Laurie Show was a 16-year-old sophomore at Conestoga Valley High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She was stalked and harassed for months by classmate Lisa Michelle Lambert, who had learned that Show briefly dated Lambert's on-and-off boyfriend, Lawrence "Butch" Yunkin. Show had reported to her mother that Yunkin date-raped her during their brief relationship. Lambert, described as "obsessively jealous," reportedly harassed Show at her job and elsewhere, while classmate Tabitha Buck engaged in physical altercations with Show on multiple occasions. Witnesses said Lambert had expressed intent to "scare Laurie, then hurt her, then slit her throat." The night before the murder, Yunkin drove Lambert to a Kmart where she purchased rope, hats, and gloves later used at the crime scene.
On December 20, 1991, Show's mother, Hazel Show, discovered her daughter fatally wounded at their home after having been lured away to speak with a school guidance counselor. Police reported Show suffered a five-inch gash to the throat, a punctured lung, a wound grazing her spine, several head wounds, and more than 28 defensive wounds; her left common carotid artery had been severed. Hazel Show told police her daughter named Lambert as her attacker before dying. Lambert, Yunkin, and Buck were arrested the same day at a local bowling alley. Evidence included scratch marks on Buck, wounds on Yunkin, Show's makeup items found in Buck's purse, and Lambert's apparent lack of defensive wounds.
In 1992, all three were tried in Lancaster County. Yunkin testified against Lambert in exchange for a deal, which was later revoked after he was found to have lied about a letter asking Lambert to cover for him. Lambert and Buck were convicted of first-degree murder and criminal conspiracy and sentenced to life without parole; Yunkin received 10 to 20 years and was paroled in 2003.
Lambert appealed, and in 1997 U.S. District Judge Stewart Dalzell presided over a federal habeas corpus hearing. The defense presented evidence, per the Los Angeles Times, that police and prosecutors had contradicted themselves and that evidence appeared to have been tampered with, including sweatpants misattributed to Lambert, a missing bag of Yunkin's bloody clothing captured on video by an officer who denied finding it, and a lost earring fragment linked to Yunkin found on Show's body. Hazel Show told Dalzell she had reported seeing Yunkin at the crime scene, a statement withheld from Lambert's original trial lawyers. Dalzell overturned Lambert's conviction in April 1997 citing prosecutorial misconduct, but a federal appeals panel reinstated the case in January 1998, ruling Lambert had not exhausted state appeals.
A 1998 hearing before Judge Lawrence F. Stengel, who had presided at the original 1992 trial, resulted in the reinstatement of Lambert's guilty verdict, a decision later upheld by Federal Judge Anita Brody. Lambert's further appeals, including to the U.S. Supreme Court, were rejected, and she exhausted her appeals in 2005. Buck was resentenced in 2017 to 28 years to life following a Supreme Court ruling on juvenile sentencing and was paroled in December 2019. Hazel Show became an advocate for anti-stalking legislation, which was signed into Pennsylvania law in June 1993.
Lisa Michelle Lambert begins harassing and stalking Laurie Show after learning Show had briefly dated Lawrence Yunkin.
1991-12-19
Yunkin drives Lambert to a Kmart where she purchases rope, hats, and gloves later used in the crime.
1991-12-20
Laurie Show is found fatally wounded by her mother, Hazel Show, at their Lancaster, Pennsylvania home; Lambert, Yunkin, and Buck are arrested the same day.
1992-07-20
Lisa Michelle Lambert is convicted of first-degree murder and criminal conspiracy.
1993-06
New anti-stalking legislation, advocated for by Hazel Show, is signed into law in Pennsylvania.
1997
Federal habeas corpus hearing before Judge Stewart Dalzell begins reviewing Lambert's conviction.
1997-04-16
Hazel Show informs Judge Dalzell she saw Yunkin at the crime scene; Dalzell releases Lambert into her attorneys' custody.
1997-04-21
Judge Dalzell overturns Lambert's conviction and finds her innocent on all counts, citing prosecutorial misconduct.
1998-01
A federal appeals panel overturns Dalzell's ruling, finding Lambert had not exhausted state appeals; she is returned to prison.
1998-02
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court returns the case to Lancaster County Court.
1998-08
Judge Lawrence F. Stengel upholds the original guilty verdict against Lambert.
2003
Lawrence Yunkin is paroled after being sentenced to 10 to 20 years; Lambert's appeal attempt is rejected.
2005
Lambert exhausts her appeals.
2007
Lambert sues a correctional institution over a 1996 rape and assault claim and receives a $35,000 settlement.
2017-11-22
Tabitha Buck is resentenced to 28 years to life following a Supreme Court ruling banning mandatory life sentences for juveniles.
2019-12-21
Tabitha Buck is granted parole.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
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Brooke Makenna / 18 min
TEEN STALKED AND KILLED - The Laurie "Show"
People
Lisa Michelle Lambert
CONVICTED
Convicted in 1992 of first-degree murder and criminal conspiracy; conviction overturned in 1997 and later reinstated on appeal in 1998
Tabitha Buck
CONVICTED
Convicted in 1992 of first-degree murder and criminal conspiracy; resentenced in 2017 and paroled in 2019
Hazel Show
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Victim's mother who discovered the crime scene, reported witness observations to police, and became an anti-stalking legislation advocate
Lawrence "Butch" Yunkin
CONVICTED
Convicted and sentenced to 10 to 20 years for hindering apprehension after his plea deal was revoked; paroled in 2003
Laurie Show
VICTIM
16-year-old high school student killed on December 20, 1991
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Laurie Show, a 16-year-old Pennsylvania high school student, was fatally stabbed and had her throat slit in her Lancaster home on December 20, 1991, after being stalked by classmate Lisa Michelle Lambert. Lambert, Tabitha Buck, and Lawrence "Butch" Yunkin were convicted, but Lambert's conviction was later overturned amid findings of prosecutorial misconduct before ultimately being reinstated on appeal.
Where did the murder happen?
Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Who was convicted?
Lisa Michelle Lambert (Convicted in 1992 of first-degree murder and criminal conspiracy; conviction overturned in 1997 and later reinstated on appeal in 1998), Tabitha Buck (Convicted in 1992 of first-degree murder and criminal conspiracy; resentenced in 2017 and paroled in 2019), and Lawrence "Butch" Yunkin (Convicted and sentenced to 10 to 20 years for hindering apprehension after his plea deal was revoked; paroled in 2003).
