Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy Murder Skylar Neese

Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy are two killers from West Virginia who would be convicted of the murder of their friend Skylar Neese

According to court documents Rachel Shoaf, Shelia Eddy and Skylar Neese were close friends however their friendship was falling apart. For whatever the reason Rachel and Shelia decided the best course of action was to murder Skylar

On the night of the murder Skylar Neese returned home after work and would soon receive a text message asking her to meet Rachel and Shelia outside of her home. Skylar would sneak out of her home and meet the two girls

The threesome would drive across State lines into Pennsylvania in a wooded area where they had been before. The girls would socialize until Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy said they forgot their lighter in the car. When Skylar turned around to head to the car the other two girls counted to three and would attack Skylar. Skylar would be stabbed multiple times causing her death. The two killers attempted to coverup her body before leaving

Skylar Neese would be reported missing the next day when she failed to show up for work. The murder would go unsolved until Rachel Shoaf had a mental breakdown to the point where she was committed to a mental hospital for five days. Once she was released she would go to her lawyers office and confessed to the murder. The body of Skylar Neese would be found soon after

Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf would be arrested and charged with murder

Rachel Shoaf would plead guilty to second degree murder and would be sentenced to thirty years in prison with a possibility of parole after ten years

Shelia Eddy would plead guilty to first degree murder and would be sentenced to life in prison with a chance of parole after fifteen years

Rachel Shoaf Current Information

Offender ID (OID) Number: 3573506

Name: Shoaf, Rachel

Sex: Female

Birth Date: 6/10/1996

Height: 5′ 8″

Weight: 130 lbs.

Race: White

Location: LCC

Intake Date: 7/25/2014 11:47:00 AM

Next Parole Hearing: 6/1/2027

Maximum Parole Discharge Date: Not Available

Projected Release Date: 4/30/2028

Shelia Eddy Current Information

Offender ID (OID) Number: 3573487

Name: Eddy, Shelia

Sex: Female

Birth Date: 9/28/1995

Height: 5′ 5″

Weight: 107 lbs.

Race: White

Location: LCC

Intake Date: 2/7/2014 12:39:00 PM

Next Parole Hearing: 5/1/2028

Maximum Parole Discharge Date: Not Available

Projected Release Date: 1/1/3000

Rachel Shoaf And Shelia Eddy Case

When 16-year-old Skylar Neese went missing from her West Virginia home after midnight on July 6, 2012, two of her best friends took to social media to express their fears and hopes that Skylar could be alive.

But months later, investigators would find out that Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy were hiding a sinister, deadly plot behind their posts and were ultimately responsible for Neese’s death.

“We asked Rachel, ‘Why did you guys kill Skylar?’ And her only answer to that was, ‘We just didn’t like her,'” State Police Cpl. Ronnie Gaskins told “20/20.”

An all-new “20/20” episode airing Friday, April 12, at 9 p.m. and streaming on Hulu the next day explores the case with fresh insight from investigators, a group of journalists who profiled the murder in a new podcast “Three,” and others.

The three high school sophomores, who lived near Morgantown, West Virginia, used to be inseparable, according to Neese’s parents.

Neese and the two other girls had their ups and downs; around the time of Neese’s disappearance, the three had been feuding, according to investigators.

In the days leading up to her death, Neese’s Twitter account showed that something had gone awry.

On July 4, 2012, two days before she was murdered, Neese tweeted, “It really doesn’t take much to p— me off,” and, “Sick of being at f—— home. Thanks ‘friends,’ love hanging out with you all too.”

The day before she was killed, Neese tweeted, “you doing s— like that is why I can NEVER completely trust you.”

After Neese went missing, Eddy told Neese’s mother that she, Neese and Shoaf had been driving around town that night getting high before Neese went missing. Eddy claimed she and Shoaf had dropped Neese off at the end of the road from her apartment building so that Neese could sneak back in.

The two girls told investigators they picked up Neese at 11 p.m. the night she went missing.

Eddy posted regularly on Twitter about her thoughts and day-to-day activities as authorities searched for her “missing” friend. Eddy also posted about her friendship with Shoaf.

But as the investigation into Neese’s disappearance continued, with the FBI ultimately getting involved, suspicion mounted that the girls were harboring a secret.

Upon a review of surveillance video that showed Neese being picked up by a car at 12:30 a.m. the night of her disappearance, law enforcement realized that the victim’s two friends lied in their original statements to police.

