Kate Kessler's Blog
April 19, 2016
April 11, 2016
Killer Girls
I've been doing some research into the Skylar Neese murder recently. She was stabbed to death at age 16 by her friends Rachel Shoaf and Sheila Eddy. Given the subject matter of my Audrey Harte series, I thought it would help with my understanding of violent teens. Instead, it only raised more questions.
Rachel and Sheila apparently killed Skylar because they didn't want to be friends with her anymore. When Skylar was reported missing, Sheila apparently called the girl's mother and told her the girls had sneaked out that night, and allowed the woman to believe her daughter might have been abducted, or perhaps she'd run away. There was a video of Skylar getting into a car, which made police end the Amber Alert, since it seemed she'd gone willingly and had not been abducted.
Meanwhile, Sheila and Rachel acted as though nothing had happened. Sheila even told the family everything would be okay. The two of them attended a vigil for Skylar, and were seen crying.
Police received sightings of Skylar, but the girl hadn't used her phone or been on social media. There were rumors that she'd gone to a party and over dosed. Other stories had her involved with bank robbers.
By the time school year started up again, people were speculating that Rachel and Sheila *had* to know something. If Skylar had taken off, her two BFFs had to know what happened. The FBI got involved, and questioned Sheila and Rachel repeatedly. Sheila, was reportedly calm, but Rachel fidgeted during interviews. Eventually, the physical evidence began to chip away at their story. Rachel changed her story, saying that they'd taken Skylar to another town. The next day, Sheila changed her story to reflect the same details.
6 months after the disappearance, Rachel and Sheila stopped attending school. Rachel eventually suffered a mental break, and was taken to the hospital. A few days later, Rachel admitted to police that she and Sheila had planned to kill Skylar months before they actually did it. They claimed to have started stabbing their friend on the count of 3. Skylar tried to defend herself, and asked her friends, "Why?" before she died.
Rachel led authorities to crime scene, where they found scattered bones that were indeed Skylar's. The authorities kept the confession a secret as they continued their investigation. They didn't immediately arrest Rachel, with the intention of using her to also catch Sheila, who was posting on social media how much she missed her friend Skylar.
Then, DNA was found in the trunk of Sheila's car; it was Skylar's.
Rachel Shoaf was arrested first, then Sheila Eddy. Rachel was charged with second-degree murder because of her co-operation with police, Sheila with first-degree.
Everyone wanted to know why the girls killed Skylar. It seems to have been an extreme version of 'Third Wheel.' It's almost universally known that three girls are a bad combination -- two will almost always turn on the other. There were rumors that Sheila and Rachel became involved sexually, and that they didn't want Skylar to reveal their secret. That's the only motive people have been able to come up with -- Rachel and Sheila haven't offered up anything better.
What drives two girls to kill another? As a kid I was that girl that got picked on by the other two in a trio, but obviously I made it out alive. As much as I had ever been hurt or enraged by frenemies at that age, I never entertained the idea of killing one of those girls.
What do you think? Hormones? Jealousy? A secret? Drugs? Mental Illness? What led to the murder of Skylar Neese?
Rachel and Sheila apparently killed Skylar because they didn't want to be friends with her anymore. When Skylar was reported missing, Sheila apparently called the girl's mother and told her the girls had sneaked out that night, and allowed the woman to believe her daughter might have been abducted, or perhaps she'd run away. There was a video of Skylar getting into a car, which made police end the Amber Alert, since it seemed she'd gone willingly and had not been abducted.
Meanwhile, Sheila and Rachel acted as though nothing had happened. Sheila even told the family everything would be okay. The two of them attended a vigil for Skylar, and were seen crying.
Police received sightings of Skylar, but the girl hadn't used her phone or been on social media. There were rumors that she'd gone to a party and over dosed. Other stories had her involved with bank robbers.
