Angel Vause, the girlfriend of Raymond Moody who murdered Brittanee Drexel, pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI, including disposing of Drexel's cellphone and falsely claiming she willingly joined Moody and Drexel to consume drugs.
Georgetown, South Carolina - In a significant development in the Brittanee Drexel murder case, Angel Vause, the girlfriend of convicted killer Raymond Moody, has admitted to lying to the FBI. According to court documents filed Monday, Vause pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements, including making false statements to a government jurisdiction.
Vause, 56, admitted to telling the FBI in 2022 that Drexel maintained possession of her own cellphone when, in reality, Vause took Drexel's cellphone "and traveled away from her, disposing of it between Georgetown and Charleston," South Carolina, according to a complaint filed in March.
Girlfriend of Brittanee Drexel's Killer Admits to Lying to FBI
She also falsely told the FBI that Drexel had voluntarily joined her and Moody "to consume marijuana and cocaine when, in fact, [Drexel] was abducted under false pretenses."
Drexel, a 17-year-old from Rochester, New York, vanished during an April 2009 spring break trip to Myrtle Beach. Her remains were found in May 2022. Surveillance video footage from Drexel's hotel captured her leaving on April 25, 2009, to meet a friend at a nearby resort. It was the last known sighting of Drexel other than by Moody.
Girlfriend of Brittanee Drexel's Killer Admits to Lying to FBI
At 9 p.m. that evening, Drexel was walking alone in Myrtle Beach when Moody approached her in a Ford Explorer and kidnapped her. He then transported her to a remote campsite near his home at the Sunset Motor Lodge in Georgetown, where he held her against her will, tortured, and killed her, court documents allege.
Moody discarded Drexel's phone in the North Santee River and buried her body in a "shallow grave." Drexel's family endured 13 years of uncertainty until authorities discovered her remains in 2022.
Girlfriend of Brittanee Drexel's Killer Admits to Lying to FBI
Dawn Pleckan Conley, Drexel's mother, expressed satisfaction with Vause's guilty plea, saying it brings some closure to the family's suffering. Drexel's father, John Kahyaoglu, also expressed relief that Vause will not walk free.
Raymond Moody, now 64, pleaded guilty in October 2022 to kidnapping, raping, and murdering Drexel. "I served 20 years, and I thought it was enough, but it wasn’t. I was a monster then, and I was a monster when I took Brittanee Drexel’s life," Moody said at his plea hearing.
Girlfriend of Brittanee Drexel's Killer Admits to Lying to FBI
Vause pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. She faces a maximum of five years in prison for each of her three charges. Her sentencing date has not yet been set.
The guilty pleas of both Vause and Moody bring a measure of justice for the family of Brittanee Drexel, who endured years of anguish and uncertainty. The case highlights the importance of holding accountable those who lie to law enforcement and who perpetrate heinous crimes, particularly against vulnerable young women.
Girlfriend of Brittanee Drexel's Killer Admits to Lying to FBI
