Raymond Moody: Convicted sexual offender who raped and murdered missing teen Brittanee Drexel gets life in prison
Warning: The article contains information about child sexual abuse that could be triggering to some readers. Discretion is advised.
MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA: Raymond Douglas Moody, accused of abducting, sexually abusing, and killing Brittanee Drexel, 17, while she was on spring break in Myrtle Beach in 2009, pled guilty to the crime in a South Carolina courtroom on Wednesday, October 19 morning. The 62-year-old has been sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping, murder, and first-degree sexual misconduct. In addition, Douglas was also given consecutive 30-year sentences for kidnapping and illicit sexual activity, according to The Democrat and Chronicle.
Moody, a convicted sex offender and longtime person of interest, was also referred to in court by Brittanee's adoptive father Chad Drexel as a "perverted sick monster." In addition to this, Moody, who pleaded guilty to the charges, also called himself a "monster" in his testimony before the court.
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Moody, who had previously gone to prison for abducting and raping a 9-year-old California girl in 1983, said “I served 20 years and I thought it was enough, but it wasn’t." He continued, “I was a monster then, and I was a monster when I took Brittanee Drexel’s life.”
Moody, who had already given up his right to a bond hearing and arraignment, made his first court appearance. He approached the courtroom with a crutch and was wearing a black jumpsuit with his hands bound at his waist. While recognizing that some of Moody's account was self-serving, the prosecution provided enough information to investigators to persuade them that Moody had actually committed the crime. Additionally, they said that Moody showed them the location where Drexel's body was found.
What happened to Brittanee Drexel?
Brittanee Drexel was allegedly picked up by Moody and his girlfriend Angel Vause while she was out alone. He claimed that she agreed to their invitation to party and shared a joint with them at a campground in Georgetown County. Moody expressed the possibility of having consensual relations with Drexel. He started making a move on the teen after Vause left. He threatened to sexually abuse her and did so after she refused. When he realized he could return to prison for the assault, he killed her by strangling her.
When Vause came back, he had the teen wrapped in a blanket and her body concealed in some bushes. He stated that Drexel's friends had picked her up, but later went back to the encampment and transferred the body to another spot to bury her. While acknowledging that the confession provided sufficient proof of Moody's guilt, the prosecution criticized his story for being self-serving.
Drexel's family expressed skepticism about her willingness to join him. “I am so glad my daughter was feisty and fought back,” her mother Dawn Pleckan said. “She fought for her life. We know now she scratched the hell out of your face head and neck. You will forever carry the scars of what my daughter did to you and I hope you are haunted by her.”
After Moody entered a guilty plea, Judge Ferrell Cothran Jr gave him a life sentence for the murder charge and two concurrent terms of 30 years each for kidnapping and criminal sexual behavior.