Are they evil? The Story of Shanda Sharer 

Evil exists. Notice how they disassociate themselves from their actions? No responsibility taken.

It boggles my mind that all of these women are out of prison, walking amongst us, especially Melinda and Laurie. The book "Cruel Sacrifice" by Aphrodite Jones goes into a lot more detail about the crimes perpetrated against Shanda, and those two in particular did UNSPEAKABLE things to her... all out of jealousy and hate. Girls can be vicious.

"Peer pressure" was something we all experienced. No one I knew or heard about ever hurt or killed anyone during those years.

It's absolutely horrifying, as well, that they aren't rotting the rest of their lives away behind bars, when Shanda will never see another sunrise.

Shanda was beautiful, the other girls were jealous. My heart bleeds for her mother.

Why do people think that if someone loves animals, then that makes them a good human being?!? Nonsense.

I've never been able to shake Shanda's case since I first heard about it years ago. I can't imagine her suffering. I have no sympathy for those who murdered this young lady. Not actually putting your hands on her doesn't make you innocent. Not at all. She could've told immediately, she could've tried to do something, or run away to try to find someone to call law enforcement. Done ANYTHING, and Shanda may not have died.

This is horrific- if you commit this kind of evil you don’t deserve a second chance. That child doesn’t get a second chance at life and neither should they. They knew what they were doing was wrong and that’s the beginning and the end of it… nothing else matters.

Its horrifying what they did to her. I can't even comprehend how they could be so cruel to that poor baby girl. It hurts my heart.

Melinda and all the other 3 involved SHOULD BE IN PRISON. They tortured a life and took that life. Inexcusable. The fact that they're free makes my blood boil! 🤬🤬

In child abuse as one grows older there is anger, I know, but it never drove me to kill, that's another level.

These crimes are horrific and stressful to listen to, I would like to thank you for presenting them in a calm manner...🕉

I've worked at an elementary school for the last 19 yrs. In addition to registering & enrolling students, I enter discipline referrals. I see issues from the kindergarten level up. I see parents oblivious to concerning behavior. I see counselors overloaded with trying to intervene and advocate for young minds but met with "mind ya business" or flat out threats from parents or the pat response "kids will be kids." Even my 'anonymous' mandated reporting backfired in my identity being revealed and my life being jeopardized by the alleged abusive parent's threats. ~makes me think twice sometimes Can't win for losing.

Melinda should have never been offered a plea deal....and having a horrible childhood does not give you the right to hurt someone else.

As a grandmother of a 19 year old grandson who is charged with murder, I watched this from a different lens. My heart is hurting and heavy with this. I’m back to not speaking with my daughter over this. I want to know why he shot a man, but by doing so my daughter accuses me of convicting him even though he hasn’t gone to trial, along with other things that aren’t true. Parents or family that continue to be in denial or don’t take responsibility for things they’ve done, or shelter them rather than let them face the true nature of what they’ve done (We all make mistakes. But if we take responsibility, learn from it, we can move forward.) then we have a better chance with our children. Now I’m not saying that all parents of children that commit horrendous crimes are negligent. There are some children that have mental health problems or maybe evil, but if they take a life, there’s a reason. There are countless people from dysfunctional families that don’t hurt others, so why do others want to kill? RIP to Shanda and all that have taken to soon. 🕊 Great channel. 🤗 New subscriber.

Such an awful story. Shanda was my nephews age, so still a baby. How those girls could even consider hurting a child is bad enough, let alone the hours of torture they put Shanda through. They all deserved to spend the rest of their lives in prison. Fabulous video, subscribed straight away.

They are evil to their core. What they did was beyond horrific. It was diabolical. How on earth do such young kids do this unless they are evil? I hope they all rot in jail.

This is one of the worst things I have ever heard…and that’s saying a lot because I’m addicted to true crime. I don’t think these women should ever be let out of prison. Regardless of any reasons they had for being violent teens, to torture someone like this takes a certain type of person. The type that should never be in society.

Ok… I’ve never understood why in some cases killer kids are tried as juveniles whilst in other cases as adults. Is it purely based on the severity of the crime? Kevin, I stumbled across your channel I’m glad I did. Keep up the hard work, you’ll soon get many subs. Cheers mate.

People can forgive & do, But they NEVER Forget.

Unbelievable they are all out now. Poor Shanda. Girls can be vicious in groups.

It wasn’t Satanism. It was jealousy for Melinda that the other girls fed off of and turned into a killing. They were abused girls, full of hate and confusion. It’s sad that Shanda’s life was taken for reasons these girls would have grown out of in a few years.

