Abduction
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Sharer's father and stepmother had gone to bed and allowed Sharer to stay downstairs for a bit to watch
television. Rippey told Sharer that Heavrin was still at the Witch's Castle. Sharer was reluctant to go with them, yet agreed after changing her clothes. As they got in the car, Rippey began asking Sharer questions about her relationship with Heavrin. Loveless then sprang out from the back seat, put the knife to Sharer's throat and began interrogating her about her sexual relationship with Heavrin. They drove towards
Utica and the Witch's Castle. Tackett told the girls that a local legend said the house was once a castle owned by nine witches and that the townspeople burned down the house to get rid of the witches, leaving a small stone house in its place.
[33]
At the Witch's Castle, they took a sobbing Sharer inside and bound her arms and legs with rope. There, Loveless taunted her, saying that she had pretty hair and wondered how pretty she would look if they were to cut it off, which frightened Sharer even more. Loveless began taking off Sharer's rings and handing them to the girls. At some point, Rippey took Sharer's
Mickey Mouse watch and danced to the tune it played. Tackett further taunted Sharer, claiming that the Witch's Castle was filled with human remains and Sharer's would be next. To further threaten Sharer, Tackett then retrieved a shirt with a
smiley design from the car and lit it on fire, but immediately feared that the fire would be spotted by passing cars, so the girls left with Sharer.
During the car ride, Sharer continued begging them to take her back home. Eventually, they became lost, so they stopped at a gas station and covered Sharer in a blanket. While Tackett went inside to ask for directions, Lawrence called a boy she knew in Louisville and chatted for several minutes to ease her worries, but did not mention Sharer's abduction. They returned to the car, but became lost again and pulled up to another gas station. There, Lawrence and Rippey spotted a couple of boys and talked to them before once again getting back into the car and leaving, arriving some time later at the edge of some woods near Tackett's home in Madison.
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Torture
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Tackett led them to a dark abandoned building off a logging road in a densely forested area. Lawrence and Rippey were frightened and stayed in the car. Loveless and Tackett made Sharer strip down to her underwear; then, Loveless beat Sharer with her fists. Next, Loveless repeatedly slammed Sharer's face into her knee, which cut Sharer's mouth on her own
braces. Loveless tried to slash Sharer's throat, but the knife was too dull. Rippey came out of the car to hold down Sharer. Loveless and Tackett took turns stabbing Sharer in the chest. They then strangled Sharer with a rope until she was unconscious, placed her in the trunk of the car, and told the other two girls that Sharer was dead.
[35]
The girls drove to Tackett's nearby home and went inside to drink soda and clean themselves. When they heard Sharer screaming in the trunk, Tackett went out with a
paring knife and stabbed her several more times, coming back a few minutes later covered with blood. After she washed, Tackett told the girls' futures with her "
runestones". At 2:30 a.m., Lawrence and Rippey stayed behind as Tackett and Loveless went "
country cruising", driving to the nearby town of
Canaan. Sharer continued to make crying and gurgling noises, so Tackett stopped the car. When they opened the trunk, Sharer sat up, covered in blood with her eyes rolled back in her head, but unable to speak. Tackett beat her with a
tire iron until she was silent, claiming that she felt Sharer's head caving in, and then told Loveless to "smell it". They also sexually assaulted Sharer with the same weapon. The tire-iron assault continued off and on for hours as the girls went on a joyride through the countryside.
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Loveless and Tackett returned to Tackett's house just before daybreak to clean up again and woke up the other two girls. Rippey asked about Sharer, and Tackett laughingly described the torture. The conversation woke up Tackett's mother, who was initially angry with her daughter for being out so late, but she also offered to cook the girls some breakfast. Tackett declined and said she needed to drive the other girls home. However, instead Tackett drove to the burn pile, where they opened the trunk to look at Sharer. Lawrence refused. Rippey suddenly sprayed Sharer with
Windex and taunted, "You're not looking so hot now, are you?"
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Immolation
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Memorial to Sharer at the location where she died
The girls drove to a gas station near
Madison Consolidated High School, pumped some gasoline into the car, and bought a two-liter bottle of
Pepsi. Tackett poured out the Pepsi and refilled the bottle with gasoline. They drove north of Madison, past
Jefferson Proving Ground to Lemon Road off
U.S. Route 421, a place known to Rippey. Lawrence remained in the car while Tackett and Rippey wrapped Sharer, who was still alive, in a blanket, and carried her to a field by the gravel country road. Rippey poured the gasoline on Sharer, and then they set her on fire. Loveless was not convinced Sharer was dead, so they returned a few minutes later to pour the rest of the gasoline on her.
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