Video footage from a nearby convenience store as well as cell phone records confirmed holes in the two friends’ story. Investigators said they knew they had lied, but had no idea what they were hiding or why.

Suspicions mounted and the community was divided in their support of Shoaf and Eddy’s claims.

A few months after Neese’s disappearance, Shoaf suffered a nervous breakdown following weeks of probing by investigators. On Jan. 3, 2013, she confessed to investigators that she and Eddy had stabbed Neese to death.

Judge Perri Jo DeChristopher, who helped investigate the case when she was an assistant prosecutor, told “20/20” that her office was skeptical about Shoaf’s confession.

“If one co-conspirator gives a statement against another co-conspirator, you really have to use it as a starting point to corroborate the facts,” she said.

However, Shoaf gave information that led authorities to Neese’s remains, which were found in a wooded area over the Pennsylvania state line, about 20 miles from Star City, West Virginia.

During her January 2013 confession, Shoaf had told authorities how she says she and Eddy had planned Neese’s murder.

The plan was to pick up Neese from her house at night and drive to a remote area to smoke marijuana. Once they were in the woods, Shoaf said the plan was to count to three, then stab Neese to death. Authorities say that Neese was found with over 50 stab wounds.

Attempts were made by investigators to get Eddy to incriminate herself, including having Shoaf wear a wire, but they were unsuccessful.

Eventually, investigators conducted a search warrant of Eddy’s house and confiscated her computer, phone, and tablet, knives from the kitchen and a car from the residence — a Toyota Camry.

An FBI analysis of the car found Neese’s blood DNA in the trunk of the vehicle. On May 1, 2013, Eddy was arrested in a restaurant parking lot. Both teens were charged with murder as adults.

Eddy pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for her role in the killing.

On Jan. 24, 2014, roughly 18 months after Neese’s death, she was sentenced to life in prison.

Shoaf pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, a lesser charge based on her cooperation with authorities, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison the following month.

Only Shoaf apologized to Neese’s parents during her plea deal

“[Eddy]’s not sorry,” David Neese told “20/20” in a previous interview. “You don’t apologize for murdering somebody in cold blood because she meant to do it.”

Shoaf was denied parole last year.

Neese’s family, friends and others from the town said they are still numb from the wound left by her murder.

“Nobody wins. Skyler isn’t around, the two girls are in jail, the two girls’ parents are living through this, and Morgantown still is ripped apart because of this situation,” Tom Bloom, a former guidance counselor at the girls’ high school, told “20/20.”

How 2 teenagers plotted their best friend’s murder – ABC News

Rachel Shoaf And Shelia Eddy Video

Watch Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy Video – Teens Who Kill

On July 6, 2012, 16-year-old Skylar Neese climbed out of her bedroom window in Star City, West Virginia, and got into a light-colored sedan driven by her two best friends. She never came home.

Six months later, one of those friends, Rachel Shoaf, walked into a police station and confessed. She and Shelia Eddy had planned and carried out Neese’s murder. They had driven her across the state line into Pennsylvania, counted to three, and stabbed her to death.

Skylar Neese, a 16-year-old from West Virginia, was murdered by her high school friends Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf in 2012. Shoaf pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2013 and received a 30-year sentence, while Eddy was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The case became one of the most searched true crime stories of the 2010s because it shattered the myth of harmless teenage drama. There was no abusive boyfriend, no drug deal gone wrong, no stranger danger. The motive, according to the killers themselves, was that they “didn’t like her” anymore.

This is the definitive, SEO-optimized guide to Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy, updated for 2026 with parole status, trial transcripts, and the legacy of Skylar’s Law.

Quick Facts: The Skylar Neese Case

The Victim: Skylar Neese

Skylar Annette Neese was the only child of Mary and Dave Neese. At the time, Mary Neese was working as an administrative assistant at a cardiac laboratory and Dave Neese was a product assembler at Walmart. Skylar was an honor student at University High School in Monongalia County and wanted to become a criminal defense attorney. During the evenings, she also worked at Wendy’s.

Friends described Skylar as outgoing, smart, and loyal. She had known Shelia Eddy since they were 8 years old, after having met at a local children’s activity program called The Shack. Rachel Shoaf joined their circle in high school after transferring from a private Catholic school.

To the outside world, the three girls were inseparable. They posted photos together, shared inside jokes on Twitter, and spent weekends smoking marijuana in the woods near the Pennsylvania border. Behind the scenes, tension was building.

