Pretty Little Killers

by Berry, Daleen, Fuller, Geoffrey C.

  By the time the proceedings ended ninety minutes later, Mary and Dave had finally learned the answer to the single most important question of the last ten months: What had happened to their daughter?

  According to Rachel Shoaf’s admission in court, 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 several 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 to appeal the court’s ruling, and her possible sentence. Rachel was composed and subdued, but said she understood everything.

  Rachel Shoaf, now technically an adult for the purpose of criminal prosecution, would be held at the Northern Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Wheeling, West Virginia, until she was sentenced.

  It was one secret Rachel couldn’t keep: on May 1, the entire Morgantown community and everyone beyond its borders seemed to have heard the news. Star City Police Chief Vic Propst was driving his cruiser when he heard the newscaster say Rachel had pled guilty. 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 learn of Rachel’s arrest on the radio. Chris 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, slow swig, he thought, By God, we did it. We caught ’em. It’s done.

  Naturally, the UHS student body also heard the news. Shock, disbelief, glee, and a host of other emotions passed across students’ faces that day. When the news broke that their two fellow classmates—or even childhood friends—had killed Skylar, many students struggled with the realization that Rachel and Shelia had been lying all along. Rachel’s singing talent was one reason that her confession of murder so devastated UHS students and faculty. Everyone had expected her talent to take her far, far from West Virginia—not keep her locked up there.

  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 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 Carter said. She had been 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 Grace Bonner,30 one of Rachel’s closest friends and a fellow Young Life member. “Grace’s hand flew up to her mouth,” Jordan said. “She just stood there with a blank look on her face, and then ran out.”

  Grace 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 class, students continued murmuring about how Rachel Shoaf had confessed to the most disturbing crime that had ever taken place in their small town.

  Learning that Rachel really was a murderer was especially painful for one of her closest friends. Wendy Evans heard about it when her mother texted her: Did you hear that Rachel Shoaf pled guilty to killing that girl?

  Wendy paused in the hallway, leaning back against a locker. After composing herself, she somehow managed to compose her reply.

  No I didn’t but it’s good to know.

  Shocked, she hadn’t known what else to say.

  Wendy realized that Rachel had been a liar all along. She felt many of the same feelings that Rachel’s friends and teachers had expressed—surprise, sadness, denial—but when she suddenly remembered what happened near the end of their sophomore year, a couple of months before Shelia and Rachel killed Skylar, she felt sick to her stomach.

  She hadn’t thought about it much then, because kids say stupid things all the time, but Skylar’s murder cast the statement in a whole new light.

  “At this point,” Wendy recalled Rachel saying, “I wouldn’t mind if she died.”

  Wendy was a step or two away from the conspiracy and murder, but close enough to see the dynamics among Rachel, Skylar, and Shelia, so she had a unique perspective. “I just think they were all bad for each other. Rachel was bad for them both, Skylar was bad for them both, and Shelia was bad for them both.”

  Wendy felt like someone had knocked all the wind out of her. She leaned against her locker, hoping it would keep her from falling. Wow! Rachel had been lying all along. Wendy didn’t remember walking to her next class or sitting through another lecture. All she could think about was Rachel and that night in her bedroom. At the time she had hoped Rachel’s invitation signaled a desire to renew their friendship, but afterward, when she didn’t hear from Rachel again, she didn’t know what to think.

  She wondered if Rachel was spreading rumors about her; she knew Rachel could be a backstabber. She recalled all the times she herself had heard Rachel talk about people when they weren’t around—only to become sugary sweet when they were. Still, Wendy never thought Rachel would literally stab someone in the back.

  After Mrs. Farley’s class, Jordan went to her computer class. 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 acknowledging 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 Carter, 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 Grace Bonner 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 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 high school is cursed for a while now, and Skylar’s murder didn’t help diminish that belief. Since opening 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 canceled while repairs were made.

  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 student to die from homicide in four years, which helps explain why UHS teens would have been even more traumatized than usual, when they learned her killers were two fellow students.

  Eventually the murmurs about Skylar’s murder lost steam, and students stopped saying, “I told you so.” They started accepting facts. 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 th
ose students still were unable to talk about Skylar’s murder or Rachel’s role in it.

  Grace’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 Grace haven’t really moved past their feelings of betrayal and loss.

  That first day in May, Grace returned to class just as last period ended. Several people asked her if she was okay. Jordan said Grace’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 began feeling sad and angry. He just wanted people to stop talking about what Rachel had done. He tried to tune out the loud snippets 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. 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, who refused to even kill a bug.

  As Daniel walked into Mr. Kyer’s class and headed for his seat, 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 looked forward to having Skylar as a student that year. How much fun he and Skylar—and Rachel—would have had in class 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.

  Students in Kyer’s class were some of the hardest hit by the news. Several students said it was difficult to even get anything done following the news about Skylar’s murderers, but his was not the only class to suffer. Other students said many teachers who were close to Rachel had particular problems dealing with the news.

  Barry Kolar’s chamber choir was one such class. He had known Rachel since she was a small girl. Not long after Rachel pled guilty he was cleaning out his inbox when he came across an email from his former student and protégé. It contained a video attachment that Kolar hadn’t yet been able to play. That day, though, he clicked on the attachment, opening it.

  A student who walked in could see immediately how upset he was while watching the video of Rachel singing.

