The individual charged with abducting and killing Brittanee Drexel while she was on her spring vacation in 2009 accepted responsibility for the crimes and received a life imprisonment sentence in a South Carolina courtroom on Wednesday morning.
Raymond Moody, a 62-year-old convicted sex offender with a long history of sexual misconduct, was charged with first-degree sexual misconduct, murder, and kidnapping in connection with the slaying of 17-year-old Gates Drexel during a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in 2009.
Moody, who previously forfeited his entitlement to a bond hearing and arraignment, entered the courtroom donning a black jumpsuit, with his hands restrained at his waist. He relied on a crutch. This marked his initial presence in court.
Prosecutors revealed that Moody led investigators to the location where Drexel’s body was found, providing enough evidence to convince them of his guilt, although they acknowledged that certain aspects of his confession were designed to benefit himself.
Moody was handed down consecutive sentences of 30 years each for the crimes of abduction and unlawful sexual behavior, and a lifelong imprisonment for the charge of murder, subsequent to his admission of guilt, by Judge Ferrell Cothran Jr.
In May, authorities announced that Moody allegedly confessed and the discovery of Drexel’s body in a location approximately 35 miles south of Myrtle Beach had led the police to the crime scene.
Around April 25, 2009, all of the offenses took place in Georgetown County, approximately 35 miles south of Myrtle Beach. The warrant accused Moody of abducting and sexually abusing Drexel before murdering her “through manual strangulation,” yet it provided no further information regarding the specifics of the incidents or their location.
That is the exact day Drexel was last spotted departing from a hotel in Myrtle Beach.
Following the adolescent’s vanishing, Moody, a convicted sex offender, had been regarded as a potential suspect in the teenager’s absence for an extended period, as he was apprehended by authorities for a traffic infraction in a coastal town close to Myrtle Beach at some point.
Raymond Moody confession in Brittanee Drexel case revealed
Moody and his partner, Angel Vause, drew the attention of investigators because of the car captured in the surveillance footage, which they suspected Drexel was inside. This became feasible due to technological advancements, which aided prosecutors in determining the exact moment Drexel vanished while strolling along a street in Myrtle Beach.
During a conversation in April, Assistant Solicitor Scott Hixson said that he persuaded Vause to wear a wire to conduct a warrant search at Moody’s residence. However, despite the search turning up no evidence in the Drexel case, it ultimately led to Moody confessing to his involvement in the crime.
According to prosecutors, Drexel’s identity was confirmed through dental records and DNA analysis, and Moody guided them to the spot where he allegedly buried Drexel after confessing.
Hixson cautioned that investigators said the elements key enough to lead to a confession of filing charges were “self-serving,” but urged caution regarding Moody’s version of the events.
According to Moody, he and Vause had driven to Myrtle Beach when they noticed Drexel walking by herself. He asserts that they extended an invitation to Drexel to join them for a party, and she willingly got into the vehicle.
Moody informed investigators that, following the consumption of marijuana, he expressed a desire for consensual sexual activity to potentially take place with Drexel. Moody stated that they proceeded to a campsite in Georgetown County, where all three individuals engaged in marijuana consumption.
Moody stated that he chose to escalate the situation once Vause departed the campsite, using threats of violence to coerce her into engaging in sexual intercourse and forcing her to undress when she resisted.
He mentioned that Britanee’s companions had arrived to collect her when his partner came back and inquired about Drexel’s whereabouts. Subsequently, he enveloped her lifeless form in a blanket and relocated it to the nearby foliage, recognizing that he could potentially face a return to incarceration for his actions. Following that, he asphyxiated Drexel.
He said that he moved Drexel’s body to another location where he buried her. He said that he returned alone during the middle of the night, but he left his girlfriend at the campsite, according to Moody.
Drexel’s family members who went with him to Moody’s events voluntarily cast doubt on the version of events which had an impact on the court’s statements regarding the victim.
Brittanee Drexel’s parents address daughter’s killer
Chad Drexel, Britanee’s adoptive father, held back tears as he recounted the disintegration of his health and marriage, expressing his profound devastation over his daughter’s disappearance.
Chad Drexel informed the court, ‘After thirteen years, I discover the dreadful, repulsive, and irrational manner in which she was killed.’ He referred to Moody as a ‘twisted ill creature’.
Dawn Pleckan, the mother of Britanee Drexel, stated that she wears the ashes and picture of Brittanee around her neck.
“That’s everything I have remaining. That’s everything we have remaining after the actions you took towards her,” Pleckan stated.
Pleckan stated that the evidence raises questions about Moody’s account that his daughter willingly accompanied him.
Pleckan expressed, “May you and I wish that you are plagued by her presence. The lasting marks of my daughter’s actions on your face, head, and neck will always be with you. It is evident now that she fiercely scratched you, demonstrating her determination to survive. I am truly grateful that my daughter possessed a spirited nature and fiercely defended herself.”
Members of Taylor’s family were present in the courtroom on Wednesday for the proceedings. In 2016, a suspect named Taylor Da’Shaun Timothy was publicly identified as a reference to That. Pleckan stated that she was haunted by the realization of how many people had suffered and been harmed by the unjust accusations of those who were involved in Drexel’s killing.
Pleckan asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence, saying that Moody hoped she would suffer in prison every day for the rest of her life because he caused so much misery and harm to people.
Moody Pleckan was informed, “You should feel ashamed of your actions, as you are a child predator and a serial rapist.” You have lost any friends and family you had, and you have brought disgrace upon your own children and parents.”
Raymond Moody: ‘I was a monster’
Moody briefly addressed the killing and raping of Britanee Drexel in court, acknowledging that he spoke about his lengthy prison sentence in relation to the abduction and rape case of a 9-year-old California girl from 1983.
Moody stated, “It was not, however it was sufficient, and I spent two decades in service.” “During the time I ended Brittanee Drexel’s existence, I was a creature at that moment, and I remained a creature.”
Before sentencing, Moody acknowledged to the court that he had committed the crimes he was charged with, as he bowed his head and expressed remorse.
Moody expressed his deep remorse, stating, “I’m extremely apologetic.” “I lack the vocabulary to adequately convey the immense anguish and constant despair I have experienced since that fateful day.”
Our past coverage of Brittanee Drexel disappearance
From 2013:.
Additional: Remains discovered near the location where Brittanee Drexel was last seen will undergo testing.
Additionally, the coroner confirms that the human remains found are not those of Brittanee Drexel.
From 2014:.
More: Brittanee Drexel commemorated 5 years after vanishing.
More: Optimism remains high for the return of Brittanee Drexel.
From 2016:.
More: Report: Brittanee Drexel was shot and discarded in a swamp inhabited by alligators.
More: Brittanee Drexel: The FBI believes that she is deceased, and they are providing a $25,000 reward.
More: Brittanee Drexel: Transcript reveals details of murder allegations.
Further: Further information implicates Brittanee Drexel’s vanishing and demise.
More: Memorial commemorates 7 years since Brittanee Drexel disappeared.
From 2017:.
More: Latest search for Brittanee Drexel concludes.
From 2018:.
Additionally, federal authorities believe that a man from South Carolina has knowledge regarding the disappearance of Brittanee Drexel.
More: Man interrogated in the vanishing of Brittanee Drexel to be set free.
From 2019:.
More: The mysterious disappearance of Brittanee Drexel still remains unsolved.
More: Brittanee Drexel commemorated a decade later.
From 2022:.
More: A news conference on Monday in South Carolina could provide information about the disappearance of Brittanee Drexel.
More: The remains of the missing teenager Brittanee Drexel have been discovered; a man has been charged with her death.