That answer, according to Rachel Shoaf’s admission in court, was that she had “unlawfully, feloniously, willfully, maliciously, and intentionally caus[ed] the death of Skylar Neese by stabbing her and causing fatal injuries.”
Judge Clawges asked Rachel a series of questions to determine if she understood the severity of her situation. He inquired if she understood her rights, her waiver of indictment by a grand jury, her waiver of the right to appeal the court’s ruling, and her possible sentence. Rachel was composed and subdued, but said she understood everything.
Rachel Shoaf was to be held at the Northern Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Wheeling, West Virginia, until she could be sentenced for the role she played in killing Skylar Neese.
***
Rachel couldn’t keep this secret: on May 1, the entire Morgantown community heard the news. Star City Police Chief Vic Propst was driving his cruiser when he heard on the radio. Propst was so shocked he had to pull off the road. The veteran officer couldn’t stop the tears that began streaming down his cheeks.
Propst wasn’t the only officer to hear about Rachel’s arrest on the radio. Berry was headed home in his Jeep when the announcement came over the airwaves. He went to the fridge and popped the top off a cold beer. As he took a long swig to celebrate, he thought, By God we did it. We caught ’em. It’s done.
***
Naturally, the UHS student body also learned what Rachel had done.
Students waiting in the hallway outside of Mrs. Farley’s classroom heard about Rachel’s confession after one student began reading the May 1 news on his cell phone. No one remembers who that student was, though, because once the words “Rachel,” “confessed,” and “Skylar’s murder” began to be repeated in the narrow corridor, the news spread like wildfire.
“Everybody knew that Rachel had pled guilty,” Jordan said. She was standing on one side of the hallway, and remembered the first thought she had: “I knew it.”
She couldn’t help but notice the girl directly across from her: pretty, popular Kate Dinsmore, one of Rachel’s closest friends and a fellow Young Life member. “Kate’s hand flew up to her mouth,” Jordan said. “She just stood there with a blank look on her face, and then ran out.”
Kate wasn’t the only stunned student. Jordan remembers that everyone in that hallway had a reaction. Comments like, “I knew it,” “I can’t believe it,” and “We went to school with murderers!” tumbled down the corridor.
Just then, Mrs. Farley appeared. “I know what you all just found out, but put it aside, we’ve got to get to work,” Jordan recalled her saying. The teacher unlocked the door to her classroom and the students filed in quietly. But throughout the classroom, students continued murmuring about the fact that Rachel Shoaf had confessed to the most disturbing crime that had ever taken place in their small town.
***
Next, Jordan went to her computer class, the last class of the day. One student had pulled up on screen the actual written plea released by the media. “We all crowded around to look. It was surreal to see her actual signature,” Jordan said.
Seeing Rachel’s own handwriting on the legal document that acknowledged her part in Skylar’s death “made it real,” Jordan said. But she still texted her mom, “to see for sure.” Jordan’s mom, Erin, Googled the news and confirmed that Rachel had, indeed, confessed to the murder of Skylar Neese.
Throughout the next week, students discussed the news. Some students weren’t surprised at all. Then there were the others—students like Kate Dinsmore and the rest of Rachel’s crowd—who were totally caught off guard. They felt betrayed by Rachel, who was one of their own.
It didn’t take long, either, for students to begin worrying about other deaths: the fatal car crash that killed one girl, the suicide of another, the murder of two other students. Those connections caused them to wonder what was going on at UHS.
“Kids thought, ‘Holy crap, there’s something wrong with our school,’” Jordan said.
Students have been saying the new University High School is cursed for awhile now, and Skylar’s murder has not helped to diminish that rumor. Since it opened in 2008, UHS has been plagued with problems. Over the brief Thanksgiving break that year, shortly after everyone moved in, the sprinkler system went off, showering the inside of the new school. No one discovered the standing water for a couple of days. Students were told to stay home for another week while the pipes were fixed and the mess cleaned up. A few weeks later, a gas leak developed, and classes were again cancelled while repairs were made. On October 6, 2011, classes abruptly dismissed early. Students were told there was another gas leak, but in reality they were sent home because police had located a body in the woods behind the school.10
While infrastructure problems might be expected at a brand-new facility, UHS has also been troubled by student deaths, including auto accidents and at least two documented suicides. More troubling are the homicides: Skylar was the fourth homicide associated with the school in four years.
