MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The family of murder victim Skylar Neese will again await the decision of a parole board Monday morning to see if one of the two convicted in the killing will be set free.
Rachel Shoaf was found guilty in the 2012 killing and is going before the parole board for the second time.
Shoaf and Sheila Eddy developed the plan in the summer of 2012 to drive Skylar to Pennsylvania, where they stabbed her to death. After a failed attempt to bury Skylar’s body, they covered it with brush and limbs, where it remained for the next six months until Shoaf broke down and told police where the body was.
“Skylar was hit by this with total surprise; I know she was,” father, Dave Neese said. “She thought these two girls were her friends and they were making amends, maybe, and they pulled out kitchen knives and stabbed her over 50 times, and then they lost count.”
Since the killing, Neese and his wife have continued their outreach efforts called “Skylar Talks,” where they visit schools and prisons to help others understand how their actions can cause pain far beyond the intended victim of their crime. For the younger people, they talk about “Skylar’s Promise,” a commitment made by young people to say something if they believe something is wrong.
“It’s so important to me that this never happens again to anyone,” Neese said. “It’s the most horrible thing I’ve ever been through, obviously, and I don’t want anyone else to go through it; I wouldn’t wish it on the two people that put me through it.”
Eddy, now 29, was convicted of first-degree murder in the case and will not be eligible for parole until 2028.