This is by far one of the most disturbing/disgusting true crimes I’ve ever heard of. I hope those responsible rot in hell, they should NEVER have been released! I like your channel Kevin although this story I found haunting. May beautiful Shanda rest in perfect peace ❤️❤️

Very thought provoking. Excellent coverage of a complex case. Can't believe I'd never heard about this one. I'm a mother so I'm all over the map with this one. Yes, I do believe childhood abuse played a factor, however only a very small one. There are countless adults in this world who were horrifically abused as children, and they don't kidnap, bind, torture and murder another human being. Regardless of if that was a significant role or not, it does not change the fact that they deserved the long sentences. Are they evil? I don't know. But the sadistic, gleeful torture they inflicted all night long, hour after hour, onto this 12-year-old girl, ending with her being burned alive? That's epitome of evil itself. (p.s. as a mom, I'd never forgive).

I saw you comment on another channel, concerning points you felt would've been informative, and I was like, "who tf is this" I felt like if you were gonna critique the work of others, that, in itself, was a bold statement about your own work. So I came here, and I'm impressed my dude. Very impressed. You have every right to critique my friend. Excellent work, you are appreciated.

Forgiveness isn’t for the other person. It’s for the one who gives it. It allows them to let go of everything the other person has done and be able to move on, freely.

The other kids had a chance to do something they chose to go along.They are as guilty,the only one who had any guilt or compassion was Tony.

the editing is on point my guy!

🥝🙋 KiaOra (Hello) Kevin. Just Thought Lounge is one of the best crime genre discoveries of 2021. Really looking forward to watching your channel & content develop & grow. 👍

Duuuuude this is right up my alley! I almost exclusively watch true crime videos on RU-vid, so you've got my sub for sure. The Audio, Video and B-roll quality is all so great!! Your description says you have no video creation experience which is insane to me. I really enjoy that you intertwine clips of yourself speaking into the video. It adds a personable layer to things and lets your personality shine through! My ONLY critique, and I truly mean my ONLY critique, of this video is the music that is constant throughout it. I like the music, and I think it fits for most of the video, but perhaps when talking about some of the darker portions or even brighter lighthearted portions you could change the music or ambiance? It's nitpicky and not a big deal at all, but I figured I would mention it. Your video is basically on par with a lot of the bigger true crime channels that I watch. Thanks for the content and all the work you clearly put into this! I hope you keep going because I'm looking forward to it.

Sad when stumbling upon a dead body is way more common than finding a mannequin yet it’s too horrific for the mind to contemplate that it could be a body.

Just came across your channel the other day. You narrate the stories very well and have a gift. Also, you seem like a kind soul and very humble & gentle. This story is soooo sad and unbelievable it makes me feel like we live in an incomprehensible world! Who does that to another human and they were all so young! Well, i watch a lot of crime (dont know why). Its very sad. Am not sure I can forgive. But I think Shanda's mum after all these years decided its just not worth it keeping the pain inside. Have heard people say that you need to forgive and let go of the pain.

Poor baby, its just horrendous. It breaks my heart. There is evil in this world.

Hi Kevin, great new channel and content! I seem to have to turn my volume up quite high to listen. Not sure but thought I'd let you know in case anyone else mentions. Makes me jump after I've finished!

To forgive should allways be on the table if the victims family choose to do so. People that are capable of forgiveness are very kind and intelligent people's.

How can ppl not know torturing a child is evil. Those girls are cold-blooded evil killers.

The cases you select and the manner in which you present them are always interesting.

All those girls deserved the electric chair! What they did to that girl is more than cruel. It was sadistic. They literally drew pleasure from seeing her suffer as they inflicted pain. They showed no mercy,and deserve NO mercy!!!

Loveless and Tackett only served about 26 years. The other two were long before released. How can this possibly be fair that they go on now to live their lives? This is not justice! Loveless and Tackett should NEVER have seen the light of day and I hope they suffer in their freedom.