Eventually the murmurs lost steam, and students stopped saying, “I told you so.” They started accepting facts. Even students like Kate. But life wasn’t the same; their youthful idealism was forever shattered. The realization that they had been lied to for almost a year, along with the accompanying feelings of betrayal, was traumatic—and it would remain that way. Even eight months after Rachel’s plea, many of those students still were unable to talk about Skylar’s murder or Rachel’s role in it.
Kate Dinsmore’s experience seemed to exemplify their pain. Finally, after all of the jokes, rumors, and innuendos, UHS students knew for sure that a murderer had walked among them. Students like Kate haven’t really moved past their feelings of betrayal and loss.
When classes concluded that first day in May, Kate returned to class just as last period ended. Several people asked her if she was okay. Jordan said Kate’s head bobbed up and down, but she couldn’t say a word.
***
At first Daniel was ecstatic when he heard the news. But then he also felt sad and angry. He just wanted people to stop talking about what Rachel had done. He tried to tune out the loud snatches of gossip going around UHS, so he could be alone with his thoughts. All those times he had ribbed Rachel, getting digs in at her so she would tell him the truth about Skylar, were for real. He meant every one of them. Yet, at the same time, deep down he didn’t really want to believe that Rachel herself could have done something to hurt his Skylar. Not kind and compassionate Skylar, a girl who refused to kill even insects.
Daniel walked into Mr. Kyer’s class and headed for his seat. But the drama teacher stopped him. With one arm around his shoulder, Kyer guided Daniel away from the other students and over to the side of the room.
“Daniel, um, I want you to know,” Kyer tried to say, then stopped. He took a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry for what I said that time about you accusing Rachel without proof.”
Daniel looked at Mr. Kyer’s face and wondered if his favorite teacher had been crying. He remembered how much Mr. Kyer had been looking forward to having Skylar as a student that year. How much fun he and Skylar—and Rachel—would have had in class together. Mr. Kyer would have enjoyed seeing them perform improv skits together.
“That’s okay, Mr. Kyer,” Daniel said. “She lied to you, too.”
“Yes, she did,” Kyer said, so softly Daniel almost didn’t hear him. Then Kyer turned away.
***
Gaskins, Colebank, and Shelia were halfway to Parkersburg by the time Rachel’s plea hearing ended. Shelia’s wrists and ankles were shackled, but she was still wearing her street clothes. Not for long, though—the detention center would provide her with an orange jumpsuit. Gaskins hoped she’d noticed the red and yellow “In Loving Memory of Skylar Neese” armband he’d hung on the rearview mirror, just for her.
“Do you have a scrunchie?” Shelia asked Colebank. “My hair is a mess.”
Gaskins and Colebank looked at each other, Gaskins shaking his head.
This girl was incredible. She was on her way to detention for her involvement in a murder and she’s worried about her hair?
“Seriously,” Shelia said. “I have to look right when we get there.”
“Do you think photographers will be waiting for you?” Colebank asked. She never ceased being amazed at how Shelia always seemed to think everything was about her.
“No one’s going to be waiting, Shelia,” Gaskins said. “No one cares.”
He looked in the rearview mirror; Shelia was wearing an exaggerated pout, lower lip protruding, the whole show. He couldn’t decide what her game was. Was she after sympathy? He glanced at Colebank, who sat rigidly and stared straight ahead. Unlike Gaskins, Shelia’s sheer presence was almost a personal affront to Colebank. The arrogant, self-absorbed teen had angered Colebank from the first time they’d met. That afternoon Colebank took great pleasure in delivering Shelia to the Lorrie Yeager Jr. Juvenile Center in Parkersburg.
