Ten years later: Father struggles to make sense of daughter’s brutal slaying
In this October 2012 photo, Dave and Mary Neese hold a photo of their daughter Skylar, in Morgantown, W.Va. When 16-year-old honors student Skylar slipped out her bedroom window, she had no clue that two girls she considered among her best friends planned to stab her to death then bury her in the woods of Greene County. (Photo courtesy of the Associated Press)
A makeshift memorial was set up in Wayne Township, Greene County in the days after the body of Skylar Neese was found in 2013. (Photo courtesy of the Observer-Reporter)
Skylar Neese
Dave Neese speaks to students at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus about the 2012 murder of his 16-year-old daughter, Skylar. (Photo by Mark Hofmann)
news@greenecountymessenger.com
For more than a decade, Dave Neese has tried to make sense of his 16-year-old daughter无毛视频檚 brutal murder.
During a Tuesday presentation at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, Neese said he simply can无毛视频檛.
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 no part about this story that无毛视频檚 sane,无毛视频� he told those who gathered to hear him speak.
On July 6, 2012, Sklylar Neese left her Star City, W.Va. home with two girls she believed were her friends. They told her they wanted to take her to a party, and instead drove her to Wayne Township in Greene County and stabbed her death.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e had so many questions I无毛视频檝e wanted to ask these girls for so long, and you know, it doesn无毛视频檛 matter what the question is. You无毛视频檙e not going to get an answer that makes sense because this is insanity,无毛视频� Neese said.
Still, Neese and his wife Mary continue to give presentations, telling their daughter无毛视频檚 story 无毛视频� and the impact her death has had on them 无毛视频� everywhere from prisons to schools.
无毛视频淭his has ruined my life,无毛视频� Dave said. 无毛视频淢y wife can无毛视频檛 be here today because she无毛视频檚 ill 无毛视频� she无毛视频檚 sick, all directly related to this.无毛视频�
Two years ago, he said, his brother committed suicide over the devastation of his niece无毛视频檚 murder.
Skylar was stabbed more than 50 times by Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy, both classmates of hers from Morgantown. Prosecutors in West Virginia said Shoaf and Eddy killed Skylar because they believed she was in the way of their friendship.
Dave Neese said the girls planned the killing over a year无毛视频檚 time, and tried to dig a grave to hide Skylar无毛视频檚 body. When they found the ground was too hard to do that, they covered her up with twigs and branches, he said.
After Skylar was killed, Shoaf and Eddy would come to the Neese family无毛视频檚 home, offering support. One of the girls even asked to go to Skylar无毛视频檚 room, telling her parents she wanted to do so to be closer to her.
Authorities discovered Skylar无毛视频檚 body six months after she was killed in rural Greene County, after Shoaf confessed the killing to a nurse at a mental health facility.
Both Shoaf and Eddy were convicted in the case, with Shoaf sentenced to 30 years in prison and Eddy sentenced to 15 years to life.
Dave Neese said he finds it impossible to understand how two people who have ruined so many lives continue to have perks, even behind bars. He said Shoaf and Eddy get bags of mail, one was briefly married, and both have received money and gifts.
Next month, Shoaf will be eligible for parole. Dave said he will be at the hearing, ready to say what he needs to, to ensure she stays in prison. He asked those who listened to him on Tuesday to show support for Skylar, and to sign the Change.org petition to keep Shoaf behind bars.
Launched in March, the petition has more than 31,000 digital signatures.
While the support is meaningful, it brings little consolation to a man who has an unbearable hole in his heart over the loss of his bubbly and kind daughter.
无毛视频淭en years later, I still find myself as mad. I know how to control it a little better, but I still find myself as mad and full of hate as I did before,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 going to try to channel that hate into good. I无毛视频檓 trying to help people. I无毛视频檓 trying to make this never ever happen again but as much as I don无毛视频檛 want it to, it already has happened somewhere and it无毛视频檚 horrible.无毛视频