The Perpetrators: Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy Background

Shelia Rae Eddy was born in Blacksville, West Virginia. Her parents divorced in 2000 after her father suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car wreck. After her mother remarried in 2010, she and her mother moved from Blacksville to Morgantown, WV, where Shelia then started to attend University High School alongside Skylar Neese.

Rachel Elizabeth Shoaf was raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. She is the daughter of Rusty and Patricia Shoaf. Rachel Shoaf attended a private Catholic school until high school. She then started attending University High School, where she met Eddy and Neese.

Both girls were 16 at the time of the murder, both were good students on paper, and both came from seemingly stable middle-class homes. That is part of why the case went viral. There were no obvious red flags for parents or teachers.

The motive listed in court documents is critical for SEO searches around “why did Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy kill Skylar.” The official record states: tension between Neese, Eddy, and Shoaf because of the latter two’s romantic relationship.

While the girls initially told police they “didn’t like her,” investigators later learned that Eddy and Shoaf had become secretly involved romantically and feared Skylar would disapprove or expose them. Skylar had also begun pulling away from the friendship, spending time with other friends and a part-time job, which created jealousy.

July 5-6, 2012: The Night Skylar Disappeared

On July 5, 2012, Neese returned to her family’s Star City, West Virginia, apartment after working a shift at Wendy’s. Her apartment complex’s surveillance video shows Neese left the apartment via her bedroom window at 12:30 a.m. on July 6 and got into a light colored sedan.

Neese’s father said she did not take her cell phone charger, contact lenses, or solution, that her window was left open, and that she had planned on coming home.

Police initially considered Neese a runaway. An Amber Alert was not issued because West Virginia required a 48-hour waiting period for teenagers and did not believe the criteria for abduction were met. That delay would later lead to Skylar’s Law.

For months, Shelia Eddy helped distribute missing person flyers and hugged Mary Neese at vigils. Rachel Shoaf tweeted about missing Skylar. Both attended candlelight vigils while knowing exactly where Skylar’s body was.

The Murder: What Rachel Shoaf Confessed

According to the court transcript, Shoaf said that she and Eddy picked up Neese in Eddy’s car. In the trunk of the car, Eddy and Shoaf had hidden cleaning rags, bleach, wet wipes, a shovel, and a clean outfit for each of them to change once the murder was over. They wrapped the knives in towels and tucked them under their arms.

They drove to Brave, Pennsylvania, approximately 30 miles from Neese’s home, to a location all three knew from smoking marijuana. The three girls got out of the car and began socializing. Shoaf and Eddy claimed they had forgotten a lighter. Neese turned her back to walk to the car to retrieve it.

Shoaf and Eddy then counted to 3, and on 3, the two attacked Neese and stabbed her to death. Neese attempted to run but did not make it very far because Shoaf tackled her and continued to stab her, with Eddy following close behind. At some point during the murder, Neese managed to get Shoaf’s knife from her and stabbed her above the ankle. Shoaf claimed that she stopped the attack after being injured but that Eddy continued to stab Neese until there was complete silence and Neese’s neck “stopped making weird sounds.”

After they were certain Neese was dead, the teens attempted to bury Neese’s body, but were unable to do so because the ground was too hard and rocky, and so they instead covered the body with branches, dirt, and leaves. Shoaf and Eddy then changed out of their bloody clothing, wiped themselves and the car down with wet wipes, and then left the scene.

The medical examiner later determined Skylar was stabbed more than 50 times.

The Investigation: Six Months of Lies

Police determined that the unknown sedan belonged to Eddy and interviewed her. Eddy admitted to picking up Neese but stated that she had dropped her off an hour later. The FBI and West Virginia State Police joined the search on September 10, 2012.

The break came approximately six months after the murder occurred. Rachel Shoaf suffered a nervous breakdown, prompting her mother to call 911. In the background of the call, Shoaf can be heard screaming. She was taken to a local psychiatric hospital, where she remained for five days. After she was released Shoaf asked to be immediately taken to her lawyer’s office, where she then confessed to the crime.

The motivation Shoaf gave for the murder was they “didn’t like her” and “didn’t want to be friends with her anymore”. David Neese stated that these two girls were among his daughter’s best friends and that Eddy had even helped the family by distributing missing person flyers. After her confession, Shoaf led investigators to Neese’s body.

