Civil trial against Brittanee Drexel’s killer continues in Georgetown County

GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WBTW) — Closing statements are expected Tuesday during Day 2 of a civil trial against the man who kidnapped, raped and murdered Brittanee Drexel in April 2009 in Georgetown County.

Drexel’s mother, Dawn Conley, sued Raymond Moody for intentional infliction of emotional distress in January 2023, blaming him not only for taking the New York teenager’s life, but lying about it for years as the case drew national attention.

After years of tracking down tips and searching for Drexel, authorities charged Moody with murder in May 2022 after confirming that remains found in a wooded area along Old Town Avenue in Harmony Township were those of Drexel, who was last seen alive in Myrtle Beach.

Moody was brought into the courtroom Monday afternoon in a wheelchair after being transported from the McCormick Correctional Institution, where he is serving a life sentence for killing Drexel. Circuit Judge Alex Hyman is hearing the case.

Conley’s attorneys said on Monday that the jury trial is about taking away property that Moody inherited and giving the property’s monetary equivalent to Conley. They said it’s not about closure, but about making one more step toward resolution and accountability for what happened to Conley after Drexel was killed.

They also said it’s about showing other predators that if they try to do something similar to what Moody did in the Georgetown County community, they and their families will be held accountable.

“Justice comes in many dimensions and in this case has been a long time coming. This trial is about more than a verdict—it’s about delivering long-overdue justice in this part of the civil case and providing a measure of resolution for Brittanee’s family and all who have fought for this moment,” Conley’s attorney Roy T. Willey IV said in a statement.

Conley was one of three witnesses to testify on Monday. She talked about Brittanee and her childhood and how they were a close-knit family. She said Brittanee’s disappearance and death consumed her and hurt her relationship with her other children, eventually leading to her being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, agoraphobia and panic attacks.

The lawsuit is one of two Conley has filed against Moody and others she blames for her daughter’s death. A November 2023 lawsuit she filed in Richland County named Moody, the Bar Harbor Resort where Drexel was staying when she disappeared while on spring break, and Smith Family Partners. A trial is set for March 10.