MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The 2012 Skylar Neese murder shocked the Morgantown area and the details that unfolded in the following months gained national attention.
Sheila Eddy was sentenced to life in prison for the carefully planned killing and her co-defendant, Rachel Shoaf, was sentenced to 30 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years.
Now, after a week’s delay, Shoaf will go before the state Parole Board for the first time on May 9 at 10:30 a.m.
Dave Neese, Skylar’s father, said Tuesday on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town” that he knew the hearing date, even though it’s been 10 years, would “race” toward the family. He said the West Virginia Parole Board staff has been good to work with as the hearing approaches.
“We have support behind us and really knowing that no one wants them out other than them,” Neese said.
Since the 2012 murder of his daughter, Neese and his wife have been telling their story in schools and prisons. Neese said in schools they talk about the “Skylar Neese Promise,” making the promise to report anything that seems off in relationships. Sharing the story will hopefully prevent other families from going through the same tragedy.
“The talks I do in prisons, and my wife and I go to the schools—I went to Penn State last week and talked to the students there,” Neese said. “I just never want this to happen to anyone.”
In prisons, Neese wants inmates to understand the depth of their actions and the importance of controlling emotions. Neese said the inmates are attentive and respectful, and during one talk, an inmate thanked him for his words and revealed he was incarcerated for taking a life.
“In prisons, I try to get the inmates to understand that the crimes you committed against a particular person don’t just affect that one person,” Neese said. “It effects so many—their family, your family, and in Skylar’s case, the whole world.”
Shoaf is currently an inmate at Lakin State Prison. The May 9 hearing will be virtual.