On January 16, 2013, a body found just over the state line in Wayne Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania, had been identified as Skylar Neese. Neese’s body was found less than 30 miles away from her home.

The Arrests and Pleas

Rachel Shoaf: On May 1, 2013, Shoaf pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The court transcript indicates that other students overheard conversations between Shoaf and Eddy about the murder plot, but failed to report it, mistakenly believing that the girls were joking. According to Shoaf’s plea agreement, she pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree by “unlawfully, feloniously, willfully, maliciously and intentionally causing the death of Skylar Neese by stabbing her and causing fatal injuries”. The State recommended 20 years. On February 26, 2014, Shoaf received a sentence of 30 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after 10 years.

Shelia Eddy: On September 4, 2013, West Virginia prosecutors publicly identified Eddy as the second perpetrator. She was indicted on one count of kidnapping, one count of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. Facing the prospect of additional charges from Pennsylvania authorities, Eddy pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on January 24, 2014. She expressed no remorse, but was sentenced to life in prison “with mercy.” West Virginia law, as confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2012 decision Miller v. Alabama, requires that a juvenile offender have a possibility of parole, with Eddy eligible for parole after 15 years. Pennsylvania authorities did not file charges as per the plea deal.

Where Are Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy Now in 2026?

As of February 2026, Eddy and Shoaf both remain in custody at the Lakin Correctional Center, adjacent to the Ohio River in West Virginia. Lakin is the state’s only all-female prison.

Rachel Shoaf parole updates: Shoaf has been denied parole twice, in 2023 and 2024, and will be eligible again in June 2026. Her initial 10-year minimum expired in 2023, but the parole board cited the heinous nature of the crime and lack of full acceptance of responsibility. A Change.org petition to “Keep Rachel Shoaf behind bars” has gathered tens of thousands of signatures, with supporters arguing her actions were premeditated.

Shelia Eddy parole updates: Eddy will be first eligible for parole in 2028, after serving 15 years. Legal experts believe her chances are low given her life sentence and her lack of remorse at sentencing. She has not given interviews and maintains a low profile in prison.

Both women are now in their late 20s. Shoaf was born June 10, 1996, making her 29 in 2026. Eddy was born September 28, 1995, making her 30.

Skylar’s Law: The Legacy

An Amber Alert was not issued in Skylar Neese’s disappearance because the circumstances did not meet all four criteria and because a waiting period of 48 hours had to elapse before a teenager could be considered missing.

A West Virginia state legislator introduced a bill called Skylar’s Law to modify West Virginia’s Amber Alert plan to allow for immediate issue of public announcements when any child is reported missing and in danger, regardless of whether the child is believed to have been kidnapped.

On March 27, 2013, the West Virginia House of Delegates unanimously approved Skylar’s Law. On April 12, 2013, the West Virginia Senate unanimously passed the law. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed the legislation into law in May 2013.

Skylar’s Law has since been credited with faster responses in dozens of missing teen cases in West Virginia.

Why Did Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy Kill Skylar? The Psychology

True crime SEO searches often ask “why did they do it.” The simple answer from the confession, “we didn’t like her,” is unsatisfying. Experts who have analyzed the case point to three factors:

1. Triangulation and jealousy. Eddy and Shoaf’s secret romantic relationship created a dyad that excluded Skylar. When Skylar began working more and pulling away, they interpreted it as betrayal.
2. Deindividuation. The planning, bringing clean clothes, bleach, shovels, shows a chilling level of premeditation for 16-year-olds. Counting to three together allowed diffusion of responsibility.
3. Social media performance. After the murder, both girls tweeted about missing Skylar and posted photos with captions like “rest easy.” This performative grief is common in juvenile female homicides and helped them avoid suspicion for months.

The case is frequently compared to the murder of Shanda Sharer, the Slender Man stabbing, and the murder of Michele Avila, all involving teenage girls killing a best friend.

Conclusion: The Danger of Teenage Secrets

The murder of Skylar Neese by Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy remains one of America’s most heartbreaking examples of betrayal. It was not a crime of passion in the moment. It was planned for months, executed with supplies in the trunk, and covered up with social media lies.

For parents searching “Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy where are they now,” the answer is simple: both are in prison, both will have parole hearings in the next few years, and both will carry the label of teen killers for life.

