Tabitha Buck was a teenage girl living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the early 1990s. Not much is publicly available about Buck’s early life or family background. What is known is that she became friends with and was influenced by her older peer, Lisa Michelle Lambert, while attending Conestoga Valley High School. Lambert was involved with Lawrence “Butch” Yunkin and became obsessed with a younger girl named Laurie Show, believing she was a rival for Yunkin’s affections. Buck, a quiet and shy girl by many accounts, fell under Lambert’s influence and became a loyal accomplice. In the lead‑up to the murder, Buck participated in the bullying and harassment that Laurie suffered, aligning herself with Lambert’s scheme. It was this association that ultimately pulled Buck into one of the area’s most infamous murder cases.

On December 20, 1991, 16‑year‑old Laurie Show was brutally murdered in her Lancaster, Pennsylvania, home. The attack came after months of tension between Show and Lisa Michelle Lambert, stemming from Lambert’s jealous obsession with her boyfriend, Lawrence “Butch” Yunkin. According to court proceedings and witness testimony, Buck acted as an active participant in the murder. Lambert, Buck, and Yunkin arrived at the Show residence that morning, intending to confront and kill the younger girl.

Lambert gained entry to the house by claiming she needed to speak with Laurie. Buck followed closely behind. Once inside, the situation quickly escalated. Lambert and Buck cornered the 16‑year‑old girl and assaulted her. Lambert slashed Laurie’s throat with a knife, and Buck restrained the girl and participated in the stabbing. The brutal attack was swift, frenzied, and calculated — a tragic end for a teenage girl targeted by a jealous classmate and her friends.

After committing the murder, Buck and Lambert tried to make the scene appear like a break‑in gone wrong. However, evidence quickly connected the trio to the crime, and authorities acted within hours. All three were charged and tried for the murder of Laurie Show. Buck was convicted of first‑degree murder and received a life sentence in July 1992, alongside Lambert.

While Lambert gained the most attention due to her role as the primary instigator, Buck was viewed as a willing and active participant. After serving nearly three decades behind bars, Buck was granted parole and released from prison on December 21, 2019. Today, she lives quietly, free from incarceration, although her role in the murder of Laurie Show remains a dark chapter in the history of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.