149. Knock After Dark: HOMICIDE

Today on LOTW, Becky and Bevy discuss one of Indiana’s most infamous juvenile cases.

Twelve‑year‑old Shanda Sharer was still settling into life in New Albany when she met Amanda Heavrin — a friendship that quickly grew into the kind of early relationship that feels enormous at that age. Notes passed in class, whispered conversations, the thrill of being seen by someone who understood her. But Amanda wasn’t the only one paying attention. Her girlfriend, sixteen‑year‑old Melinda Loveless, watched the connection with a mix of jealousy and fear, convinced Shanda was pulling Amanda away.

The tension didn’t stay quiet. It showed up in school hallways, in after‑school confrontations, in the way older teens drifted into the situation with their own loyalties and insecurities. Adults noticed pieces of it, but never the whole picture.

On the night of January 10, 1992, while Shanda was staying at her father’s home, a group of girls arrived at the door. They told her they were there to take her to see Amanda. Believing that, Shanda stepped outside — beginning a night shaped by the complicated relationships and simmering emotions that had been building for weeks.

📚 What We Read & Watched

Here’s some of the material we pulled from while putting this episode together — a mix of reporting, local coverage, and long‑form videos that helped us trace the relationships and events leading up to that night:

• Wikipedia – for baseline case details and timeline
• YouTube deep‑dives & case breakdowns:
• • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNjYgURVzxY
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNB_9P3KKXo
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQaG0MTvnGc
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqlJJAsKXJg&t=11s
• People Magazine – broader coverage and interviews
• The Madison Courier – local reporting from the community closest to the case
• Los Angeles Times – national context and follow‑up reporting