Forever 16 | Chapter 9

Hi everyone, I'm Delia D'Ambra, and on my podcast Counterclock, I don't just revisit cold cases, I reinvestigate them. Each season, I turn back the clock on cases that have gone quiet over time and work to uncover what may have been missed. That means re-examining evidence, tracking down new leads, and speaking directly with the people closest to the case.

This podcast is intended for mature audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

Ten years after Sheila Eddie and Rachel Schoff took Skylar Niece's life, Rachel appeared before the parole board, facing an audience of three. Normally the victim's family is physically present at such an event. But due to the pandemic, Lakin patched the niece family and friends into the hearing room over the phone. They couldn't see their daughter's killer in person.

Thank you.

But they heard what she had to say for herself. After Rachel was finished, her father, Rusty Schof, spoke briefly. First, acknowledging the niece's sorrow and their loss, he then went on to cite Rachel's prison education and religious faith. And said if released, she would be loved and supported by her family. He closed saying she'd been rehabilitated and she was not a threat to any member of society. Then the parole board offered Dave Nece a turn to speak. This time he accepted the opportunity.

And uh you may go ahead and address the board at what you'd like for us to take consideration, please.

Ladies and gentlemen of the West Virginia Parole Board, thank you for the opportunity to tell you why this inmate should not be granted parole. Because of the malicious monster my child would never get a limo ride to her prom instead she got a ride in a corner's vehicle. Also there was no sparkling gaunt gown for Skylar, just a body bag. She will never have a certificate of graduation, only a death certificate, because of this inmates' action.

At this time the war's going to a different site and we're going to deliberate and we'll come back with our decision momentarily. Off the record.

From Waveland, I'm Holly Malay.

And I'm Justine Harmon. This is Three, Episode 9. Forever 16.

Once you've made the decision to commit a murder, the very next question you ask yourself or your co-conspirator is how? And while it's true to say Rachel and Sheila didn't have easy access to a gun, it's hard to believe they couldn't get their hands on one. Especially in West Virginia, which ranks third in household gun ownership and where gun laws are especially lacked. Of all the different ways to kill someone, stabbing is the most intimate, even in the act itself.

It's not our first inclination to stab someone. malicious intent, it's rage, it's Just determination. And to me, you know, it's It's definitely very personal to stab someone. You know, the the sounds that you'll hear. Everything about a stabbing, you can shoot someone from any distance and it doesn't really affect you. But being that close, they had to be covered in blood and everything else. That's that's not an easy thing to be around and I think they enjoyed it. I think they reveled in it.

As the parole board deliberated over what they'd just heard, back on our side of the call, tensions were high.

She was an actress.

School and she's gonna be an actress always as to this card. And that garbage about being so young and she didn't know better. Where did she pull that one out?

That's they're gonna make a decision real soon.

At this point, Tom addressed me directly.

I don't know if you heard but we're waiting for the

Sorry.

Right now uh several people didn't get to speak, but I think it was clear that the board members were excellent and got her to admit things she didn't admit during the hearing, which was that she did premeditate it, she knew it was gonna happen, she knew where the knives were, and that is completely different than from before.

Yeah.

Can you hear me if I talk to you?

Okay.

Yeah, yeah. Okay. I know you're with Mary and Dave. How long will you be with them? Can I call you alone afterwards so that I can recap with you because I didn't get a lot of the audience.

Okay. Yeah, that'll be fine. We're just waiting. Let's wait for the

After just a few minutes, the three members of the parole board had reached a decision.

We're back on the records.

Mm-hmm.

Alright, Mr. the board has deliberated and at this time the board is not ready to grant you parole at this time. Uh we will see you again in May of twenty twenty-four. At that time uh hopefully no more write-ups or no write-ups at all, just like you uh Keep doing what you're doing and uh maybe you have a better uh decision at that time. You will get a decision of this hearing uh sent to you uh as soon as it's completed, ma'am. Any any questions?

Just thank you for your talk.

Yes ma'am, thank you. Good luck. Off the record.

Okay, as you heard it was denied.

Right after, Tom called me back and we spoke about what had just happened.

The headline should be a life sentence for the lease.

Family.

Yeah. And that's how I looked at it. and she was trying to get off, but they were stuck with this life sentence. And that is why, you know, when they asked me, Well, why are you still here? And I said, you know, I wanna be very supportive of Dave. I knew what I knew the three girls. I knew Dave, but as as the closer we got and as things developed, we we formed the bondship that as a parent who had a

Dave's younger brother Michael, who spoke so lovingly about his niece Skylar at Rachel's sentencing, committed suicide in 2021. There's no doubt her murder played a part in his decision to end his own life and I asked Tom why this wasn't mentioned in Dave's statement to the parole board.

