A New York teen was murdered while visiting Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. Thirteen years later, the killer will remain behind bars for life.
South Carolina Judge Ferrell Cothran Jr. sentenced Raymond Moody to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the kidnapping and murder of Brittanee Drexel. Moody pleaded guilty to kidnapping, first-degree sexual misconduct, and murder.
“I was a monster, was a monster then, was a monster when I took Brittanee Drexel’s life. I don’t have the words to express how horrible I feel and I’ve felt ever since that day. I’m very sorry,” said Moody during the sentencing hearing, reported CNN.
On April 25, 2009, the Blue Water Resort on Ocean Boulevard was thrown into chaos after Drexel was reported missing while visiting a friend during spring break. The 17-year-old teen was last seen leaving her hotel room around 8:45 pm wearing a tank top, shorts, and a flip-flop. Her disappearance caught the attention of investigators after the victim’s boyfriend never received any reply from Drexel.
Before Drexel arrived in Myrtle Beach, her mother had forbidden her to go, but she ignored her mother’s warning and left without informing her.
Soon, Drexel’s disappearance captured the media's attention, leading to a massive search party for the teen. Though authorities never found her, Drexel’s phone last pinged between the boundary of Charleston and Georgetown County. As a result, authorities believed Drexel had become a victim of human trafficking and was probably held in a stash house against her will.
However, that all changed in May when her body was discovered in Georgetown County. Technology advancements allowed authorities to zero in on the defendant’s truck in the vicinity. The move led investigators to Moody, who confessed to the killing after his girlfriend Angel Vause became a cooperating witness with the FBI. Initially, the defendant was a person of interest after investigators searched Moody’s hotel room.
After his arrest, Moody told investigators he and Vause had picked up Drexel while she was walking alone. Then the couple was invited to a campsite for a party and to smoke some weed. While there, the defendant claimed he made a pass at Drexel after Vause left the scene temporarily. Then, the victim rebuffed his advances before he sexually assaulted and strangled her. Before Vause’s return, Moody hid the victim’s body in the bushes and told his girlfriend, Drexel, had been picked up by her friends.
According to Law and Crime, Moody had served 20 years in prison for a previous conviction of kidnapping and rape of two nine and fourteen-year-old girls in 1983.
In addition, Cothran sentenced Moody to two additional 30 years sentences for the sexual assault charges. He was ordered to serve both consecutively.
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