***
After Rachel’s plea and Shelia’s detention, Twitter exploded. People were trying to make sense of what had happened. They truly wanted to understand the two teens’ actions—even though not everyone had figured out that Shelia was the unnamed teen in Rachel’s confession.
For example, jsimp_93 tweeted, How can you go on about your normal life after what you did? #dontunderstand. Repeatedly, people said that Skylar’s murder had shaken their faith in fellow human beings. Such was @lyssa_ruth’s tweet, Idk how anyone could hurt or especially kill their best friend. (Idk is textspeak for “I don’t know.”) It just shows us we can’t trust anyone. #justiceforskylar.
But the people who had believed all along that Shelia and Rachel had committed a terrible crime, and who had been harassed because of it, now fought back. @Hannahsgotalota tweeted, To everyone who believed them, stood by their side, and told everyone how irrelevant their “rumors” were: go fuck yourself.
Other people tried a lighter approach. Cheyenne Cowell tweeted, Sometimes when I’m having a shitty day, I think “hmm. I wonder what Rachel Shoaf is doing” then suddenly I’m in a great mood.
Interestingly, as if their jobs were done, Mia Barr and Josie Snyder had stopped tweeting in February—despite the fact that the public didn’t find out the remains were Skylar’s until March. Mia and Josie had either lost interest or they simply didn’t think they were needed anymore. However, several other anonymous accounts stepped up to fill the void. Someone called @CountFistula tweeted a blast, that is, he retweeted Shelia’s tweets—with added punchlines:
RT “@_sheliiaa rest easy skylar, you’ll ALWAYS be my bestfriend. i miss you more than you could ever know.” I just threw up. Twice.
RT “@_sheliiaa hahahah good god you’re such a compulsive liar. i mean seriously it’d probably kill you to tell the truth” Pot, meet kettle.
RT “@_sheliiaa i hate when people blame their own actions and choices on others.” Looked up ‘irony’ in the dictionary & found this tweet.
An anonymous account called @KillerGirlProblems also suddenly became active with tweets such as, Just when you think you’ve gotten away with murdering your BFF, your accomplice rats you out. “UGH Y” #killergirlproblems. Like many people on Twitter, KillerGirlProblems also showed sympathy for Skylar’s family: Just wishing all the prayers & love in the world to the Neese family…how they have made it to this point is beyond me. #staystrong.11
Daniel’s tweets showed that for him, life became much more difficult after Rachel and Shelia were arrested, rather than easier. His May 1 tweet called out Rachel and Shelia directly: I have no sympathy for you girls. I just KNEW that you knew something, and I get called the jackass for believing that? #justiceforskylar and At one point, I considered you two some of my best friends. Now I just hope you rot in hell for this.
A couple of days later he tweeted that he was going to see Mary and Dave. After the visit, Daniel was furious: Hey Rachel, how’s that scar on your knee doing? Mary told me everything. My girl didn’t die without a fight, bitch.
Understandably, Daniel spiraled into a depression, and on May 6, school authorities suspended him after finding illegal substances among his possessions. That evening he tweeted I get so sad at night. <3.
Even though Daniel had been such a driving force in causing Rachel’s story to crumble, at that moment he was completely unable to help himself.
Chapter 33
Skylar Was Coming Home
Mary Neese braved the summer heat and humidity to prove there is something stronger than the elements: a mother’s love.
With the temperature hovering above 90 degrees, Mary and Dave led a solemn procession from Clay-Battelle High School to the place where their daughter drew her last breath. There, on June 23, family and friends dedicated a bench to Skylar along a narrow country road near Brave, Pennsylvania, at the spot where Skylar’s body had lain for six months. The handmade bench read: “In Loving Memory, Skylar A. Neese, 1996–2012.” The small crowd of about forty people who came to pay their respects tried to let their laughter outweigh their tears, as they hugged each other.
A pall was cast over the ceremony, though, by Coroner Rohanna’s steadfast refusal to let the Neeses spend ten minutes alone with Skylar’s remains. Mary and Dave still did not have Skylar back yet, and the Green County coroner put the blame on the FBI.
