The Murder of a Friend by a Friend in the Shelia Eddy Case

Shelia Eddy, who was 16 years old at the time of the murder of Skylar Neese, and Rachel Shoaf, who was her best friend, came to the conclusion that they no longer liked a third person who had been their best friend. And in order to stop it, they came to the conclusion that the best course of action was to stab her to death.

Shelia Eddy Stabbed Her Best Friend Because She Didn’t Like Her Anymore

On the sixth of July in 2012, Shelia Eddy and her two closest friends made the decision to hang out together and partake in some recreational marijuana use. At the time, Shelia was only 16 years old when she made the decision to use kitchen knives as her method of self-defense.

The heinous crime was planned and carried out in the county of Monongalia, which is located in the state of West Virginia in the United States.

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Due to her overwhelming sense of guilt, Shelia Eddy admitted responsibility for the crime. But despite the fact that she admitted her guilt, she and her friend Rachel Shoaf offered no plausible explanation for their actions.

The only reason they gave was that they had finally had enough of their best friend and made the decision to fire her.

After entering a guilty plea to the charge of murdering Skyler Neese, Shelia Eddy was given a sentence of life in prison. The verdict was handed down on January 24th, 2014, and she will be eligible for parole at the bare minimum after 15 years have passed since her sentencing. The shocking circumstances surrounding the disappearance led to the need for a change in the law in the state of West Virginia. Among these were modifications made to the Amber Alert system for reporting missing children.

The Murder of a Friend by a Friend

The 6th of July, 2012 would turn out to be a terrible day for not just one but three families, as well as the entire world.

A teenager named Skylar Neese, who was only sixteen years old when she disappeared, was last seen on a night in Star City, West Virginia, that was otherwise typical. Around midnight, she vanished from her house, and she has not been seen or heard from since.

Her skeletal remains weren’t discovered in Wayne Township, Pennsylvania, until ten days after they were initially reported missing there. After the discovery, the entire neighborhood was in disbelief, and the news of the murder received a significant amount of coverage in the media.

The Confession

After almost a year, one of the three close friends, Rachel Shoaf, entered a guilty plea to the entirety of the incident.

The charge against her was murder in the second degree, and Shelia Eddy, the remaining member of the gang, was named as her co-conspirator. They were both responsible for planning and carrying out the murder of Skylar Neese.

The Disappearance of Skylar Neese

Skylar Neese had just finished her shift at a fast-food restaurant when she returned home to her apartment in Star City, West Virginia. The details would emerge later as part of the confession that Shelia Eddy and her friend would make, but at the time, Skylar Neese had just gotten home. She resided in the home of her parents.

This occurred on July 6, 2012, and she would not be seen again after leaving her house later that same night.

The father of the girl who went missing, David Neese, would then examine the extensive surveillance video footage, which revealed that the adolescent had escaped her residence by leaping out of a window. This occurred somewhere close to midnight.

After that, she got into a car with a stranger.

Skylar Neese did not take her cell phone charger with her when she left, and David insisted that this was evidence that her daughter intended to come back even though her window had been left open when she left.

Skylar Neese had just finished her shift at a fast-food restaurant when she returned home to her apartment in Star City, West Virginia. The details would emerge later as part of the confession that Shelia Eddy and her friend would make, but at the time, Skylar Neese had just gotten home. She resided in the home of her parents.

This occurred on July 6, 2012, and she would not be seen again after leaving her house later that same night.

The father of the girl who went missing, David Neese, would then examine the extensive surveillance video footage, which revealed that the adolescent had escaped her residence by leaping out of a window. This occurred somewhere close to midnight.

After that, she got into a car with a stranger.

Skylar Neese did not take her cell phone charger with her when she left, and David insisted that this was evidence that her daughter intended to come back even though her window had been left open when she left.

Criminal Charging of Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf

On May 1, 2013, Rachel Shoaf entered a guilty plea to the charge of having been involved in a murder of the second degree. She provided additional information that would be able to shed more light on the disappearance as well as the murder of the teenager.

After picking up Skylar Neese from her apartment, Rachel and Shelia Eddy got in their car and drove all the way to Pennsylvania. Rachel Eddy and Shelia Eddy, two of their closest friends, decided to end their mutual friend’s life by stabbing her multiple times after the prearranged ceremonies and socializing had concluded.

On the count of three, they started stabbing each other. They did so because they had come to the conclusion that they no longer liked Skylar.

The court transcript reveals that the adolescents then attempted to conceal Skylar’s body by burying her, but they were unsuccessful. They hurriedly devised a plan to solve the problem, and it consisted of covering the victim’s body with branches.

Other students admitted that they had overheard Rachel and Shelia Eddy plotting the murder and the plot, but that they did not report what they had heard because they believed that the plot was humorous enough to be considered a joke.

Shelia Eddy’s Charge

On September 4, 2013, West Virginia prosecutors presented Shelia Eddy to the public and named her as the second person responsible for the crime. In the announcement made at the time, it was stated that she would be tried as an adult in court.

On September 6th, a grand jury handed down an indictment against Shelia Eddy. One count of first-degree murder, one count of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder were all brought against her. At that time, Shelia Eddy entered a plea of not guilty to all of the charges that had been laid out.

She appeared in court for her trial, which was scheduled for January 28th, 2014.

Shelia Eddy’s Confession

Just four days before the beginning of the trial, Shelia Eddy changed the “not guilty” plea that she had entered into a “guilty” plea, saying that she was responsible for the crime. She would be pleading guilty to first-degree murder with the possibility of parole if the case went to trial.

