Mother's Unending Battle for Justice After Daughter's Brutal Murder
When Brittanee Drexel's mother discovered her 17-year-old daughter had secretly traveled to Myrtle Beach for spring break in 2009, she encountered every parent's deepest fear. The teenager was last captured on security footage leaving the Blue Water Resort on April 25, 2009, before being kidnapped, raped, and murdered. It would take thirteen agonizing years before her remains were discovered in May 2022, and her killer, Raymond Moody, was finally brought to justice later that year.
A Verdict Without Resolution
For Brittanee's mother, Dawn Conley Pleckan, the nightmare persists despite legal victories. After witnessing Moody receive a life sentence without parole, she initiated a wrongful death lawsuit in January 2023 against both Moody and the resort where Brittanee stayed. In a subsequent ruling, a jury determined that Moody intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon Brittanee's family, awarding them $200 million in actual damages and an additional $500 million in punitive damages.
However, Dawn has now filed a petition revealing that the monumental $700 million judgment remains entirely unpaid. She asserts that Moody possesses undisclosed assets, including a mobile home, which he has failed to surrender. Lawrence Hershon, her attorney at the Hershon Law Firm, explained the complexities of asset recovery in such cases.
"So instead of that being real estate, that's personal property, we have to go through a separate process to get recovery of that personal property that belonged to Mr Moody," Hershon told WHEC. "We're looking to get possession of that mobile home or have it sold so that we can then have complete control of the real estate that we've already acquired."
The Horrific Crime and Long Investigation
Brittanee Drexel was officially declared dead by the FBI in 2016, but her family only learned the full truth in 2022 when Moody surrendered to authorities. He provided a comprehensive confession to police and even guided them to Drexel's remains. During a hearing four years ago, Moody expressed remorse, stating, "I'm at a loss for words. I just have so much regret. I've realized it doesn't matter how sincere I am about how I feel about things I've done. It's just not enough."
He admitted to offering marijuana to Brittanee before raping and killing her at his campsite. The teenager had secretly left her home in Chili, New York, without her parents' knowledge to embark on the spring break trip. Her mother had explicitly forbidden the journey, warning, "I don't know the kids you're going with. There's no parental supervision and something's going to happen."
Complicit Accomplice and Gruesome Details
Moody's ex-girlfriend, Angel Cooper Vause, is currently serving an 18-year federal prison sentence for lying to the FBI during the investigation. Vause, then 57, was driving along Myrtle Beach's main strip when she spotted Brittanee walking alone. Moody revealed that Vause was attracted to him due to his criminal history, which included prior convictions for kidnapping and raping a nine-year-old girl in California.
Before the trip, Moody texted Vause, "So you want to go hunting with me, huh?" to which she replied, "Yeah." Moody later stated, "I had my eye on her and thought she was the one." The couple pretended to be tourists and offered Brittanee a ride to her hotel. Once she entered the vehicle, Moody handcuffed her, claimed to be a kidnapper, and demanded a $5,000 ransom.
Vause drove them to a tent near the Santee River, where Moody retrieved a briefcase containing sex toys from his apartment. He then raped and sodomized Brittanee before strangling her with a rope and stabbing her with an ice pick to ensure her death. Vause, although not participating in the assault or murder, watched from inside the tent before Moody buried the teenager's body in a shallow grave at a construction site.
A Mother's Persistent Crusade
In the years following Brittanee's murder, Dawn Pleckan has remained unwavering in her pursuit of justice. She frequently engages in speaking engagements to share her daughter's story and ensures that Moody and Vause are never allowed to forget their actions. Despite her efforts, she believes the system failed her daughter.
"Brittanee you have sparked a fire in me to fight with and for the families of the missing so they can have a resolution and justice that their missing loved one deserves," she wrote on the anniversary of Brittanee's disappearance. "I have seen with my own eyes what happens in most cases. God has a new path for me to do his work. Changes need to be made, more training, empathy, communication and accountability."
The case broke in May 2022 when Moody was arrested on obstruction of justice charges, leading to his confession. Brittanee's boyfriend, who remained in Rochester, New York, grew concerned when she stopped responding to texts, prompting the initial investigation. Dawn's fight continues as she seeks to enforce the $700 million judgment and ensure full accountability for the horrific crimes committed against her daughter.