They talk to me about it.

it and they a they Mary decided she did not want to add that to it. I said the day they're married that I don't want her to think that because of her actions she still has control. You can't let her see or know anything about that because that is the final straw of what they want. Right. Because then they still are controlling the situation and controlling you.

Rachel Schoaf came up for her first parole hearing. The parole board deciding no parole for her. Schoaf said at the hearing today, she and the other defendant in the case. had a romantic relationship. There was some fighting among the three friends that Skylar had threatened to expose their relationship.

Rachel was despondent after the decision. Stormy heard from her friend still in Lakin.

She was so distraught that she didn't make parole that she didn't come out of her room all that day. She didn't call her mom. She didn't call her dad. She didn't call her brother. She didn't call nobody. She stayed in her room that whole day. Didn't nobody talk to her. She didn't eat that whole day. You know, whatever. She said that it it shocked her hearing David Mary's voice after so long.

Rachel Schoff will be eligible again every year up until her release date of twenty twenty eight, the same date Sheila Eddie will be up for her first parole hearing.

Ten years after finding out that Skylar Nice was murdered by her two best friends, Morgantown is still trying to heal from the violence, the betrayal that destroyed the trust in a small town. The crime looms large here. At one point during our reporting, we wandered into the historic old Stonehouse gift shop on Chestnut Street. When we mentioned why we were in town, the volunteer shopkeeps' face changed. The store went cold. It was time to leave.

I don't say we never got over it. We're slowly w it's ten years later and we're still getting up because when it comes up, for example, the ten year anniversary came up. Uh Rachel was up for um parole. And it brought back all the feelings. I mean thousands of people signed this petition. It's like they still don't want to be, they don't want it to come back in our community. The community was so

Hey.

We're not immune to what really is going on.

Star City Chief of Police Jessica Kolbank agrees, and adds another chilling observation locals have been forced to accept.

I think society in around here in the community, they were shocked that this could happen here for one and that these girls could do that, uh, because they're such pretty girls is what we kept hearing. Um you could be facially beautiful person with the most destructive demonic soul. And to me, that's how these girls were. It's it's not Everything isn't always as it seems. So I think that was the biggest shock for the community.

While Morgantown carries on, there are those who moved away. Kelly Kearns, who'd been like a second mother to Rachel, relocated with her husband to Laramie, Wyoming. And Kim Keener, the chauffe's next door neighbor, eventually settled in Florida, far away from the cul de sac with the haunted memories.

That Morgantown man, I'll tell ya, I was born and raised there, but now that I've been out of it about three years looking back, I'm gonna tell you that it's just really after this stuff with Rachel and And just was not comfortable in the neighborhood anymore. You know, that kind of thing. I mean my life was just wiped out from under me. I mean just complete.

Patricia Schof and Tara Eddie are both gone now too. Before leaving town, Tara had Mike Beninger send a package to Dave and Mary niece.

And it was the uh it was a necklace and I picked it up and right away I knew I saw it before and the note said Mrs. Clindon was cleaning out her daughter's room and found this necklace and knew it didn't belong to her and thought it might be Skyler's. Five years later, it was five years ago, I get the necklace and I look at it

It's been bleeding.

She just giggled and walked in, you know. And to find that the Yattti girl took it off her neck after she murdered her.

Uh that's

I'm telling you, that's serial killer stuff right there. And it's scary as hell, it really is. For somebody that young to be that evil. Are you born with it or do you grow into it?

Dave Nice still sees his daughter everywhere. He talks to her all day long. One of the ways they keep her memory alive is through Skyler's promise. A series of talks they give around the country to high schools and prisons to share their story and prevent what happened to Skylar from happening to anyone else.

Mary told me the other day, she goes, Why do we keep doing this? And I said I don't know, I was hoping you could tell me. She said, Dave, every time I feel like I want to stop, ten minutes later something kicks me. I said that Skylar she's not bashful. When she wants something done, she makes sure it gets done. And people may not believe in spirits or stuff, but I do, and I I believe

Later, Dave texted me something written by his friend, Jackie Morgan. I keep it on my phone. I am often told how strong of a man I am. That is not a true statement. I do what is necessary to survive each day. Unless you have lost a loved one to a senseless and vicious murder, you will never be able to comprehend the pain faced every day as I waken only to remember once again that my daughter is no longer with us. It is as if I lose her again, each and every morning.