As a direct consequence of this, Shelia Eddy was given a sentence of life in prison. After she has served her sentence for a period of 15 years, she will be considered for release on parole. Later on, the charges of murder in the second degree would be brought against her friend who was involved in the incident.

Rachel Shoaf’s Plea Agreement

Rachel Shoaf entered a guilty plea to the charge of second-degree murder, admitting that she was responsible for “unlawfully, feloniously, willfully, maliciously, and intentionally causing the death of Skylar Neese by stabbing her and causing fatal injuries.”

As part of the deal, the state of West Virginia agreed not to pursue her with the original charge, which carried a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison.

Details Regarding Shelia Eddy’s Court Appearance

Shelia Eddy was only 18 years old when judge Russell Clawges handed down her sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. This meant that the offender would be eligible for parole after serving 15 years in prison.

Due to the fact that this was an agreement, the remaining charges, which included multiple counts of conspiracy as well as kidnapping, were dropped.

Shelia Eddy made her appearance in front of the judge dressed in an orange prison suit and wearing glasses. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore glasses. Her voice would crack and her face would show visible signs of distress whenever she responded to the Judge’s questions.

After pleading “Guilty” in a weak voice, she decided against making any further statements to the court.

A Possible Motive for the Slaying as Per the Accused

The only reason that was given by the Monongalia County Prosecutor at the time, Marcia Ashdown, without going into specific details, was that the girls, Shelia Eddy and Rachel, were concerned that Skylar would reveal both of their secrets.It’s possible that these secrets are mundane things that most girls around that age have kept to themselves.

Skylar Neese and Shelia Eddy had known each other since they were in elementary school and maintained a close friendship. They had even spent time at the beach together in the weeks leading up to that fateful evening. When Shelia discovered another friend in Rachel Shoaf, it was a coincidence and not a sign from the universe.

Both of the girls’ latent, pent-up rage was triggered, perhaps by feelings of envy, when they perceived a threat to their safety, and they chose to eliminate the threat rather than confront their own fears, which were not grounded in reality in the first place.

A teenage girl from West Virginia who is charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing her best friend by stabbing her has entered a not-guilty plea in court.

When she appeared in court in Monongalia County on Tuesday, Shelia Eddy, who is only seventeen years old, denied both the conspiracy and kidnapping charges against her.

According to the accusations brought forward by the prosecution, Eddy and Rachel Shoaf conspired to kill Skylar Neese in 2012, before luring her away from her home and stabbing her to death.

The dead body was buried in the ground beneath some branches in the woods just beyond the state line of Pennsylvania. There has not been any indication provided regarding a possible motive.

The victim’s family finally got to see Eddy for the first time on Tuesday, when the trial began.

The date of the trial has been set for October 22 by the judge, Russell M. Clawges, Jr.

This month, Eddy’s name was introduced to the general public for the very first time after prosecutors moved her case from the juvenile court to the adult court.

Shoaf, in the meantime, has entered a guilty plea to the charge of murder in the second degree and is currently awaiting sentencing.

The body of Earl-Neese Neese was discovered by investigators six months after the horrific slaying; however, this discovery did not take place until after Shoaf confessed to the brutal murder.

The father of the murdered girl had previously harbored the hope that Eddy would admit guilt, thereby sparing him the ordeal of a public trial.

Dave Neese said, “I don’t want to hear the grisly details of how Skylar was murdered,” and this is exactly what he got. “I have no interest in hearing about how she wailed and sobbed,” she said. But it’s important to me that these ladies get what’s coming to them.

The prosecution has stated that they will recommend Shoaf receive a sentence of twenty years, but the confessed killer could receive a sentence of up to forty years in prison.

The documents from the court offer no insight into the reason why the crime was committed.

According to WDTV’s report, Dave Neese was quoted as saying, “They didn’t like her anymore.” That was the only response I received to my question.

“I want a reason, I want some kind of reason (for this to) happen,” is what you should say to yourself. There is no reason I don’t care if your reason is the best reason in the world, but there is no reason (for this to happen).’ There is no reason.

Neese continued, saying, “I feel bad for your parents and I hope you rot in hell.” He was referring to Rachel Shoaf.

On July 6, 2012, the victim was seen for the last time on surveillance video leaving the apartment she shared with her family and getting into a vehicle.

At first, it was believed that she had run away, but soon after, her parents began to suspect that she had been kidnapped.

The police investigated a large number of leads but were unsuccessful. Shoaf’s admission that she and another girl had planned to kill her was the first major break in the case, and it even shocked the investigators who were working on it.

According to BJ McClead, who works as a barber, “They look as normal as any other kid that you could ever see.” “Not children who, as far as you can tell, are involved in anything of the sort,” the speaker said.

It is unknown how long the three girls had known each other as friends or how close their relationship was.

The footage from the surveillance camera showed her entering a vehicle at the dead end of her street, which was located in a peaceful residential area close to West Virginia University.

She showed no signs of being afraid, and despite the fact that she had neither money nor contact lenses, she apparently expected to return.

Shoaf’s family has not issued any further statements since their attorney issued a public apology on their behalf.

They said, “There is no way to describe the pain that we, too, are feeling.” There is no way to describe the pain that we are feeling.

“We are truly sorry for the pain that she has caused the Neese family, and we know that her actions are unforgivable and inexcusable. We have no excuse for what she has done.”

“Our daughter has accepted responsibility for her actions and admitted that she was involved in the incident,” you said.

They conveyed their condolences to the Neese family by saying, “Our hearts are broken for your loss, and we are still trying to come to terms with this event.”

Requests for interviews with Mary Neese have been turned down. However, in an effort to save other families from experiencing the same anguish, Skylar’s family was successful in lobbying state lawmakers to enact “Skylar’s Law” earlier this year.