Tag Archives: Shelia Eddy

The Weed-Altered Brains of Pretty Little Killers: Conclusion

As parents, we’re trying to distinguish between normal teenage behaviors and warning signs of real danger. As a society, we are trying to figure out the triggers for abhorrent behaviors in order to prevent tragedies such as Skylar Neese’s murder.

A family friend of Rachel Shoaf, who had known her since she was an infant, was shocked that the teen with ‘potential, morals’ turned into a murderer.  Marijuana is the single influence that — if taken out of the picture — could have prevented this tragedy. Continue reading The Weed-Altered Brains of Pretty Little Killers: Conclusion

Friendship Triangle Turns into Murder, Part 2

(Read Part I for background information on Pretty Little Killers, by Daleen Beery and Geoffrey C Fuller, about the murder of Skylar Neese.)

Why would this sad set of circumstances happen to girls from wild and wonderful West Virginia, where people still live in friendly, small-town communities?  Skylar lived in Star City, right outside of Morgantown, home of West Virginia University.  Families who had lived in the area for generations mixed with the international student body.  It was not a sheltered environment. Can we possibly understand how it happened so that other parents don’t go through the incomprehensible suffering of Dave and Mary Neese?

The three girls had much in common as only children of adoring parents who struggled financially. They were excellent students, but Skylar was undoubtedly the smartest. The book mentions that Continue reading Friendship Triangle Turns into Murder, Part 2

Poisoned by the Weed: Marijuana and Pretty Little Killers, Part 1

Why did Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf kill Skylar Neese on July 6, 2012? Authors Daleen Berry and Geoffrey C. Fuller explored the shocking incident in Pretty Little Killers, a New York Times bestseller.  The book come to no definite conclusions why two 16-year-old girls from West Virginia would brutally murder another friend, but marijuana is a constant theme from beginning to end. Marijuana, pot and/or weed, is mentioned 36 times in the book.

The authors had been given access to Skylar’s journals and writings, looking for clues as to how and why such an event could happen.  Continue reading Poisoned by the Weed: Marijuana and Pretty Little Killers, Part 1