Brittanee Drexel case: Raymond Moody gets life for raping, killing teen on spring break in 2009

GEORGETOWN, S.C. (TCD) -- A 62-year-old man pleaded guilty this week to killing Brittanee Drexel about five months after he was arrested and charged with her murder.

On Wednesday, Oct. 19, the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office announced Raymond Moody entered the plea for murder, kidnapping, and first-degree criminal sexual conduct. A judge sentenced him to 30 years for kidnapping, 30 for criminal sexual conduct, and life for murder. The sentences will reportedly run consecutively.

According to the Solicitor’s Office, Moody admitted in court he "kidnapped, raped, and murdered Drexel after picking her up in a vehicle as she walked along Ocean Boulevard."

Drexel was reported missing April 25, 2009, and her remains were located on May 11, 2022. She traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, from her home in Rochester, New York, without her parents' permission for spring break. She was last seen on surveillance footage leaving a hotel.

According to WBTW-TV, Moody said in court, "I was a monster, and I took Brittanee Drexel’s life. And I don’t have the words to express how horrible I feel and how I’ve felt ever since that day, and I’m very sorry."

Drexel’s adoptive father, Chad Drexel, reportedly called Moody a "perverted, sick monster."

WBTW reports the FBI released a statement after Moody’s sentencing that reads, "Today marks the end of a long, dark chapter for Brittanee Drexel’s family and friends, the Myrtle Beach and Georgetown County communities, and all others who pours their heart and soul into finding the truth about what happened to Brittanee. The truth is she was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and killed in a horrific and incomprehensible way."

The FBI said locating Drexel's remains and having Moody plead guilty is "the culmination, in part, of the law enforcement efforts from the local, state, and federal level, as well as the countless other entities and individuals who played a role in bringing this case to this point."

The statement concludes, "The service of justice through this sentencing will never completely alleviate the grief of losing Brittanee, but it is our hope it can help the family continue their healing and focus on cherished memories she left behind."

MORE:

• GEORGETOWN MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON PLUS 60 YEARS FOR TEEN’S MURDER, RAPE - Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office
• Raymond Moody sentenced to life for kidnapping, killing Brittanee Drexel in 2009 - WBTW
• Man charged after Brittanee Drexel’s remains are found 13 years after she went missing - 5/17/2022 - TCD