Where is Shelia Eddy now? She remains imprisoned at the Lakin correctional center
Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf had allegedly planned Skylar Neese’s murder for months. They picked her up around midnight on 6th July 2012 to drive around and smoke marijuana at a spot popular with teenagers. When they got to the wooded area, Shelia and Rachel waited for Neese to turn her back before stabbing her to death.
The murder happened on hard, rocky ground, which frustrated Eddy and Shoaf’s efforts to dig a grave for Neese. Therefore, they covered her body with branches and left it to rot. Shelia might have gotten away with the murder had Shoaf not crumbled under pressure and come clean about the brutal killing.
Shelia Eddy was arrested on 1st May 2013 for her participation in the murder of Skylar Neese. Unlike Rachel, Shelia didn’t plead guilty.
Shoaf pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The prosecution recommended 40 years imprisonment, but the judge gave her 30 years with a possibility of parole after ten years.
Eddy waited until a week before her trial before pleading guilty to first-degree murder. The court sentenced her to life imprisonment, but ‘with mercy.’ It means that she’ll be eligible for parole fifteen years into her sentence.
She is incarcerated at Lakin Correctional Center. Unless anything changes, Shelia Eddy will be eligible for parole from 1st May 2028.
Rachel Shoaf is also imprisoned at Lakin Correctional Center and should be eligible for parole from 1st May 2023.
Shelia Eddy fancied her chances in court as she waited until a week before her trial to confess. The prosecution had little physical evidence linking Shelia to the murder, but crucially, Rachel Shoaf was willing to testify against Shelia.
Eddy gave in before the trial began. During her sentencing, Skylar’s family gave victim impact statements condemning Shelia for her actions. “We’re no longer a family,” Neese’s father said. “You can look into the eyes of those who were responsible but you can never know what they heard as they were taking her life.”
Carol Michaud, Skylar’s aunt, referred to Shelia as evil and scolded her for pretending to search for Neese. “She came and acted like she knew nothing… She stayed with us and comforted us and swore she had no idea what was going on,” Michaud said.
Eddy kept acting like everything was normal even after Shoaf led authorities to Skylar’s body. “Rest easy Skylar,” Shelia tweeted after the discovery of Skylar’s body. “You’ll ALWAYS be my best friend. I miss you more than you could ever know.”
In late March 2013, Shelia tweeted, ‘we really did go on three.’ Eddy and Shoaf allegedly counted to three before they started stabbing Neese.
Shelia showed no emotion as the judge sentenced her to life in prison. She refused to address the victims or show remorse for her actions. Skylar’s father deemed Shelia’s refusal to apologize ‘unacceptable.’
Amber Alerts for missing children in West Virginia changed following Neese’s tragic disappearance. A missing child no longer needs to be in immediate danger for police to issue an Amber Alert for the child.
Skylar’s parents also converted the wooded area of her discovery into a memorial for their daughter. Neese’s father, David Neese, told ABC:
“Something horrible happened here. But I wanted to take the horrible thing that happened here and try to turn it into something good – a place that people can come and remember Skylar and remember the good little girl that she was, not the little beast they treated her like.”
