Produced by Peter Henderson, Mead Stone and Michael Rosenbaum[This story previously aired on Jan. 1, 2011. It was updated on July 21, 2012.]More than 19 years have passed since 19-year-old Mischelle Lawless was found bludgeoned and shot to death in her car."When I look back, I wish that maybe I'd listened a little more or been there a little more because she was always there for me," Mischelle's best friend, Melissa Gaines, told "48 Hours Mystery" correspondent Erin Moriarty.It's still not easy for Gaines to read the cheery diary that Mischelle kept the last year of her life: "January 1st. Slept real late. Family went to Mingo and I went to Leon's. We loved and ate and talked and rented movies. Made me feel loved today and I am really happy. Love him. Great first day of 1992!"Gaines met Mischelle when they were high school freshmen in Benton, Mo.
"I had just moved to Kelly High School, didn't know anybody," she said. "Her little bubbly self came bouncing up and introduced herself and it was all over. She was part of my life from that moment on."While Mischelle stood barely five feet tall, she was no lightweight. She was a green belt in karate - halfway to earning a black belt."I can't even remember anything she was ever scared of," Gaines recalled. "She was fearless.""Would it ever occur to you that Mischelle might be in danger?" Moriarty asked.
