Mary Laurine "Laurie" Tackett was born in Madison, Indiana, on October 5, 1974. Her mother was a fundamentalist Pentecostal Christian, while her father worked in a factory and had two felony convictions from the 1960s. Tackett claimed she was molested at least twice during her childhood, at ages 5 and 12.

In May 1989, a confrontation arose between Tackett and her mother when her mother found her changing from a dress into jeans at school. This led to her mother attempting to strangle her that night. Social workers became involved afterwards, and Tackett's parents agreed to have unannounced visits to ensure no child abuse was happening in their home. Tackett and her mother often clashed. For example, when Tackett's mother learned that her friend Hope Rippey had bought a Ouija board, she demanded it be burned and Rippey's house be exorcised.

After her 15th birthday, Tackett became increasingly rebellious and developed a fascination with the occult. She often tried to impress friends by pretending to be possessed by a spirit named "Deanna the Vampire." In early 1991, she began dating a girl who was involved in self-harm, which led Tackett to start doing the same. Her parents found out and checked her into a hospital on March 19, 1991. She was prescribed an anti-depressant and released, but shortly after, she and her girlfriend cut their wrists deeply together. Tackett was returned to the hospital and was later admitted to a psychiatric ward, where she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. She mentioned that she had experienced hallucinations since she was very young. Tackett was discharged on April 12, 1991, but she dropped out of high school that September.

In October 1991, Tackett stayed in Louisville with various friends. During this time, she met Melinda Loveless, and they became friends. By December, Tackett had moved back to Madison, hoping her father would buy her a car. However, she continued to spend a lot of time in Louisville and New Albany, often with Loveless.

On the night of January 10, 1992, Laurie Tackett, Melinda Loveless, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence planned to abduct Shanda Sharer. They drove from Madison to New Albany, Indiana, where Loveless lived. Upon arrival, they borrowed some clothes from Loveless, who showed them a knife. Loveless expressed her intent to scare Sharer with it. The girls then made their way to Sharer's home, where they convinced her to join them by claiming that a mutual friend, Amanda Heavrin, wanted to see her.

Once they were in the car, Loveless brandished the knife and threatened Sharer. They drove towards a location known as the Witch's Castle. At the abandoned site, they restrained Sharer and began to verbally taunt her. Loveless and Tackett took turns beating Sharer, and they attempted to attack her with the knife, but it was ineffective. They later strangled her into unconsciousness and placed her in the trunk of the car.

Afterward, they stopped at Tackett’s house, where they claimed to clean up and drink soda while Sharer was still in the trunk. Tackett then returned to the trunk, where she stabbed Sharer multiple times as Sharer continued to make noise. The group subsequently went for a drive around the area, taking turns assaulting Sharer again.

The situation escalated until the girls drove to a remote location. They wrapped Sharer in a blanket, poured gasoline on her, and set her on fire. After confirming that Sharer was not yet dead, they returned to pour more gasoline on her before leaving the scene.

The following morning, two brothers discovered the burned body of a child along the road and reported it to the police. Meanwhile, Tackett and the others returned to their daily lives, discussing the events at a McDonald's restaurant, where they appeared unbothered by their actions.

As the investigation unfolded, Lawrence and Rippey eventually came forward with information about the crime, leading to the arrest of Tackett and Loveless. The case drew significant media attention due to its shocking nature and the young ages of both the victim and the perpetrators. After several months of legal proceedings, all four girls accepted plea bargains for their involvement in the murder.