Skylar Neese and Shelia Eddy: Where Are the Killers Now? Hulu Docuseries Reignites Interest in 2012 West Virginia Murder
The murder of Skylar Neese is back in the national spotlight. Hulu's three-part documentary series "Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese" dropped March 6, 2026, and has triggered a fresh wave of public attention on the case — and renewed questions about when killers Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf could walk free.
What Happened to Skylar Neese
In July 2012, West Virginia teenager Skylar Neese left her family's apartment for a night drive with her inseparable high school friends. What investigators and Neese's family did not know was that her classmates were harboring a sinister and deadly secret.
Skylar Annette Neese was a 16-year-old American girl who disappeared from her home in Star City, West Virginia, around midnight on July 6, 2012. Her body was found in January 2013, across the state line in Wayne Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania. Neese was murdered by two of her high school best friends, Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf.
Although Skylar put up a fight and even managed to wrangle Rachel's knife from her and cut her leg, Shelia persisted. Skylar was stabbed over 50 times until the girls no longer heard any noise. They then attempted to dig a hole to bury her but could not break through the rocky soil, so they covered her body with leaves and drove away.
Why Did Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf Kill Skylar Neese?
Shoaf infamously told investigators the pair killed Neese simply because they "just didn't like her," but later revealed in court that she and Eddy had a secret romantic relationship they wished to conceal. "We feared it would jeopardize our relationship," Shoaf said, adding she feared expulsion from her family and church if the relationship became public. "There's nothing I can say that can give anyone answers or closure."
Former FBI agent and polygraph expert Dr. Rob Ambrosini, who questioned the perpetrators in 2012, said: "I don't think it's any one thing. The excuse that 'we just didn't want to be friends with her' — well, a lot of relationships end and it doesn't result in murder."
Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf's Sentences
Shoaf pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on May 1, 2013, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison with eligibility for parole after 10 years. Eddy pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on January 24, 2014, and was sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for parole after 15 years.
Shoaf received the lighter sentence because she confessed and cooperated with investigators, even agreeing to wear a wire during a conversation with Eddy to help build the case against her.
Where Are Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf Now — 2026 Update
As of February 2026, Eddy remains in custody at the Lakin Correctional Center, adjacent to the Ohio River on West Virginia's western border with Ohio.
Shelia and Rachel have spent the last decade behind bars at the same facility. While housed together, the pair are reportedly no longer close. "It doesn't seem like they are confidants because Rachel ratted Shelia out. Without Rachel's confession, they probably would've gotten away with it. They see each other, I would say, on a daily basis," investigative journalist Justine Harman told People.
Rachel Shoaf Parole Hearing — June 2026
A state board denied Shoaf parole for the first time in May 2023 and again in July 2024. The board explained that Shoaf needed to remain free of write-ups in prison and acquire a home plan to have any chance at parole. Shoaf waived her next hearing and is instead eligible in June 2026.
Shelia Eddy will not be eligible for her first parole hearing until 2028.
Hulu's "Friends Like These" Docuseries — What It Reveals
Nearly 14 years after Skylar Neese disappeared from her Star City home, Hulu released a three-part docuseries detailing her death at the hands of two of her best friends. "Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese" uses social media posts, intimate interviews, and Skylar's own words to retell the story of her disappearance and murder.
The docuseries features previously unheard wire recording audio from the meeting Shoaf arranged with Eddy after confessing — recordings that police have now handed over and broadcast for the first time, revealing Eddy's chilling calculation and callousness in the aftermath of the murder.
