Editing Melinda Loveless (section)

==Conviction and aftermath==
Police drove to Melinda's house and arrested Melinda and Laurie. They were charged with arson, torture, and murder. So was Hope. Toni, on the other hand, was charged for criminal confinement. She had several opportunities to get help but chose not to. The four teenagers were tried as adults. Melinda and Laurie received a 60 year sentence and Hope was sentenced to 50 but it was reduced by 35 years. Toni was released in 2000 for good behavior. Hope was released on parole in 2006, and Tackett was released in 2018, also on parole.

During her prison sentence, Melinda has since expressed deep remorse and guilt for what she did to Shanda in several interviews. She has since become a dog trainer, training service dogs for special needs people, and has since claimed that she began doing this as a form of penance for what she did to Shanda. Shanda's mother, Jacqueline Vaught, has even donated a dog to Melinda to train in Shanda's name, perhaps recognizing that Melinda was trying to reform herself. Despite receiving criticism for doing this, Jacqueline has defended her actions, claiming that it was what Shanda would have wanted.

She was released from prison on September 5, 2019, making her a free woman for the first time since 1992. In May 2020, she legally changed her name to '''Lindy Doris Monroe'''.