CHARLESTON, S.C. – A Georgetown woman was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for lying to investigators about her involvement in the 2009 kidnapping and murder of Brittanee Drexel, authorities said.
Angel Cooper Vause, 57, concealed critical details about the crime for over 13 years, according to evidence presented in court. She falsely claimed that Drexel willingly joined her and Raymond Moody and that she was not involved in taking Drexel’s cellphone.
Prosecutors said Vause assisted in luring the 17-year-old into a vehicle under the pretense of giving her a ride to her hotel and later left her alone with Moody, who raped and killed her.
The sentencing judge called Vause a “key participant in this tragedy,” highlighting her role in facilitating the kidnapping.
“For more than a decade, Brittanee’s loved ones were left to imagine the worst possible scenario,” U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs said in a statement. “We hope Brittanee’s loved ones can now have both the closure and a measure of justice.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen emphasized the seriousness of obstructing investigations, saying, “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will always investigate the facts and hold accountable anyone who distorts the truth.”
