Family of man initially targeted by FBI as Brittanee Drexel’s killer condemns Vause on eve of federal court appearance

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WBTW) — It’s been nearly a decade since the FBI first set their sights on Timothy Taylor Jr. as the person responsible for the violent rape and murder of Brittanee Drexel.

Taylor, who was a teenager when Drexel disappeared in 2009 while on spring break in Myrtle Beach, has never been publicly cleared as her killer despite a confession by Raymond Moody that he was responsible for ending the 17-year-old Drexel’s life.

On Monday, Moody’s 56-year-old girlfriend Angel Vause will appear in U.S. District Court where she’s expected to change her plea after rejecting a deal last month on two charges of lying to investigators — a move that could send her to prison for 16 years.

But that’s enough for Taylor’s mother, Joan.

“Our hearts are with Brittanee’s family and loved ones who deserve justice and closure,” she said at a Sunday news conference in front of the Charleston courthouse that Vause will be inside of. “However, justice cannot be served by falsely accusing innocent individuals while allowing others who may have been involved to evade scrutiny.”

In March, Taylor filed a 68-page lawsuit accusing the federal government of intentionally inflicting emotional distress, abuse of process and gross negligence. The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a motion to dismiss the claim in August, records show.

The FBI named Taylor a person of interest in the Drexel case in 2016 after a jailhouse informant said that the McClellanville teen had murdered and raped her.

Taylor’s team had reiterated that he was innocent from the beginning, stating that Taylor, then 16, was in class at the time of the crime. Documents released in 2018 showed that he failed a polygraph test, which are known to be unreliable and are generally not allowed to be presented as evidence in court.

Drexel’s remains were found in May 2022 after Moody, 62, led authorities to her body.

Vause was indicted in March for lying to the FBI as they investigated Moody, a Georgetown man now serving a life sentence after confessing to Drexel’s rape and murder.

In July, Vause agreed to plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Charleston to two counts of making false statements to federal agents — each carrying a penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

“It is important to note that only after we filed a lawsuit that the FBI decided to pursue charges against Angel Vause. This sequence raises serious questions about the timing, motivation and integrity of the investigation,” Taylor said Sunday.

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