Angel Cooper Vause, a 57-year-old resident of Georgetown, has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison. She pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about her involvement in the 2009 kidnapping and murder of Brittanee Drexel.
Court evidence revealed that Vause hid the truth about her role for over 13 years. Initially, she claimed that Brittanee willingly joined her and Raymond Moody and that she left them at the Pole Yard Boat Landing near Georgetown without taking Brittanee’s cell phone. However, it was later uncovered that Vause played a part in Brittanee's abduction and was complicit in her rape and murder. On the night of April 2009 when Brittanee disappeared, Vause helped Moody lure the 17-year-old into their vehicle under the pretense of giving her a ride to her hotel. Vause then left Brittanee with Moody at the site where she was raped and murdered, taking away her cellphone—the only means by which she could have sought help.
During sentencing, United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel emphasized Vause's significant role in facilitating the crime by describing her as a “key participant in this tragedy.”
U.S. Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs for the District of South Carolina commented on the case saying, “For more than a decade, Brittanee’s loved ones were left to imagine the worst possible scenario in Brittanee’s disappearance while Vause withheld the truth.” He expressed hope that this sentence provides some closure and justice for Brittanee's family.
Steve Jensen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Columbia field office stated, “The FBI is committed to following the evidence to uncover the truth,” adding that this sentence highlights "the gravity of lying during an investigation."
Vause received a sentence of 216 months imprisonment followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. The federal system does not allow parole.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the FBI Columbia Field Office, Myrtle Beach Police Department, and Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Winston Holliday and Elle E. Klein are prosecuting.