For true crime readers, the lesson is not about stranger danger. It is about listening when friendships turn toxic, when secrets become dangerous, and when a child says “I don’t want to be friends anymore.” Skylar Neese did not get that chance. Her legacy lives on in Skylar’s Law, which ensures no other West Virginia family waits 48 hours to be taken seriously.

If you are creating content around this case, use the exact names “Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy” together, as that is the highest-volume keyword cluster. Link to resources for teen mental health and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to build topical authority and provide value beyond the tragedy

Rachel Shoaf Denied Parole 2026

Rachel Shoaf, one of the women who pleaded guilty as a teen to stabbing and murdering Skylar Neese, was denied parole once again on Monday by the West Virginia Parole Board.

This was the third time Shoaf has been up for parole relating to the Skylar Neese case, with denials coming in both 2023 and 2024.

Nearly 14 years ago, Shoaf and her accomplice Shelia Eddy pleaded guilty to stabbing and murdering 16-year-old Skylar Neese, who had seen the two girls as friends

Skylar’s father, Dave Neese, read the following statement to the parole board, which was written by family friend, Jacki Duley Morgan.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the West Virginia Parole Board,

Thank you for allowing me to speak today.

I stand before you not only as a father, but as a father whose daughter was brutalized, betrayed, and murdered by someone she trusted. Skylar was betrayed by this inmate that she believed to be her friend, and it cost Skylar her life.

Rachel Shoaf wants a second chance. My daughter Skylar, never got a second chance. She never got to finish growing up. She never got to graduate college, build a career that she was working towards as a lawyer, get married, become a mother, or grow old. Every dream she had ended the night Rachel Shoaf and her joint perpetrator carried out the murder they had planned for months.

This was not a mistake.

This was not a momentary lapse in judgment.

This was not an accident.

This was a calculated, deliberate decision to lure my daughter away under the pretense of friendship and brutally stab her over fifty times.

For nearly a year, they planned it. For months, they discussed it. They had countless opportunities to stop. Countless opportunities to walk away. Countless opportunities to choose humanity over cruelty.

Instead, they chose murder.

The parole board is being asked to consider whether Rachel Shoaf deserves another opportunity at life outside prison. I ask you to consider something else:

Who considered Skylar? Who gave my daughter another opportunity? Who gave her another birthday? Another Christmas? Another laugh with her family? Another sunrise?

Nobody.

Because Rachel Shoaf took all of those things from her forever.

For thirteen years, my wife Mary and I have carried a life sentence. We have endured birthdays with an empty chair. Holidays with an empty seat at the table. Family photographs that will never include the woman Skylar would have become.

The grief does not lessen because time passes.

Every day that Rachel Shoaf wakes up, breathes fresh air, speaks with loved ones, makes plans for the future, and hopes for a life beyond prison is another reminder that my daughter was denied every one of those privileges.

Rachel Shoaf has had thirteen years to think about what she did. Skylar has had thirteen years with her remains enclosed into a picture frame that holds her last school photograph.

I understand that parole is designed to recognize rehabilitation. But rehabilitation does not erase responsibility. It does not erase the terror my daughter experienced in her final moments. It does not erase the brutality of this crime. And it does not erase the fact that Rachel Shoaf has already demonstrated difficulty following the rules even while incarcerated. It is my belief that this inmate has done nothing while incarcerated, but become more callous, calculated and dangerous.

The question before you is not whether Rachel Shoaf regrets what she did. The question is whether justice for Skylar has been served.

I do not believe it has.

My daughter’s sentence was death. Permanent. Irrevocable. No appeals. No second chances. No possibility of release.

I ask you to remember Skylar not as a case file, not as a headline, and not as a statistic.

Remember her as a daughter who trusted the wrong people. Remember her as a young woman whose future was stolen. Remember her as the innocent victim whose voice can no longer be heard in this room.

I am her father. I have to be her voice. Both her mother and I will carry this loss until the day we die. And today, I ask you to carry the weight of this decision with the seriousness it deserves.

Please do not grant parole. Please do not shorten the sentence for a crime that shortened my daughter’s life. Please let justice continue to speak for Skylar, because she no longer can.

Thank you.”

Shoaf’s next parole hearing is scheduled for June 1, 2027, with a projected release date of April 30, 2028, according to the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Eddy is not eligible for her first parole hearing until May 2028. Both women remain in the Lakin Correctional Center, where they’ve been since 2014.

One of Skylar Neese’s killers denied parole for a third time