“We just received some of the remains back from the FBI within the last couple of days,” Rohanna said. “I have not had the remains. The FBI has had them. But we’re still investigating because we need to do the things we need to do.”
Nor had the federal agency released an official cause of death, according to Rohanna. In addition, since Skylar’s body had been discovered in Greene County, he was the only person who could make that call—which meant that his office was in charge of Skylar’s remains. Rohanna insisted they were staying right where they were, and staunchly refused to let the Neeses into the building to see what was left of their only child.12
At the Saturday service for Skylar, Dave announced his plans to picket the coroner’s office in two days’ time. He and Mary were tired of being victimized by what looked more like a pissing contest than anything real. The way Dave saw it, Rohanna was being a jerk just because he could. The grieving father told members of the media that he didn’t care if he was arrested; he and Mary just wanted to say good-bye to the daughter who left them nearly one year before.
By Monday the media had taken up the Neeses’ cause and a second crowd had gathered, this time at the couple’s Star City apartment. Everyone was preparing to load signs saying “Free Skylar” into their vehicles and drive thirty minutes to the coroner’s office in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, when Dave’s cell phone rang. The caller on the other end had good news: Rohanna was conceding defeat. All of Skylar’s remains would be back in West Virginia within a few days. Mary and Dave felt lighter than they had in months.
Skylar was coming home.
***
Mary, Dave, and Skylar’s favorite aunt, Carol, drove a mile up the road to the state police detachment to tell her good-bye. The date of the private ceremony had been fiercely guarded, to prevent the media from finding out. After being allowed to grieve privately at the detachment, they left feeling better—closer to closure than they had been before they arrived that warm July day.
Afterward, Skylar’s parents were finally able to give Skylar the service she deserved. The memorial was planned for mid-July, not long after the first anniversary of Skylar’s disappearance. Mary wore a ribbed purple blouse with black dress slacks for the day she would tell Skylar good-bye for good. Dave didn’t own a single purple garment, so he wore the next best thing: a navy blue shirt. He was sure Skylar would have approved.
Over two days, more than 1,000 people streamed through the Kingdom Evangelical Methodist Church sanctuary to pay their respects or attend the service. Many of them had never met the sunny, blue-eyed teen whose pictures played continuously on a large screen at the front of the room. They wore purple anyway, showing
they had been touched deeply by Skylar’s short life and tragic death.
Several of the people who had helped investigate and who were going to prosecute the case came, too, as did dozens of UHS students and faculty. People who were strangers before Skylar’s disappearance also showed up, many of them just to meet and comfort Mary and Dave. More than one person drove several hours and crossed state lines so they could give the couple a hug, or offer them hope for happier days.
Teenagers lined up in rows to watch the poignant pictures of Skylar come and go. Their eyes glued to the screen, tears streaming down their faces, they all looked like silent statues. Many of them wore a rainbow of Skylar purple; some were dressed in traditional black. None of them could leave the building without tearing up over the friend they had lost too soon.
During the memorial service, Pastor Kevin Cain shared Skylar stories he’d gleaned from friends and family. Stories about how she was a strong source of support to other youths, by being their counselor, their confidante. Funny stories from her childhood, as well as her teens, that made those in attendance chuckle or even cry.
Mary and Dave were worried about how they would get through such a public display, but in the end, they held onto each other and wept openly, and with the minister’s words, they allowed the long year of grief to gently wash over them. The service couldn’t remove all of the pain and anguish they felt, but at least it helped to make it more bearable.
As he concluded, Cain turned the service over to Skylar’s parents. Dave had been worried Mary wouldn’t hold up well, but as they stood together she seemed, if anything, to look stronger. Not one to speak to large crowds of people in public, Mary Neese was the epitome of grace and dignity.
“I just want to say thanks to each and every one of you for all of the support you’ve given us this past year,” Mary said. “We truly wouldn’t have made it without you and words just can’t tell you guys how much we love all of you. Thank you so much.”
The Savage Murder of Skylar Neese: The Truth Behind the Headlines Page 16
