Raymond Moody pleads guilty in Brittanee Drexel murder in SC - Democrat & Chronicle

1 year ago 61

The antheral accused of kidnapping and murdering Brittanee Drexel during her 2009 outpouring interruption travel pleaded blameworthy to the charges successful a South Carolina courtroom Wednesday greeting and was sentenced to beingness successful prison.

Raymond Moody, 62, a convicted enactment offender and longtime idiosyncratic of interest, was charged with kidnapping, murder and first-degree intersexual misconduct successful Drexel's slaying. The 17-year-old Gates teen was connected a outpouring interruption travel to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina successful 2009 erstwhile she disappeared.

It was the archetypal tribunal quality for Moody, who earlier waived his close to a enslaved proceeding and arraignment. He utilized a crutch erstwhile helium entered the courtroom and appeared successful a achromatic jumpsuit with his hands shackled astatine his waist.

Prosecutors shared details of Moody's confession to the crime, acknowledging that elements of his communicative were self-serving portion offering capable grounds to person investigators that helium had successful information committed the crime. They besides said that Moody led them to the tract wherever Drexel's assemblage was recovered.

Following the blameworthy plea, Judge Ferrell Cothran Jr. sentenced Moody to consecutive presumption of 30 years connected the charges of kidnapping and transgression intersexual conduct, and a beingness condemnation connected the execution charge.

Break successful Brittanee Drexel lawsuit came successful May

Brittanee Drexel.

In May, authorities announced that Drexel's remains had been found about 35 miles southbound of Myrtle Beach and that Moody allegedly confessed to the transgression and led constabulary to the determination of Drexel's body.

The apprehension warrant said Moody kidnapped and sexually assaulted Drexel and past killed her "by means of manual strangulation," but offered nary different details astir what happened oregon wherever the crimes occurred, different than wrong Georgetown County, astir 35 miles southbound of Myrtle Beach. The warrant charged each of the crimes occurred "on oregon astir April 25, 2009."

That's the aforesaid time Drexel was past seen leaving a edifice successful Myrtle Beach.

Moody, a registered enactment offender, had been considered a idiosyncratic of involvement successful the teen's disappearance for years, since helium was stopped by constabulary for a postulation usurpation successful a formation municipality adjacent Myrtle Beach 1 time aft the teen disappeared.

Raymond Moody confession successful Brittanee Drexel lawsuit revealed

Prosecutors said that advances successful exertion helped them amended pinpoint the clip Drexel disappeared portion walking on a Myrtle Beach street. This helped pb them to surveillance video of a conveyance they believed Drexel was in, and that conveyance allowed investigators to absorption connected Moody and his girlfriend, Angel Vause.

In court, Assistant Solicitor Scott Hixson said that successful April, investigators persuaded Vause to deterioration a ligament during a speech with Moody, which led to a hunt warrant of Moody's residence. Although that hunt turned up nary grounds successful the Drexel case, it did pb to Moody confessing to his relation successful the crime.

Prosecutors person said that aft confessing, Moody led them to the determination wherever helium claimed to person buried Drexel. Authorities recovered remains there, and dental records and DNA investigation confirmed it was Drexel.

Hixson cautioned that Moody's mentation of events was "self-serving," but said investigators were capable to cooperate capable cardinal elements of the confession to pb to the filing of charges.

According to Moody, helium and Vause had driven to Myrtle Beach erstwhile they spotted Drexel walking alone. He claims they invited Drexel to enactment with them and that she entered the conveyance voluntarily.

Moody said they drove to a campsite successful Georgetown County wherever the 3 of them smoked marijuana. Moody told investigators that helium hoped voluntarily intersexual enactment mightiness hap with Drexel aft she consumed marijuana.

After Vause near the campsite, Moody said, helium decided to beforehand the situation. Moody said that erstwhile Drexel resisted, helium seized her, compelled her to region her clothing, and forced her to person enactment done threats of violence.

Afterward, realizing that helium mightiness beryllium sent backmost to situation for what helium had done, helium strangled Drexel. He past wrapped her assemblage successful a broad and moved her to bushes nearby. When his woman returned and asked wherever Drexel was, helium said that Britanee's friends had arrived to prime her up.

Moody said helium and his woman near the campsite, but helium returned unsocial during the mediate of the night. He said helium moved Drexel's assemblage to different determination wherever helium buried her.

Drexel's household members gave unfortunate interaction statements successful tribunal which formed uncertainty connected Moody's mentation of events, peculiarly the thought that Drexel went with him voluntarily.

Brittanee Drexel's parents code daughter's killer

This undated record photograph provided by the Myrtle Beach, S.C. Police Department shows Brittanee Drexel.

Chad Drexel, Britanee's adoptive father, choked backmost tears arsenic helium described however devastated helium was by his daughter's disappearance. He said it led to the disintegration of his matrimony and his health.

"Thirteen years later, I find retired the horrible, disgusting and senseless mode she was murdered," Chad Drexel told the court. He called Moody a "perverted sick monster."

Britanee Drexel's mother, Dawn Pleckan, said she wears Brittanee's ashes and photograph astir her neck.

"That's each I person left. That's each we person near aft what you did to her," Pleckan said.

Pleckan said the grounds casts uncertainty connected Moody's communicative that her girl went with him voluntarily.

"I americium truthful gladsome my girl was feisty and fought back," Pleckan said. "She fought for her life. We cognize present she scratched the hellhole retired of your look caput and neck. You volition everlastingly transportation the scars of what my girl did to you and I anticipation you are haunted by her."

Pleckan said she was haunted by however galore radical Moody had harmed, and acknowledged the suffering of those who were unjustly accused of being progressive successful Drexel's killing. That was a notation to Timothy Da'Shaun Taylor, who was publically named arsenic a fishy successful 2016. Members of Taylor's household were successful the courtroom Wednesday to ticker the proceedings.

Pleckan asked the justice to enforce the maximum sentence, saying she hoped Moody would endure successful situation and each time for the remainder of his beingness due to the fact that of the harm and misery helium caused truthful galore people.

"You are a disgrace to your parents, your ain children, your family, and immoderate friends you person left," Pleckan told Moody. "You are a serial rapist and a kid predator, and you should beryllium ashamed of your actions."

Raymond Moody: 'I was a monster'

Moody spoke briefly, addressing the tribunal aft helium acknowledged kidnapping, raping and sidesplitting Britanee Drexel. He spoke astir his lengthy situation word for the 1983 abduction and rape lawsuit of a 9-year-old California girl.

"I served 20 years and I thought it was enough, but it wasn't," Moody said. "I was a monster then, and I was a monster erstwhile I took Britanee Drexel's life."

Before sentencing, Moody acknowledged to the tribunal that helium had committed the crimes helium was charged with and bowed his caput arsenic helium expressed his remorse.

"I dont person the words to explicit however horrible I consciousness and I person felt ever since that day," Moody said. "I'm precise sorry."