The Ultimate Betrayal: Are Shelia Eddy And Rachel Shoaf Still Friends In 2025?

The question of whether Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf are still friends is one of the most persistent and morbid curiosities surrounding the tragic 2012 murder of Skylar Neese. As of December 2025, the short answer is that while both women are incarcerated at the same facility, the Lakin Correctional Center in West Virginia, there is no public evidence or indication that their once-intense relationship—which culminated in the brutal slaying of their best friend—has survived over a decade of prison life and legal fallout. The dynamics of their bond have been irrevocably broken by a combination of confession, diverging sentences, and the confirmed motive of a secret romantic relationship that drove them to the ultimate act of betrayal. The fate of the two convicted murderers continues to draw intense scrutiny, especially with key legal dates approaching. Rachel Shoaf, who confessed to the crime and received a 30-year sentence, is set for another parole hearing in mid-2025, bringing the case back into the spotlight. Shelia Eddy, who received a life sentence with mercy, faces a much longer path to freedom. The public consensus and prison rumors strongly suggest that the two former friends—whose bond was so strong it was described as obsessive—now actively avoid one another within the confines of the correctional facility, a final, chilling chapter to their twisted saga.

Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf: Biographical Profiles and Sentencing

The case of Skylar Neese’s murder by her two best friends, Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf, remains a chilling example of teenage betrayal in Morgantown, West Virginia. Understanding their current status requires a look back at their key biographical and legal details.

Shelia Rae Eddy: The Mastermind

• Full Name: Shelia Rae Eddy
• Date of Birth: September 28, 1995
• Place of Birth: Blacksville, West Virginia
• Parents: Tara Clendenen and Greg Eddy (divorced 2000)
• Victim: Skylar Neese (16 years old)
• Crime: First-Degree Murder (with mercy)
• Conviction Date: January 24, 2014
• Sentence: Life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years (due to "with mercy" stipulation).
• Current Status: Incarcerated at Lakin Correctional Center, West Columbia, WV.

Rachel Elizabeth Shoaf: The Confessor

• Full Name: Rachel Elizabeth Shoaf
• Date of Birth: June 10, 1996
• Place of Birth: Morgantown, West Virginia
• Parents: Rusty and Patricia Shoaf
• Victim: Skylar Neese (16 years old)
• Crime: Second-Degree Murder (Plead Guilty)
• Confession Date: January 3, 2013
• Sentence: 30 years in prison.
• Parole Eligibility: Denied parole in 2022; next hearing scheduled for June 2025.
• Projected Release Date: April 30, 2028.
• Current Status: Incarcerated at Lakin Correctional Center, West Columbia, WV.

The Ultimate Breakup: Why "Best Friends" Become Strangers

The concept of Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf maintaining a friendship is highly improbable, even if they are housed under the same roof. The nature of their crime and the subsequent legal proceedings created an irreparable rift, transforming their intense bond into a profound mutual resentment.

The Confession as the Point of No Return

The decisive moment that shattered their connection forever was Rachel Shoaf’s confession in January 2013. [cite: 1, 9 (from step 1)] After months of silence and participating in the search for Skylar Neese, Shoaf admitted to authorities that she and Eddy had planned and carried out the murder. This confession was the key to locating Skylar's body and securing Eddy’s conviction. In the criminal justice system, a co-defendant's testimony against the other is the ultimate act of betrayal. By confessing, Shoaf secured a reduced sentence (Second-Degree Murder) while simultaneously ensuring a life sentence for Shelia Eddy (First-Degree Murder). This action alone created a legal and emotional barrier that no friendship could logically survive.

Diverging Paths in Prison Life

Although both women are serving their time at the Lakin Correctional Center, a women’s prison in West Virginia, their lives behind bars appear to have diverged significantly. While the prison environment makes absolute separation difficult, reports suggest that the two actively avoid contact. Furthermore, their personal lives in confinement have taken separate, public turns. Rachel Shoaf reportedly married another inmate while incarcerated, only to later divorce. [cite: 6 (from step 1)] Shelia Eddy, meanwhile, was rumored to have been engaged at one point. These separate romantic entanglements underscore a desire to move on from the past, specifically the secret, destructive romantic relationship that existed between them and was later confirmed as the main motive for the murder. [cite: 5 (from step 1)] The existence of a secret gay relationship between Eddy and Shoaf, and the need to eliminate Skylar Neese to preserve it, was a central, confirmed fact during Shoaf's parole hearing. [cite: 5 (from step 1)] Now, with both women pursuing separate—and heterosexual—relationships, it suggests a profound rejection of the toxic, obsessive dynamic that led to the crime.

The Secret Motive That Destroyed Three Lives

For years, the public struggled to understand the motive behind the senseless murder of Skylar Neese. The common narrative was that the two girls simply "didn't like her anymore." However, during Rachel Shoaf's parole proceedings, the true, darker motive was confirmed, providing essential context to the nature of their bond and its inevitable collapse.

Tension Over a Forbidden Relationship

The motive, confirmed by the Neese family and legal proceedings, was rooted in a secret romantic relationship between Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf. [cite: 5 (from step 1)] Skylar Neese, their best friend, had become aware of this relationship. The tension arose because Skylar was reportedly planning to expose the secret, which would have had severe social consequences for the two girls in their conservative Star City, West Virginia, high school environment. The decision to murder Skylar was not a sudden, impulsive act but a calculated, desperate measure to preserve their secret and their relationship. They lured Skylar out of her Star City home on July 6, 2012, under the pretense of a late-night drive, drove her to a remote area in Greene County, Pennsylvania, and stabbed her to death. [cite: 8, 11 (from step 2)] The intensity of their bond was so paramount that they were willing to commit murder to protect it.

The Finality of the Sentence

The vast difference in their sentences—life for Eddy versus 30 years for Shoaf—is a permanent, legal wedge between them. Shelia Eddy is serving a life sentence and is responsible for the harsher punishment she received, which stems directly from Shoaf's cooperation. [cite: 1, 9 (from step 1)] Shoaf’s projected 2028 release date, while still far off, is a tangible goal. [cite: 1 (from step 1)] The knowledge that one has a path to freedom while the other faces a lifetime behind bars is a reality that makes reconciliation impossible.

What's Next: Parole and Public Scrutiny in 2025

The case is not yet closed for Rachel Shoaf. Her next parole hearing in June 2025 will bring the Skylar Neese murder back into the national spotlight. [cite: 1, 4 (from step 1)]

Rachel Shoaf’s 2025 Parole Hearing

Rachel Shoaf's first parole denial in 2022 was strongly influenced by the testimony of Skylar's father, David Neese, who continues to advocate for the maximum sentence. Shoaf's next opportunity for release is a critical date. The parole board will scrutinize her behavior, her remorse, and her potential for re-entry into society. Her early confession and cooperation are factors in her favor, but the heinous nature of the crime remains a powerful argument against her release.

Shelia Eddy’s Future

Shelia Eddy’s life sentence means her path to parole is much longer and more uncertain, likely requiring her to serve a minimum of 15 years before she is even eligible for consideration. Her continued incarceration, coupled with the fact that she was the one who lured Skylar from her home, solidifies her role as the primary perpetrator in the public eye. [cite: 1 (from step 1)] Ultimately, the friendship between Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf is dead. It was murdered not by a third party, but by the very act they committed to protect it. Their intense, toxic bond was the motive for the crime, and the consequences of that crime—the confession, the sentences, and the separate lives in Lakin Correctional Center—became the final, definitive end to their relationship.