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The girlfriend of the South Carolina killer who kidnapped, raped and murdered a teenager on spring break in Myrtle Beach in 2009 has admitted to lying to the FBI.
Court documents filed Monday show that Angel Vause, the girlfriend of convicted Brittanee Drexel murderer Raymond Moody, pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements, including making false statements to a government jurisdiction.
Vause, 56, told 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, a complaint filed in March states.
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.”
BRITTANEE DREXEL MURDER CASE: SC RESORT SAYS SHE WAS NEVER REGISTERED AS GUEST WHEN SHE VANISHED
Angel Vause, girlfriend of Brittanee Drexel murderer Raymond Moody, admitted to lying to the FBI. (Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office/Associated Press/Charleston County Detention Center)
Drexel, a 17-year-old from Rochester, New York, went missing on an April 2009 spring break trip to the popular vacation town before her remains were found in May 2022.
Surveillance video footage from the hotel Drexel was staying at on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach captured her leaving on the evening of April 25, 2009. She was meeting a friend at the nearby Blue Water Resort, which was the last time anyone other than Moody saw the teenager.
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Brittanee Drexel’s mother, Dawn Pleckman, filed a lawsuit on Jan. 2, 2023, accusing Raymond Moody, the man who murdered her daughter; Bar Harbor Resort, Inc.; and Smith Family Partners, LLC, of “wrongful conduct” resulting in Drexel’s murder while the 17-year-old was visiting Myrtle Beach with her adult friends in April 2009. (Lawsuit/ Myrtle Beach PD)
At 9 p.m., Drexel was walking alone in Myrtle Beach when Moody approached her while driving a Ford Explorer and kidnapped Drexel in his vehicle. He then transported the teenager 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 filed in South Carolina state.
Moody discarded Drexel’s phone in the North Santee River and buried her body in a “shallow grave.” Drexel’s family went 13 years without knowing what happened to her until authorities found her remains in 2022.
REMAINS OF NY TEEN BRITTANEE DREXEL FOUND 13 YEARS AFTER GOING MISSING IN SOUTH CAROLINA, SUSPECT CHARGED
At 9 p.m., Drexel was walking alone in Myrtle Beach when Raymond Moody approached her while driving a Ford Explorer and kidnapped the teenager. (Lawsuit)
Dawn Pleckan Conley, Drexel’s mother, told reporters on Monday that she thinks the guilty plea is “a resolution to what happened, and she will pay dearly for what she did to” Drexel, according to WMBF News.
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Drexel’s father, John Kahyaoglu, said he “got some happiness out of” Vause’s plea.
“I got a lot of happiness out of it, that she’s not just going to walk out of here,” Kahyaoglu said, according to WMBF. “A lot of people have been working on this and been waiting for this day. I can’t wait until sentencing, of course, but it’s been a long journey.”
Raymond Moody, 62, pleaded guilty Oct. 19, 2022, in Georgetown, South Carolina, to raping and killing 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel in 2009. (Jason Lee/The Sun News via AP)
Moody, now 64, pleaded guilty in October 2022 to kidnapping, raping and murdering the teenager.
“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 in the Georgetown County courthouse when he pleaded guilty.
Vause pleaded guilty as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors and faces a maximum of five years in prison for each of her three charges.
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A Boston man is facing charges after he allegedly lunged at a Burger King employee, punched a customer, and then resisted arrest at a nearby MBTA station in East Boston, authorities announced Monday afternoon.
Patrick Donovan, 59, was charged July 1 with one count of assault and battery causing injury on an over 60 or disabled person, assault and battery, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, assault, and vandalism, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office said in a press release.
The charges stem from an incident shortly before 10 p.m. on June 30, when Boston police responded to a disturbance call from Burger King at 1 Maverick Square, Hayden’s office said.
A Burger King employee told officers that, after ordering his food and receiving it, Donovan yelled that he no longer wanted it and smacked a napkin holder off the counter. He then allegedly lunged at an employee and grabbed her by the arm, prosecutors said.
Donovan subsequently shoved a customer from behind and allegedly punched him in the face three times while calling him racial slurs, the DA’s office said.
Emergency medical services evaluated the customer for “visible lacerations to the forehead,” but the victim declined additional treatment, authorities said.
Donovan fled the restaurant following the assaults, and officers tracked him to the nearby MBTA Maverick Station, prosecutors said.
“While officers tried to detain Donovan inside the station, he swung at them with a closed fist but did not make contact,” Hayden’s office said, noting that Donovan made racial slurs towards the officers. “Donovan was placed into custody after a brief struggle.”
During his arraignment in the East Boston division of the Boston Municipal Court, Donovan pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance. Court records show he was also ordered to stay away from Maverick Square and Burger King.
He is scheduled to return to court Aug. 7 for a pre-trial hearing, prosecutors said.
Officers obtained security footage of both assaults. Authorities said the incident remains under investigation and could result in further charges.
“Our workers deserve to be safe in their workplaces and our consumers deserve to be safe in their shopping or dining places, without exception,” Hayden said in a statement. “Beyond that, none of our citizens or first responders should be subjected to racial slurs. These appalling words have no place in Suffolk County or anywhere else in our society.”
Attorney information for Donovan was not immediately available Monday afternoon.
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A hit HBO documentary series is looking to Connecticut for stories to feature in its second season.
The show “Neighbors” follows on-going neighbor disputes across the country. The goal of the show is to help neighbors reach a resolution, according to the show’s casting director and executive producer Harleigh Shaw.
“Each story we explore, we spend extensive time with neighbors on both sides to really understand the full context beyond the disputes,” Shaw said.
Producers wanted to share stories in the second season that were based in states that weren’t featured earlier this year in the first season, including Connecticut, Shaw said.
“A lot of the things that we’re most interested in are things that may seem small, but become a bigger issue between the neighbors,” Shaw said. “Anything from disagreements over gardening practices to property lines to noise to dock issues, if it’s a waterfront property. A whole myriad of things. We’re really open to anything.”
However, the show does avoid situations that are violent or dangerous.
Residents from Connecticut looking to participate should be open to third party conflict resolution, according to Shaw.
“Some of the ways that we did that were through mediation,” Shaw said. “That’s a huge one. But there are other things in terms of resources we’d be open to help the neighbors to like help work through the issues.”
Filming will take place throughout the summer and is expected to be completed by the end of September.
The show’s production team is located in New York City and Los Angeles.
“Connecticut has always been really interesting because it’s just a short trip away, and we’re just curious to explore the types of neighbor dynamics that are going on there,” Shaw said.
Connecticut residents who are interested in being on “Neighbors,” can apply at helloneighbortv.com and are encouraged to submit information about themselves as well as their neighbor dispute.
“The neighbor disputes are the entry point for this show, but we’re always also just very interested in inspiring amazing people doing cool stuff,” Shaw said.
“Neighbors” premiered in February and was quickly renewed. The show averages about 3 million viewers per episode.
The show features stories that make viewers laugh and cringe, according to HBO Programming’s Executive Vice President Nina Rosenstein.
“At a time when even the smallest disagreements can spiral out of control, ‘Neighbors’ feels both hilariously absurd and surprisingly relatable,” Rosenstein said. “What makes the show special isn’t just the stories and people they find, but the empathy and humanity they bring to each episode.”
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