Melinda wanted sexual relationship with shanda and Amanda but couldn’t stand that Amanda wanted shanda too. Odd the girl tori acts like she was roped in to this yet she smiled so big in her booking photo-psycho! And that blonde blaming peer pressure is distancing herself from the crime like most narcissists

I would just like to say thank you for covering this video as well as you did. I grew up in New Albany Indiana, Shanda's hometown as well as Melinda lovelace's hometown. New Albany Indiana is a very small place and this shocking murder rocked our small community. I was only a year older than Shanda herself and I went to Our Lady of Perpetual Help up until 5th grade and then switched to the Rival Junior High of Melinda Loveless. There are a couple things that I wanted to add that were not mentioned in the story and that is Melinda Loveless actually died from inhaling her own smoke. There's a position the body takes when someone is burned alive. The witches Castle was very well known for Satan worship I think the girls just went there because it was creepy and scary and to them possibly a perfect place to carry out such a horrific murder. Even though Amanda hevren was not there I can tell you right now I've known her/him/them personally and Amanda was always a very violent child and she was a bully. Everyone knew not to mess with Amanda. So it's not hard to understand that the people that Amanda hung out with or were linked to her we're also violent and possibly bullies. A further tragedy to the story is that Shanda's father drank himself to death with grief. So these girls not only killed Shanda but they killed her father as well indirectly. I will have to research again but I believe there is a video interview of Shanda's mother forgiving Melinda. Thank you again for putting a light on this case it's a horrific case that happened a long time ago and there's a lot of people that have never heard of Shanda or this case at all. Everyone in Southern Indiana remembers what happened and we will never forget her. Rest in peace Shanda even though you are discussed vividly online your story remains in a lot of people's hearts and I can only hope that you and your father are together in Paradise. There is also a paperback book with the story of Shanda. "Cruel Sacrifice" it also has crime scene photos of shandas burnt and stabbed body. I can still see those images in mind today.

A family slayer from my town became a "service" dog trainer, while he was serving time for killing his family. Once, he was featured in Newsweek for his work with dogs. After he was released (for killing 3 people in his own family), he was arrested, yet again, when the guys fixing his computer found kid porn on his pc.

I don’t think forgiveness means that you’re actually forgiving in the true sense of the word. I think it’s how victims and families can let go of the anger, which can be all-consuming and not healthy. It’s their way of saying what the perpetrator did is not going to consume them any more.

This case is hauntingly similar to the one of James Bulger. I believe that every one has the potential to do unspeakable things, but we don't because, as adults, we have more self control. Like the atrocities perpetrated by soldiers in war, I believe that they did what they did because they fed off each other's psychosis. This is why it is so dangerous to seek out and gather with people who have similar inclinations. It was the perfect storm in which every bad thing came together and the gang gave in to their basest instincts. A real tragedy.

I just discovered your channel. It's great. I love all the hard work and research you do and it's beautifully presented. Can you change the audio a little louder? Thank you x

I'd like to say I am extremely grateful I found your channel. I've watched youtubers over the past couple of years but became disinterested in the unprofessional way they would handle the story of someone's murder. Silly thumbnails don't belong on serious heartbreaking matters. ( imo) I absolutely appreciate your delivering as well as the time & effort you pour into your videos. THX YOU. THX YOU FOR SHOWING YOUNG GIRLS NOT EVERYONE IS THEIR FRIEND & MAY NOT HAVE THEIR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART♥︎♥︎♥︎

Hi Kevin This was my second video watched of yours and I am definitely subbing. I like the courteous and reverant way you present these tough cases. Might have to binge watch some this evening to catch up. I also am sharing this as I have many friends who enjoy content like this and let's see if we can get those numbers up. Keep making this kind of quality work and thos number will climb in no time at all

Really well presented. I believe forgiveness is a choice, and it shall set you free. I don't know if I could make that choice. RIP Shanda🕊️

This crime is absolutely horrific. I don't know if I could ever find forgiveness for their actions. RIP dear child. So sorry you had to endure the unimaginable painful horrors. 😢

One of the most disturbing cases I've ever heard and read about. You handled it with remarkable restraint and respect. Not an easy task. Impressive work.

This hits so close to home. My daughters are 10 and 12. I couldn’t even begin to imagine this happening to my little girls. It’s especially sad because these are basically kids killing kids. When your that age everything seems so serious and like the end of the world. Especially when your heart broken or jealous. Teen girls can be very cruel. I had two “rivals” while in highschool. One was simply jsut because we didn’t like each other. She went to different high school but we had secondary school together. We did some shit to torment one another and ended up getting into a “cat” fight but that’s as far as it went. Most kids will just fight it out and then actually get over whatever it is and move on. The other girl used to send me into a jealous frenzy because my boyfriend at the time was playing her and me both. No matter how much I thought I despised her at the time, never in a million years would I have been able to do anything even remotely close to what these girls did. It really would take a lot to be able to follow through like these girls did and for the amount of time. This shows how much trauma and abuse can really tear a person down. Working in the behavioral health field, I really honestly believe though that some of this is just as much nature as it is nurture. Someone has to already have this in their nature to be capable of doing so and the trauma and abuse just feeds it. That’s just my opinion not saying it’s true..really, what do I know about science and the brain? Lol

I remember this case. What they did to Shanda was absolutely horrific. I can’t imagine that panic she felt during those last hours where beyond belief she was still alive and to have them keep coming back to hurt her 😢

What a great episode! You do such a great job of providing info in a responsible, compassionate way. What the rest of us can do is get understanding of this situation and hopefully prevent something like it from happening again. It seems like the mental health of teenage girls is even in more distress because now there is social media. May our society recognize this and work to provide supports they need

Hi, Kevin. Thank you a lot for the upload.

