. Then when you think it couldn't get any worse, they find the guy and it turns out he's actually a client of Stan Faith. Crazy story. Anyway, Sharer's mother works as a paralegal for Stan Faith. I'm not sure if she worked for him when her daughter was killed, but she has worked for him for years. Camm was acquitted recently and filed a $30 million lawsuit a few days ago against Floyd county, Indiana, and a number of people, including Sharer's mother, Jacque Vaught. I have a feeling she probably wasn't involved in any wrongdoing and her name will get dropped from the suit, but potentially this could be an interesting and notable piece of information to include. I'll watch to see what happens. Bali88 (talk) 03:31, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

Sharer's mother works as a paralegal for Stan Faith

My jaw drops to the floor. I pick it up.

lawsuit...against Floyd county, Indiana, and a number of people, including Sharer's mother, Jacque Vaught

My jaw drops to the floor again. --LukasMatt (talk) 04:06, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

Have you followed the Camm case? Bali88 (talk) 13:12, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

Final Comments

Despite the gaps and occasional inconsistencies, this article is very interesting. After somebody implements the suggestions listed here from the GOCE review, you might consider nominating it for "good article" status.
--LukasMatt (talk) 05:20, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

"Toni Lawrence was released on December 14, 2000, after serving 9 years"

If the murder occured in January of 1992 and Lawrence was released in December of 2000, that only adds up to 7 years 11 months. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.78.25.119 (talk) 16:25, 7 October 2014 (UTC)

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Murder of Shanda Sharer

Was there any kind of remorse from the girls that did this horrible thing?? They are all released from prison, way too soon, in my opinion they should have got the death penalty!! I wonder what kind of lives they all had, cause little Shanda didn't get to have a life!! This whole thing makes me so mad!! It was not only one death, but also the "life sentence" of the girls father, and his death!! I don't think there was "justis" here. 107.77.194.82 (talk) 14:40, 13 February 2022 (UTC)

I met Hope Rippey once. I had to "remove" her from private property & she certainly wasn't ready to pick on someone her own size without her murderous friends to back her up. 174.214.50.41 (talk) 04:09, 16 April 2023 (UTC)