Where is Raymond Moody now? 'Dateline NBC' takes on case of man who confessed to killing teen Brittanee Drexel 13 years after crime
MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA: Raymond Moody is currently in South Carolina's McCormick Correctional Institution after being arrested by the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office on May 4, 2022, for raping and killing a teenager, Brittanee Drexel.
The arrest was followed by a background check by the State Law Enforcement Division. Moody is charged with raping and killing Drexel and received a 30-year sentence for kidnapping her and an additional 30 years for the charge of rape.
The latest episode of 'Dateline NBC' embarks on a revisit of the case, with Keith Morrison delving deeper into the details of Drexel's horrifying and mysterious death.
In the episode, which airs on Sunday, February 25 at 9 pm ET, Morrison speaks directly to Raymond Moody, the individual involved in the case.
The episode aims to reevaluate and reveal shocking details that took 13 years to unfold before justice was served. It also featured the painstaking process of identifying the murderer and solving the mystery behind Drexel's lesser-known kidnapping.
Who is Raymond Moody?
Raymond Moody, the man who admitted to killing Brittanee Drexel in 2009 during her spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, received a life sentence for murder and an additional 30 years each for kidnapping and raping her.
Moody was previously investigated in connection with Drexel's kidnapping case but eluded authorities due to a lack of evidence, remaining at large for 13 years.
Later, he confessed to killing Brittanee Drexel while he was with his girlfriend Angel Vause in 2009 at Myrtle Beach.
According to Moody, Drexel joined them for smoking marijuana, and in Vause's absence, he attempted to sexually assault her. In the aftermath, Moody brutally murdered Drexel by stabbing her.
After Moody's confession, prosecutors utilized technological advancements to narrow down the timeframe of Drexel's disappearance, leading them to the surveillance footage of a vehicle believed to be involved.
This focus on the vehicle enabled investigators to pinpoint Moody and his girlfriend, ultimately leading to his life sentence and additional prison terms for his heinous crimes.
Did Raymond Moody kill Brittanee Drexel?
Raymond Moody admitted to kidnapping Brittanee Drexel during her spring break trip to Myrtle Beach in 2009.
He initially claimed that he hoped for consensual sexual activity after smoking marijuana at a campsite, but when Drexel resisted, he forcefully compelled her, threatened her with violence, and ultimately raped her.
Fearful of the consequences and potential return to prison, Moody decided to silence Drexel by strangling her.
After the heinous act, he wrapped her body in a blanket and hid it in nearby bushes. When questioned later, he fabricated a story about Brittanee's friends picking her up.
How did the police find Raymond Moody guilty?
FBI agent Gerrick Munoz received information from Taquan Brown, an inmate serving a 25-year sentence for manslaughter in South Carolina. Brown implicated Timothy Da'Shaun Taylor and his father in Brittanee Drexel's murder, but further investigation revealed they were not involved.
Following this, Raymond Moody voluntarily appeared at the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office in early May 2022, confessing to the crime.
He turned himself in on an obstruction of justice charge, expressing his desire to speak exclusively to state authorities, leading to his admission of guilt.
Was Raymond Moody a sex offender?
Raymond Moody was a registered sex offender with a history of serious crimes.
Information from the National Sex Offender Registry revealed that he had served a sentence for rape, kidnapping, lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, and sodomy while in California.
Moody was convicted in December 1983 and released on parole in 2004. Later, in 2009, he failed to register as a sex offender, leading to a conviction in 2010 as per the SLED criminal background check.
Additionally, in 2008, Moody was arrested for indecent exposure. These details emerged during further investigation, which highlighted his troubling criminal history.
What sentence did Raymond Moody receive?
Raymond Moody pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of Brittanee Drexel.
Moody, aged 62, pleaded guilty and received a life sentence for the murder charge along with an additional 30 years for each of the remaining charges.
The judge specified that these sentences are to be served consecutively. Moody had been a person of interest for more than a decade before confessing to the murder of Brittanee Drexel in 2022, leading authorities to her burial site.
'Dateline NBC' Season 32 airs new episodes every Friday at 8 pm ET on NBC and is available for streaming on Peacock the following day.