Thank you for the way you present all these cases, with objectivity but also compassion, and in a very intelligent and calm approach. Thank you

Heya Kevin 😊 Another great case😊. You just have a way of telling the story that is so engaging and interesting. Plus I love you always manage to find us very interesting cases that we haven't heard before😊😊. Thank you for all the hard work and the REALLY interesting cases Love from Australia 🦎💞🐨

Your channel is right up my alley. I just finished the book cruel sacrifice by Aphrodite Jones. The book broke me into tears more than once. So I would like to say thank you for bringing this case to light again. You definitely have a new subscriber. Happy holidays to you and your family.

12 videos in (binge watching lol), but subscribed after the 2nd - I'm here for this and you, nice channel thank you!!!

Abused people abuse people. It is great that the father was charged with abuse - he started the ball rolling.

Shanda's mom is just an angel. The best angel. Giving the puppy to her daughter's torturer is so amazing. I'd like to hug her and just say "Thank you". ❤️❤️❤️

I vividly recall this crime. I was a mom myself at the time & it just haunted me. I have no forgiveness or compassion for any of these killers. I was a wild, rebellious, dope taking teen, being raised with a raging, racist, violent, alcoholic father. There's millions of us raised in all manner of dysfunction who don't commit horrific acts like this.

Being a survivor of some horrible abuse myself, I could never inflict suffering on another person. I have no sympathy for Melinda

OMG what is it with people .. ITS NEVER a mannequin ... NEVER

I'm finding it difficult to believe that Amanda Heavrin didn't know anything about this! Why did she have sexual intermacy with an underage girl? Even though she says it was consensual and shanda came on to her Amanda should never have accepted her advances. It just seems so strange to say she didn't believe it was true after they showed her the bloody trunk. She also claimed she didn't know Shanda was missing dispite her father being told. She surly is hiding something. RIP poor Shanda 😢 💔

KEVIN!!!!! This video has highly annoying noise in the background. YOU NEVER do this!!!! Please do not corrupt your fabulous channel with annoying background noise. Thank you. You are the BEST.

In thinking of myself as Shanda's mother, I would never get over my grief. At the same time, I believe some form of compassion is in me for these girls and what they previously suffered. I believe Melinda was the alpha in this group of girls. She called the tune. They did her dance. Wanting to please her, to belong, at their ages and time in their lives probably meant everything. I don't believe these girls are evil, although the acts committed against Shanda very much were. Perhaps, out of prison, they can all benefit humanity. And that is my greatest hope! So glad I found you! 🥰

Loveless(appropriate)... 🥺 So sad

You have such a soothing voice. I listen to your show until I fall asleep.

I respect the insight and wisdom this mother has even towards her daughters killers. She understands how she needs to heal and grieve with dignity as well...Powerful!

Holy hell, just discovered your channel and im 3 videos in and it really is fantastic. Love your presenting style & i see i have much to binge on tomorow 😊 Thank you for all your hard work

Forgiveness, never. Letting go, absolutely.

This story was very disturbing and sad. I saw this story on another crime show on tv. They mentioned that the father blamed himself. He became a drunk & eventually died from drinking too much & a broken heart 💔. These girls took 2 lives when they took Shanda's life.

They are a range of evils -But, Yes, Evil they are. ✌️

Amazing Kevin, loving your channel!

People from religeous backgrounds are drawn into cults far easier than those of secular homes.

I Love your vids but can is it possible to turn the volume a bit up? Either on speaker or earbuds it's kinda hard to hear..

Thankyou for telling her story. I don't feel like her murder was publicized...or is "as well known", as other stories, that have been told (and have been made into movies)... What she went through, was horrendously thoughtless, and just plain inconceivable!... Unforgivable (in my opinion). She was a Beautiful Beautiful sweet baby girl...and her story will Forever be in my heart.

It would be impossible for me to forgive them… Taking the life of a beautiful young soul in the way is MOST DEFINITELY UNFORGIVABLE

What is it about mannequins? Are they discarded here, there and everywhere? I can’t count the times I’ve listened to crime shows and heard a witness say when discovering a body, “I thought it was a mannequin!”

