Skylar Annette Neese was a 16-year-old honors student who lived in Star City, West Virginia, with her parents, Mary and Dave Neese. She had a part-time job at Wendy’s and dreamed of becoming a criminal defense lawyer. She also had two best friends, Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf, whom she had known since middle school.
On the night of July 5, 2012, Skylar returned home from work and had dinner with her family. She then went to her bedroom and sneaked out through the window at around 12:30 a.m. on July 6. She got into a sedan driven by Eddy, with Shoaf in the passenger seat. That was the last time her parents saw her alive.
The next morning, Dave Neese noticed that Skylar’s window was open and her cell phone charger was left behind. He called the police and reported her missing, but the authorities initially treated her as a runaway and did not issue an AMBER Alert. They also dismissed an early tip that claimed Skylar had been seen in North Carolina.
Skylar’s parents and friends did not give up hope and distributed flyers, posted on social media, and contacted the media to spread the word about their missing daughter.
However, for six months, they received no solid leads or clues about her whereabouts.
Confession and Discovery
The breakthrough in the case came on January 3, 2013, when Shoaf confessed to the police that she and Eddy had planned and executed Skylar’s murder.
She said that they had lured Skylar out of her home with the pretext of a joyride and then drove her to a remote spot in Wayne Township, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles away from Star City.
There, they stabbed Skylar to death with kitchen knives and hid her body under some branches. Shoaf said that they killed Skylar because they “didn’t like her” and “didn’t want to be friends with her anymore”. She also said that they had planned the murder for months and even counted down the days until they carried it out.
Shoaf agreed to cooperate with the authorities and led them to Skylar’s body, which was found on January 16, 2013. She also implicated Eddy, who had initially lied to the police and pretended to be concerned about Skylar’s disappearance. She had even helped the Neese family distribute flyers and attended a vigil for Skylar. The police arrested Eddy on May 1, 2013, and charged her with first-degree murder.
Trial and Sentencing
Shoaf pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 1, 2013, and agreed to testify against Eddy in exchange for a reduced sentence. She faced a maximum of 40 years in prison.
Eddy pleaded not guilty at first, but later changed her plea to guilty on January 24, 2014, after the prosecution presented evidence that included surveillance footage, cell phone records, DNA analysis, and Shoaf’s confession. She faced a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
On February 26, 2014, Shoaf was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after 10 years.
She apologized to the Neese family in court and said that she hoped they would find peace. On January 24, 2014, Eddy was sentenced to life in prison with mercy, with eligibility for parole after 15 years. She did not show any remorse or offer any apology to the Neese family.
Flaws in the AMBER Alert system
The murder of Skylar Neese exposed the flaws in the AMBER Alert system, which did not apply to cases of suspected runaways. Skylar’s parents advocated for a change in the law and succeeded in passing Skylar’s Law in West Virginia in 2013.
Credits: Vocal Media