  “I think I’m still in denial about it. Look at her,” he said to the student. They watched Rachel sing, and listened to her lovely voice coming from the computer speakers. “Would you ever imagine her being a murderer?”

  People all around the school were having difficulty understanding how a pretty girl with such a beautiful voice could stab anyone to death—let alone her best friend.

  UHS had four guidance counselors at the time. Students reported extra counselors were brought in from other schools to help provide grief counseling, but many of these same students said they didn’t see a counselor. However, some students did take advantage of the available counseling, which is good given that this was the only time they were allowed to discuss anything about the case while on school property.

  Principal Shari Burgess issued her edict prohibiting anyone speaking about the news after it broke. Several students vaguely recall hearing Burgess announce the topic wasn’t to be discussed during school hours, but no one can remember exactly what she said. They knew from their teachers’ repeated reminders that discussing Skylar’s murder—or Rachel and Shelia’s arrest—was off limits.

  In addition, at least three adults have said teachers are afraid they’ll lose their jobs if they do talk. That’s because Burgess decreed as much, they say. However, the UHS staffers also say Burgess told them county board of education officials created the mandate.

  Which may or may not be true. A couple of people who work for the school system have said it isn’t. According to an employee in Superintendent Frank Devono’s office, school employees probably weren’t allowed to discuss anything until after the case was closed. That employee, who only gave her name as Beth, cited FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, when stating this. That federal law prevents educators from discussing matters (specifically pertaining to a student’s educational records) that could violate a student’s right to privacy—a right that can be waived if student safety is in question or if legal authorities request certain information. Beth said she had no knowledge of the county board issuing the gag order.

  Then there’s the fact that several UHS students have died through violent means in recent years. If an entire student body is being silenced about Skylar, then what else might they be silent about? What dangerous undertow is this silence creating?

  One parent believes if students and teachers were not allowed to talk about what happened, or what led up to it, then the police investigation was also affected—because facts about the case could have come to light much sooner, had people been allowed to talk about what they knew or suspected.31

  It’s entirely possible Burgess issued the edict due to the high number of threats and harassment directed at Shelia and Rachel. No one knows because to date UHS teachers remain silent on the matter.

  forty-one

  Looks Can Deceive

  Gaskins, Spurlock, and Colebank were preparing to leave for Parkersburg by the time Rachel’s plea hearing ended. Shelia’s wrists and ankles were shackled, but she still wore her street clothes. Not for long—the Lorrie Yeager Juvenile 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.

  Having a female prisoner like Shelia in custody meant they needed to take extra precautions, so the two male officers asked Colebank to join them on the ride to Parkersburg. They also knew how hard she had worked the case, before the WVSP and FBI took it over.

  “My hair is a mess,” Shelia said.

  Gaskins and Spurlock 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 have a scrunchie?” Shelia had asked the men. But once Colebank climbed into the back seat beside her, Shelia clammed up. She didn’t seem to want to talk with Colebank nearby.

  “Do you think photographers will be waiting for you?” Colebank asked in amazement, wondering 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, her lower lip protruding.

  Colebank sat rigidly and stared straight ahead, as if Shelia’s sheer presence was a personal affront to her. Gaskins knew the arrogant, self-absorbed teen had angered Colebank from the first time they’d met.

  The female officer was ecstatic when she found herself riding in the back seat with Shelia, and said she was overjoyed to know Shelia was finally going to be locked up. She thought back to her first few days working the case, when her gut feeling told her Shelia and Rachel were behind Skylar’s disappearance. She remembered the law enforcement seminar she and Spurlock later attended, when the presenter outlined the traits of a psychopath—and she and Spurlock, seated at opposite ends of a table—leaned forward and mouthed: “That’s Shelia.”

  While she believed from the outset that the two killers would rate high on a scale showing sociopathic or possibly even psychopathic traits, no one else working the investigation wanted to—until the FBI did, after investigators consulted with the Behavioral An
alysis Unit at Quantico, Virginia.

  Her suspicions—and her gut feelings—were confirmed during an early autumn 2012 conference call with the BAU team. Using Rachel’s diary, among other items from the two girls, the federal analysts called it: Rachel had sociopathic tendencies, while Shelia had psychopathic ones.

  As Colebank thought back to the BAU’s conclusion, she kept her hand on her Taser the entire way to Parkersburg. She knew it was entirely possible a troublesome teen like Shelia might give her a reason to use it.

  When they arrived in Parkersburg, Shelia wanted to call her mother. “How much do I get to use the phone?” she asked.

  Colebank had had enough and at that moment she couldn’t keep quiet. “You get nothing here. You committed a crime. You killed someone,” she said. “Don’t expect royal treatment here. There are rules here. If they say you can use the phone, you can use the phone. You don’t just walk up to a phone and call your mom.”

  Shelia was already crying as they walked through the detention doors, but at Colebank’s words she cried harder.

  The three officers escorted her to the processing area where she would receive her orange jumpsuit. They paused at a thick metal door with a small glass window, as a correctional officer told Shelia to follow him. It took a few seconds for Shelia to realize she was alone. Gaskins, Spurlock, and Colebank stood behind her, waiting for the heavy door to slam shut.

  “Home sweet home,” Colebank said. “Enjoy your stay.”

  Shelia’s eyes grew large. “What?”

  At that moment, Colebank felt “pure elation,” and as the three officers left the building she went to have a celebratory cigarette before they got back on the road.

  A few correctional officers were there, too, and had seen Shelia’s arrival.