Kate Kessler's Blog - Posts Tagged "teens"
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?
