Judge says ‘no’ to murderer who requested relief
When Allison Moore took a loaded firearm that was on safety into the home of Nancy Hershman of Milan and intentionally took the safety off and pointed it and fired at close range killing Mrs. Hershman, jurors found this was sufficient evidence that Moore intended to kill.
However, now Moore has petitioned the Court saying she had ineffective assistance of counsel due to them not bringing any plea agreements to her. According to court records, no plea agreement was offered in this matter and at the hearing there was no evidence submitted nor witnesses called to testify that any plea agreement was ever offered. Without evidence to support that claim, her first argument for post-conviction relief was denied.
The Petitioner also claimed there was no evidence of intent to commit murder. Citing several Indiana court cases and hearing argument from Ripley County Prosecuting Attorney Ric Hertel, Judge Jeff Sharp’s ruling was “the evidence presented at trial was sufficient for a jury to infer an intent to kill.”
According to Prosecutor Hertel, Moore appeared without counsel in Ripley County Superior Court for the hearing he described as “short”.
Prosecuting attorney Ric Hertel who attended the hearing noted that members of the Nancy Hershman family were also in attendance more than a decade after her murder. Hertel singled out the work of Shane Tucker, chief deputy prosecutor, who argued against the defendant’s motion for relief and who has worked to protect this conviction throughout. The defendant had been tried and convicted in Ripley County and had gone through the appellate process with her conviction and sentence standing.
Flash back to the holidays, and particularly December 30, 2012. This was the last day Mrs. Hershman would be alive. It was the first day her family would grieve for the rest of their lives for the person she was. She was described by family as a woman with a servant’s heart with laughter that was contagious. She had driven a school bus for 25 years, was a Deacon at her church where she was also a Sunday School teacher. She was in her own home, where one should have the right to safety. That night, her life was taken when Moore and her two juvenile buddies simply drove to her home for no reason, Moore broke inside and killed her (Mrs. Hershman) point blank. No reason.
At the time Moore had driven from her Colerain Township home in Ohio to Ripley County where the crime spree spanned an area from Cross Plains to Milan, where the ultimate crime was committed.
A Ripley County Jury listened intently as evidence was presented and after deliberation decided she was guilty on four counts: Intentional Murder, Felony Murder, Burglary, and Conspiracy. She was sentenced to 105 years in prison with Moore only being eligible for parole after 52 years incarcerated.
Moore was 22 years old at the time of the crime and 25-years-old when she was sentenced making her eligible to apply for parole at the age of 77. “It is what it is,” Moore told reporters back in 2015 as she left the courtroom headed to a life behind bars.
The petition for post-conviction relief was heard in Ripley County Superior Court on March 30, 2026, sending Moore back to more years behind bars. After review, Judge Sharp denied the petition on April 16, 2026.