I love your content, the natural narration and your sensitive approach to things. Your voice sounded a bit low in volume but it could be the limited sound stage effect of your equipment, or I might just be wrong. Looking forward to more :)

Great episode, thank you!

English lesson: 1. passive verb “It never should have HAPPENED.” 2. active verb “I wish I hadn’t DONE it.” Notice which form they used? They never really owned the horrors they DID.

Hey Kevin your doing a great job with your story's I'll definitely be a faithful watcher!!! Thank you & all thee best !! 💖💯

This is well done thankyou

They were so young, what could have made them so angry.

Thanks Kevin ,fr.Canada

The madness of a mob

What a wonderful and beautiful young girl 👧, RIP! So so horrible case 😞 😪 😢

Very well done Kevin. You never disappoint. Thought provoking is a kind way of saying what we all feel. The ability of humans to do inhuman thing to each other takes your breath away. That poor girl deserves our prayers as do those sad creatures that commited this nightmarish crime. Great work and thanks for your efforts.

Where do you find these crimes?!?! I’ve never heard of so many of your episodes. This one is gruesome, and Shanda would’ve been my age. How have I never heard of this case. Born and raised not too far from this part of the US. Thanks Kevin for your unrivaled work!

Oh indeed, all four are currently out of prison. Let's hope they are all reformed, and solid, productive citizens today. When pigs fly, maybe.

Stephanie harlowe does an amazing deep dive on this case... if anyone is interested in the backgrounds of the girls. Its pretty amazing. I just found this channel, and I am impressed! Subed right away, I know Kevin is on it!

Unbelievably horrendous! Forgiveness? No, that's not possible. Understanding the whys and wherefores? To a point only, but there can be no excuse for such brutality. If a child/young person can do that, then there is no possibility of rehabilitation. It can be masked, but will always be there.

Great channel. (It’s pronounced as “New all ban ee,” just like one says the word “all.”) Really enjoying your reporting and have subscribed.

How was a 12 year old child even in a relationship at that age - where were her parents? No daughter of mine was in a relationship at such a young age. Poor girl was let down in many ways and died a horrific death. I would never forgive those evil girls who were capable of doing this. Absolute evil monsters all of them!

Late-to-the-game post, but I've only recently discovered your channel and have been bingeing (sp?). I was a victim of CA from age 10 to 14 by a close family member (not my daddy). The result of my experiences caused me to normalize being a victim. I never thought of physically harming anyone like this. Did I fantasize about killing my abusive husband? Yes, I did. Fear kept me in check. I continued to have a victim mentality until I was in my 50s. I would never stand up for myself or think of hurting an innocent person. Quite the opposite, in fact, because I share positive vibes despite my history. My husband died 10 years ago. No, I didn't kill him. We were together 36 years, since I was 16. I'm free now (no true crime video about me being killed by my husband!), and my mission is all about being positive. Being a victim does not excuse becoming a sadistic killer. Thanks for all the great work you do.

Ey man, came upon your station on my suggestions. And I’ve been watching/listening since! Keep this up, you’re doing great man.

Thanks for the great crime story!

I enjoy calm manner in which you most eloquently relate events. Even the those post crime analysis contributes to the high standard of your work.

I think people should look up the original meaning of forgiveness. It actually has nothing to do with the one who has done you wrong. It is only about yourself and what you need to do for yourself to give you peace of mind. Forgiving others has become about others so they feel better not about you feeling better. You see mob mentality all the time. Especially over the last 2 odd years. Salem and all the witch trials over the years in history on all the continents are examples of it. It begins with one or more until a group, sometimes very big groups. One cannot overlook each girls life. But one can say it was no excuse and every person who commits a barbaric act of savagery like they did, whether as an onlooker or not, deserves to still be sitting in prison. As a female I will add one more thing. Many incidents in history of mob / blood lust have occurred, starting with a female spreading a rumour or wanting to destroy another due to jealousy etc. And normally they either poison, or form a group like these girls did or they get a guy to do their bidding. Whether it be physical harm to another or whether it be online or at school pack hatred against someone. They will chip away at another mentally and emotionally until they are satisfied. Either by someone taking their own lives or leaving the environment. Sometimes the satisfaction can only be had by killing their target. These girls can say they do not know why etc. They know. It is something they were capable of doing. The main girl, whether or not she would ever admit it. It was something she wanted to do. Her "enemy" is out of the way. No one will have her, not even her parents. The girls who did not stop her..... I would say are just as bad. Many examples of people standing back and doing nothing when others were doing harm to others. Just a few of my thoughts.