Mary Earl Neese posts nearly every night on Facebook a goodnight message to her daughter, Skylar, who died at the age of 16 last year. “Spend the weekend spreading the word about you, little one,” she wrote on December 9. “It makes us happy and sad at the same time. We will never stop spreading the word. G’night babe! Love you to heaven and back always! <3 <3 <3”

The death of a child is always traumatic, but Neese and her husband, Dave, have endured a grief few of us can imagine. For Skylar was murdered—and her two best friends now stand accused of the crime.

Skylar was found stabbed to death last year, six months after she went missing. Her body was only discovered after one of her closest girlfriends, Rachel Shoaf, confessed to the killing and told investigators where to look for the corpse. Rachel also implicated another girl as the ringleader in the stabbing—Shelia Eddy, Skylar’s longtime best friend. Rachel pleaded guilty in May to second-degree murder, while Shelia has insisted that she is innocent. Her trial is due to begin on January 28.