Deadly Duos: Best Friends Who Killed Together—And Where They Are Now
It was just another day on Twitter in 2013 when Shelia Eddy posted a chilling message: “Rest easy Skylar, you’ll ALWAYS be my best friend.”
What Eddy’s followers didn’t know was that she—along with her supposed best friend Rachel Shoaf—had brutally murdered 16-year-old Skylar Neese. The crime was calculated, premeditated, and shockingly cold-blooded, orchestrated in a high school science class.
But Shelia and Rachel weren’t the first—or last—best friends who killed together. Throughout history, inseparable pairs have crossed the line from friendship to fatal obsession, their deadly pacts sending shockwaves through their communities. These stories captivate the public because they highlight something deeply unsettling: the terrifying reality that the ones closest to us could be our biggest threat.
What drives best friends to kill? Experts say shared trauma, social isolation, and a dangerous mix of mental health struggles can create the perfect storm. Youths are especially vulnerable, with their developing brains making them more susceptible to peer influence and impulsive behavior. Some, like Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, fell into a twisted fantasy world. Others, like Karen Severson and Laura Doyle, let jealousy and rage take control. But in each case, these “best friend forever” killers left behind a haunting legacy.
Here are five of the most infamous cases of best friends who became partners in crime—and where they are today.
1. Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme: The Fantasy Turned Fatal
Their story was so disturbing, it became the inspiration for the 1994 film Heavenly Creatures. In 1954, New Zealand teens Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme lived in an elaborate fantasy world, one their parents deemed an unhealthy obsession. When Parker’s mother refused to let them be together, the girls made a chilling decision: they would kill her.
Bludgeoning Honora Parker to death with a brick wrapped in a stocking, they were arrested and quickly convicted. Though they were sentenced to indefinite imprisonment, they were released after just five years—on the condition that they never see each other again.
Hulme reinvented herself as bestselling author Anne Perry, writing historical detective novels. Parker, on the other hand, lived a quiet life, working as a librarian and later a horseback riding instructor. In a 2003 interview, Perry asked a chilling question: “Why can’t I be judged for who I am now, not what I was then?”
2. Karen Severson and Laura Doyle: The Ultimate Betrayal
For three years, Karen Severson and Laura Doyle comforted the grieving family of their childhood best friend, Michele “Missy” Avila. They attended her funeral, cried over her casket, and even speculated about possible suspects.
But the truth was far darker: in 1985, the duo had drowned Missy in a shallow stream, holding her head down until she stopped struggling. Their motive? Petty jealousy and a twisted sense of revenge.
Severson and Doyle were convicted years later, receiving 15 years to life in prison. Severson, upon release, wrote a controversial memoir, claiming she only wanted to “torment” Missy—not kill her. While Doyle has stayed out of the public eye, Severson’s attempts to profit from the crime sparked outrage, proving that some betrayals never truly fade.
3. Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf: “We Just Didn’t Like Her”
July 6, 2012, started like any other night for Skylar Neese. The 16-year-old snuck out of her home to meet her two best friends, Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf. But instead of a fun night out, the duo had something sinister planned.
Luring Skylar to the woods, they counted to three before launching a frenzied knife attack. In the months that followed, Eddy played the role of grieving friend, tweeting messages about Skylar and going on with life as if nothing had happened. Shoaf, however, crumbled under the weight of the secret. She suffered a nervous breakdown and eventually confessed, leading authorities to Skylar’s body.
The reason for the killing? “We just didn’t like her,” Shoaf later admitted.
Eddy was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Shoaf, convicted of second-degree murder, received a 30-year sentence and was eligible for parole in 2023.
4. The Collie Killers: A Murder “That Felt Right”
In 2006, in the Australian mining town of Collie, two teenage girls threw a party laced with amphetamines and deadly intent. Their target? Their 15-year-old friend, Eliza Jane Davis. Using a speaker wire, they garroted her, then buried her body under a house.
When questioned, they showed no remorse. In fact, they told police that killing Davis simply “felt right.” Their crime was premeditated—one of them had even killed kittens to “practice” beforehand.
Due to their age, their identities remain undisclosed, but their fates are known. Sentenced to 15 years to life, they spent a year in juvenile detention before being transferred to a women’s correctional facility. Today, they remain behind bars.
5. Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser: Slender Man’s Deadly Influence
It was a crime that shocked the world. In 2014, 12-year-olds Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser lured their friend, Payton Leutner, into the woods and stabbed her 19 times. Their reasoning? They believed they were carrying out the orders of Slender Man, a fictional internet horror figure.
Somehow, against all odds, Leutner survived. She dragged herself to a nearby
