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Hulu just premiered a haunting three-part docuseries about Skylar Neese, the 16-year-old murdered by her best friends in 2012. Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese exposes how tragedy betrayed a tight-knit community. The documentary reveals shocking confessions and the chilling motive behind a brutal killing.
🔥 Quick Facts
- Victim: Skylar Neese, age 16, straight-A student from Morgantown, West Virginia
- Date: July 6, 2012, Neese was stabbed over 50 times by close friends
- Killers: Shelia Eddy (life sentence) and Rachel Shoaf (30 years) confessed and pleaded guilty
- Motive: Prosecutors revealed Eddy and Shoaf feared Neese would expose their romantic relationship
A Promising life Cut Short by Betrayal
Skylar Neese was born on February 10, 1996, and grew up in Star City, a suburb of Morgantown, West Virginia. She was a 4.0 GPA student at University High School with big dreams of becoming a lawyer. Friends and family described her as bright, witty, and fiercely loyal. She worked part-time at Wendy’s and was known for her outgoing personality and debating skills. Her father, Dave Neese, admitted to spoiling her as an only child but praised her big heart. The three teenagers seemed inseparable, bonded by years of friendship.
However, tensions began surfacing among the trio in the weeks before her death. Skylar posted cryptic messages on social media hinting at conflict with her friends. She wrote, “Sick of being at home. Thanks ‘friends’ love hanging out with you all too.” In another post, she complained about being unable to trust them completely. These digital breadcrumbs would later become crucial evidence.
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The Night Everything Changed
On the night of July 5-6, 2012, Skylar snuck out of her family’s ground-floor apartment window at 12:30 a.m. Surveillance footage captured her climbing into a Toyota Camry driven by her childhood friend Shelia Eddy, with Rachel Shoaf in the passenger seat. The three planned to smoke marijuana together in a remote area. What Skylar didn’t know was that Eddy and Shoaf had planned her death in science class days earlier.
The trio drove across state lines into Wayne County, Pennsylvania. As dawn approached around 4:00 a.m., the girls parked along a remote wooded road. When Skylar reached toward the car to retrieve a lighter, Eddy and Shoaf counted to three and attacked with kitchen knives they’d brought from home. The assault was vicious and relentless. Skylar suffered over 50 stab wounds as she tried to flee. Her body was hidden beneath leaves and left in the woods.
A Web of Lies Unravels in Months of Investigation
When Skylar didn’t return, her parents reported her missing. Initially, police treated the case as a possible runaway since Skylar had snuck out. Under West Virginia law at the time, she didn’t qualify for an Amber Alert because abduction hadn’t been proven. Meanwhile, Eddy and Shoaf attended vigils, posted online tributes, and comforted Skylar’s distraught parents while harboring their dark secret. They falsely told police they’d dropped Skylar near her apartment. Investigators grew suspicious after discovering phone records and surveillance footage contradicted the girls’ accounts.
| Detail | Information |
| Release Date | March 6, 2026 |
| Platform | Hulu and Disney+ (bundle) |
| Format | Three-part docuseries |
| Director | Clair Titley |
Detective work uncovered damning evidence. Police discovered a video of the trio playing “Would You Rather”, where Eddy asked ominous questions about dying. Phone pings showed the group was in rural Pennsylvania around 4:00 a.m., hours after Eddy and Shoaf claimed they’d returned home. The FBI became involved and found Skylar’s blood in the trunk of Eddy’s car. Shoaf suffered a mental breakdown in December 2012 and was hospitalized, but eventually confessed.
“We just didn’t like her.”
— Rachel Shoaf, when asked about the motive for Skylar’s murder
Justice, Sentencing, and a Father’s Heartbreak
On January 3, 2013, Rachel Shoaf confessed to full details of the murder and agreed to help authorities locate Skylar’s remains. She even wore a wire to try getting Eddy to confess. Skylar’s body was found in a wooded area in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, over six months after her disappearance. In May 2013, Shoaf pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received 30 years in prison with parole eligibility after 10 years. Her parole requests were denied in 2023 and 2024.
Shelia Eddy initially denied involvement but later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in January 2014. She was sentenced to life in prison with possible parole after 15 years. Both remain imprisoned in Lakin Correctional Center. Skylar’s father, Dave Neese, remains adamant they should never be released. He called Shoaf a “monster” and said her release would be “a danger to society.”
How Did This Case Change Missing Child Protocols?
The tragedy prompted dramatic legal reform in West Virginia. Skylar’s parents advocated for legislative change, arguing that missing-child alerts should be issued faster when danger is proven, even without confirmed abduction. In 2013, lawmakers unanimously passed “Skylar’s Law”, expanding missing-child alert criteria. Now, authorities can issue alerts when a child is reported missing and believed to be in danger, eliminating the strict abduction requirement. This law has helped countless missing children beyond West Virginia. The Neese family also created Skylar’s Promise, a pledge encouraging students to report any threats of violence immediately.
