Who is Raymond Moody?

A BREAKTHROUGH in a missing person's cold case was made with the arrest of Raymond Moody.

The repeat sex offender confessed to assaulting and murdering 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel.

Who is Raymond Moody?

Raymond Moody is a convicted sex offender and murderer from California.

Moody is associated with Brittanee Drexel's missing persons case.

On April 25, 2009, he abducted Brittanee while she was on a secret vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Before Moody kidnapped Brittanee, he faced previous legal trouble related to the sexual assault of minors.

On December 15, 1983, he was sentenced to 40 years and four months in prison for sexually assaulting then-eight-year-old Kerri Harding.

For his assault on Kerri, he was found guilty of:

• Sodomy of a child under the age of 14 while inflicting great bodily injury
• Rape with force/threat of violence, lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14
• Assault with intent to commit mayhem

On June 9, 2004, he was released on parole supervision; he was discharged from parole on June 9, 2007.

In 2010, Moody was charged for failing to register as a sex offender in Georgetown County.

How was Moody caught for Brittanee Drexel's murder?

According to prosecutors, police were able to narrow down Moody as a person of interest in Brittanee's disappearance because of nearby surveillance cameras and advancements in DNA technology.

Brittanee was last seen leaving Myrtle Beach's Blue Water Resort.

When investigators retrieved the hotel's surveillance footage, they observed a vehicle traveling along the same road that belonged to Moody and his then-girlfriend Angel Vause.

The victim's last cellphone signal was also traced along the same road.

Vause also later confirmed she was with Moody when he picked Brittanee up.

On May 4, 2022, Moody was arrested in connection to Brittanee's disappearance and homicide.

Upon his detainment, he confessed to sexually assaulting and killing Brittanee.

Moody was charged with obstruction of justice, as well as first-degree murder, kidnapping, and sexual misconduct.

When was Moody sentenced?

On October 19, 2022, Moody pleaded guilty to all charges.

The sex offender was sentenced to life in prison with two additional 30-year sentences.

During impact statements, Brittanee's mother Dawn Pleckan addressed Moody and asked: "What gave you the right to put your hands on my daughter?

"You should be ashamed of your actions, especially having three daughters of your own.

"My life forever changed. So many lives destroyed by your selfish actions. Today, nobody wins.

"I hope you suffer in prison for the rest of your useless life.

"I have no regard for you just like you had no regard for my daughter’s life."

Moody remains incarcerated at South Carolina's McCormick Correctional Institution.

On December 9, 2022, Brittanee's case was revisited in an episode of Dateline NBC titled The Last Walk.

On March 8, 2024, the investigation into her homicide was also the subject of the ABC 20/20 episode Into the Darkness.