It was a hot July night in 2012 when Skylar Neese climbed out of her bedroom window in Star City, West Virginia. She thought she was sneaking out for a midnight joyride with her two best friends. She didn't know they had kitchen knives hidden under their clothes. She didn't know they had a shovel and a change of clothes in the trunk. Honestly, the most chilling part of this whole story isn't just the murder itself; it’s the fact that the killers of Skylar Neese were the two people she trusted most in the world.
Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf didn't just kill their friend. They spent the next six months pretending to look for her. They sat on her parents' couch. They helped hand out missing person flyers. Shelia even tweeted about how much she missed Skylar while knowing exactly where her body was rotting under a pile of branches in the Pennsylvania woods. It’s the kind of betrayal that makes your skin crawl.
The Night Everything Changed
The timeline of that night is terrifyingly precise. At 12:30 a.m. on July 6, surveillance video caught Skylar getting into a silver sedan. For months, nobody knew whose car it was. It turns out it was Shelia's. The three girls drove across the state line into Wayne Township, Pennsylvania. They went to a remote spot they’d visited before to smoke marijuana.
Everything seemed normal. Until it wasn't.
The girls realized they’d "forgotten" a lighter in the car. When Skylar turned her back to go grab it, Shelia and Rachel started a countdown. One. Two. Three. They attacked her together. Skylar fought back—she actually managed to wrestle a knife away from Rachel and cut her—but she couldn't fend off both of them. Shelia didn't stop stabbing until Skylar's neck "stopped making weird sounds." Those are Rachel's words from her later confession. Basically, they just stood there and watched her die.
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Why Did They Do It?
This is the question that haunts everyone. For years, the only answer investigators could get out of Rachel Shoaf was: "We just didn't like her." People couldn't wrap their heads around that. You don't murder your best friend because you're "bored" or "don't like them anymore."
However, during a parole hearing in May 2023, a more specific motive finally surfaced. Rachel admitted that she and Shelia had started a romantic relationship. They were terrified Skylar was going to "out" them. They thought that by killing her, their secret would be safe. Dave Neese, Skylar’s father, has since said that Skylar would never have told anyone. She had plenty of LGBTQ+ friends. She wasn't that kind of person. She was killed for a secret she likely would have kept forever.
Where Are the Killers of Skylar Neese Now?
Today, both women are still behind bars at the Lakin Correctional Center in West Virginia. But their legal paths look very different because of how they handled the aftermath.
Rachel Shoaf: The One Who Cracked
Rachel was the first to break. Six months after the murder, she had a massive nervous breakdown. She was hospitalized in a psychiatric ward and, upon her release, told her lawyer everything. She led police to the body, which was so badly decomposed that it took weeks to officially identify.
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Because she cooperated, she was allowed to plead guilty to second-degree murder. She was sentenced to 30 years. She had her first chance at parole in May 2023, but the board turned her down flat. They didn't buy her "remorse," especially after her history of lies. Her next chance won't come for several more years.
Shelia Eddy: The Remorseless One
Shelia is a different story. She didn't confess. She didn't crack. She played the part of the grieving best friend until the very second the handcuffs clicked. Even after Rachel confessed, Shelia stayed silent. It wasn't until DNA evidence from her car proved Skylar had been there that she finally took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
She pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. She got a life sentence "with mercy," which in West Virginia means she can eventually apply for parole. As of 2026, Shelia remains in prison. Her first eligibility for parole isn't until 2028. Many people in the community, including Skylar's parents, are determined to make sure she never sees the outside of a prison cell again.
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of folks think this was a "crime of passion" or a spur-of-the-moment fight. It wasn't. It was cold and calculated. They brought a shovel because they planned to bury her. When the ground was too hard and frozen to dig, they just covered her with brush and left. They had a plan for the blood. They had a plan for the car.
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Another misconception is that there were signs. Sure, there were some "mean girl" tweets and typical high school drama, but nobody—not even the teachers or parents—saw this coming. It’s a reminder that sometimes the people closest to us are the ones we know the least.
Lessons and Actionable Insights
If there is any "good" that came from this tragedy, it’s Skylar’s Law. Before this case, Amber Alerts in West Virginia were only issued if a child was believed to be kidnapped. Because police initially thought Skylar was a runaway, they didn't issue an alert. Her parents fought to change that. Now, the law requires an immediate search for any missing child, regardless of the circumstances.
- Trust your gut: Skylar’s parents felt something was wrong immediately. If a child or friend goes missing and the "runaway" excuse doesn't fit their personality, push back against authorities.
- Monitor social media differently: Looking back, Shelia’s tweets were full of clues. If you see patterns of bullying or "venting" that seem dark or obsessive, it’s worth a conversation.
- Support legislative change: Skylar’s Law has already saved lives. Supporting similar measures in your own state can change how police handle the first critical 48 hours of a disappearance.
The story of the killers of Skylar Neese is a dark chapter in true crime history, not because of some grand conspiracy, but because of its sheer, senseless cruelty. As of now, justice is being served behind the walls of Lakin Correctional, but for the Neese family, the "why" will likely never feel like enough.
To stay informed on the status of this case, you can monitor the West Virginia Division of Corrections offender search or follow the "Skylar Talks" foundation run by her parents.