Angel Vause rejects deal, headed to trial over charges of lying to FBI during Brittanee Drexel case

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WBTW) — The longtime girlfriend of Brittanee Drexel’s killer on Tuesday rejected a plea deal that could have sent her to prison for 16 years on two charges of lying to the FBI during their investigation into the teen’s disappearance and death.

Court records show Angel Vause, 56, was expected to plead guilty to two counts of making false statements to federal agents, but instead opted to face a jury, WCBD reported. A trial date has not yet been set.

She was indicted in March for lying to authorities as they investigated Raymond Moody, who’s serving a life sentence after confessing to the rape and murder of Drexel, a 17-year-old from Rochester, New York, who was last seen while on spring break in Myrtle Beach in 2009.

Last month, 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.

But on Aug. 15 — the planned date of her sentencing — both sides agreed to a 10-day continuance as she now faces maximum penalties of eight years for each count.

Moody confessed in October 2022 to killing Drexel. Five months earlier, Vause told an FBI agent she went home to get keys from a truck while Drexel was being assaulted and killed, but the indictments said she was actually going somewhere else.

Authorities also said Vause told the FBI that Drexel had her cellphone the entire time, but it was later proven that Vause had it before tossing it somewhere between Georgetown and Charleston.

Prosecutors said Vause played a critical role in forcing Moody’s confession because they initially built a case against her before he claimed responsibility.