Thank you.

Absolution is not a possibility at this point in time. It is my honest assessment that it will never be a likelihood. Forgiveness is a process, a choice you have to make over and over until you are free of all hurt and pain. My precious daughter was not only viciously murdered by two individuals that she believed to be her most trusted friends. They also betrayed her on levels that a rational person could never comprehend. due to sickness and evil, Skylar will be forever sixteen.

Scholar will forever be sixty. i it's the worst thing I've ever heard, but it's so true. You know, everybody else is showing pictures of their grandchildren and no Connor's frozen in time. It's so unfair. She didn't do anything to deserve that. Nobody does anything to deserve something like that.

Mary and Dave eventually moved away from Morgantown too. Never allowed a moment's rest after the case was closed, they left Star City and now live just over the West Virginia Pennsylvania state line.

Well actually it was a few things. Mainly it was, you know, people knew where we lived because we had had we'd celebrated Skylar's birthday, had a candlelight vigil there, so they knew where we lived. Well then we We would come home from work and there would be people there waiting for us. And they would want to visit and you know bring us little gifts or just say hello or how are you doing? And at first, you know, it was okay. Well then it Has it continued it it gets on your nerves.

Uh

Yeah, they would leave things with our neighbors that we didn't even know. Only you know, that was pretty embarrassing. And it that and the fact that every time we turned around, you know, you saw Scott. She loved to sit out on the deck and sunbathe and she'd prop her feet up on the banister and her and Lelou would be there in the sun and you know, Lelou'd hide under the chair away from the sun sometimes. But

Mary had a heart attack two years ago. She's since retired with other health issues. But she and Dave are strong, and having survived the worst of tragedies, they're still together.

And you know, we have heard that so much about how couples end up splitting up. I don't know how. It's like who would they lean on or depend on uh if they had split up? I I just I don't understand. Yeah, I would think it would be more the other way, but Dave says a lot that We helped each other. When he was down, I would help him through it. And when I was down, he would help me through it. And that is so true.

Even today, after so many years have gone by, no one, from the lawyers to the prosecutors, to the investigators, to the families involved, Can understand how three beautiful girls, best friends, could collide in such a violent event.

had social media, cell phones and the internet and cellular coverage not have been in existence. Skylar Nice would be alive today, it's my opinion. And here's why. These girls would not have said and transmitted tough talk, nastiness, their messages. Back and forth, they because they wouldn't have said those things to each other face to face across the table like we're sitting here today.

Many times during our reporting, I've returned to Skylar's Instagram page, which is still available online with the handle at high as the underscore sky. So many artifacts of her young life live forever on the page. A close up of Lelu with the caption When my dog cuddles with me, a dusty rose sunset, Avon Natural's body mist in pomegranate and mango scent, a Jolly Rancher brand candle, a handmade beaded necklace.

Ten years later, Skyler's cell phone, the one they found in the woods at the murder site, remained sealed in a small Ziploc bag with the FBI tracking number still taped to the front. Open up the plastic bag and the reflection from the mirrored screen is partially covered with dried mud. Skyler's fingerprints and nails crossed the screen from her who knows how many unlocks of the pattern match. It's an LG phone, barely half the size of a teens phone, in twenty twenty four.

That's got her. You know, we They left her in her elements. She loved the outdoors. She loved the wilderness and, you know although something horrible happened here, she's happy she's happy it is what it is now. It's a place of love and And the people that did the bench put this grape thing up and Although I don't think they'll ever get anything to grow out here'cause the deer will eat it before it ever gets the chance to grow.

Skyler would love that too.

Yeah she would. She absolutely loved animals. I wouldn't even love to kill ants for God's sake. She she would definitely put her foot down. I remember one time I had a fly land on and flies are annoying and I went to slap at it like this and I missed it and she goes, You're lucky you missed it. Take it outside and let it go And I'm like, How do you catch a fly and take it outside and let it go? She goes, Well they don't deserve to die, Dad And I said she goes it's here on earth for a reason.

I never really

Really dawned on me what she meant until she was gone. And it was here on earth for

Stay tuned for a bonus episode, coming to you next week. 3 is an original production of Waveland. The series is created and written by Holly Millet and me, Justine Harmon. The executive producer is Jason Hoke, who produced and edited the series. Associate producers are Lydia Horn and Leo Culp. Fact checking by Lydia Horne. Sound engineering by Shane Freeman.