By the time school year started up again, people were speculating that Rachel and Sheila *had* to know something. If Skylar had taken off, her two BFFs had to know what happened. The FBI got involved, and questioned Sheila and Rachel repeatedly. Sheila, was reportedly calm, but Rachel fidgeted during interviews. Eventually, the physical evidence began to chip away at their story. Rachel changed her story, saying that they'd taken Skylar to another town. The next day, Sheila changed her story to reflect the same details.
6 months after the disappearance, Rachel and Sheila stopped attending school. Rachel eventually suffered a mental break, and was taken to the hospital. A few days later, Rachel admitted to police that she and Sheila had planned to kill Skylar months before they actually did it. They claimed to have started stabbing their friend on the count of 3. Skylar tried to defend herself, and asked her friends, "Why?" before she died.
Rachel led authorities to crime scene, where they found scattered bones that were indeed Skylar's. The authorities kept the confession a secret as they continued their investigation. They didn't immediately arrest Rachel, with the intention of using her to also catch Sheila, who was posting on social media how much she missed her friend Skylar.
Then, DNA was found in the trunk of Sheila's car; it was Skylar's.
Rachel Shoaf was arrested first, then Sheila Eddy. Rachel was charged with second-degree murder because of her co-operation with police, Sheila with first-degree.
Everyone wanted to know why the girls killed Skylar. It seems to have been an extreme version of 'Third Wheel.' It's almost universally known that three girls are a bad combination -- two will almost always turn on the other. There were rumors that Sheila and Rachel became involved sexually, and that they didn't want Skylar to reveal their secret. That's the only motive people have been able to come up with -- Rachel and Sheila haven't offered up anything better.
What drives two girls to kill another? As a kid I was that girl that got picked on by the other two in a trio, but obviously I made it out alive. As much as I had ever been hurt or enraged by frenemies at that age, I never entertained the idea of killing one of those girls.
What do you think? Hormones? Jealousy? A secret? Drugs? Mental Illness? What led to the murder of Skylar Neese?
March 14, 2016
Five Things I Learned from Being a Juvenile Delinquent
I found a lot of trouble as a kid, and it found me. To wax poetic, trouble was my most constant and loyal friend during my teenage life. We still keep in touch. Trouble taught me some valuable lessons that I have never forgotten.1. True friends won't throw you under the bus. I once got into trouble with my cousin and a girl I considered a friend. Nothing brings clarity quicker than hearing someone you thought liked you blame you for her getting into trouble, like you twisted her arm, when she walked willingly in.
2. There's no such thing as being 'scared straight'. People think it's the fear of jail, or consequences that keep kids from choosing trouble as a career, but I think that's wrong. What makes a kid get their act together is seeing what jail/consequences have done to other people. I don't think it's fear, I think it's empathy, and it's especially effective when it's used as a mirror.
3. Your mother really will love you unconditionally. Unless your mother is a jerk, she will love you no matter what you do. Mine refused to think I was a rotten kid, but she did teach me to channel what I had going on into something more productive than adding to my juvenile record.
4. Honesty is the best policy. Standing before a judge at 14 years of age, I was asked why I had done what I did. Unlike the girl before me, who had sobbed, "I don't know," I thought I'd be honest, and told the judge, "Because I wanted to." He said it was the first time anyone had ever answered him honestly. It stuck with me as a valuable lesson, and I'm reminded of it every time I don't employ the practice.
5. Rehabilitation is a state of mind. You can be punished in all manner of ways. You can go through therapists like water. You can posture and say whatever you think people want to hear, and you can work as many steps as a program provides, but unless you can work it out in your head, it will never take. 20 years in jail doesn't make a person better. 20 years of coming to terms with what you've done, and deciding that you no longer want to be that person is what makes you better. And it starts with believing that it's okay to be a work in progress. Start thinking you're better than your transgressions, believe it, and eventually it will take.
So, those are the things trouble taught me. As far as lessons go, I'm glad for them. I'm also glad for trouble, because trouble is what drives every plot.
It Takes One
