One of the previous victims of Brittanee Drexel’s alleged killer – a sex offender previously convicted of raping seven underage girls – has come forward to describe the horror she suffered after being kidnapped and sexually assaulted by him in 1983 .
Kerri Harding, now 48, also expressed her outrage that Raymond Moody – who raped her when she was just eight – was released from prison after serving just under half of his 42-year sentence, which he received for sexually assaulting her and six other girls in Vallejo, California.
Moody, now 62, was released in 2004. In April 2009, investigators alleged that he kidnapped, raped and strangled 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel while she was on a spring-break trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
In an interview with The US Sun, Harding said: “This hurts me so much because if he were behind bars, Brittanee would still be with us today.”
Kerri Harding, pictured here as a child, said she was 8 when Raymond Moody abducted her from a Northern California playground
Moody confessed to killing Brittanee Drexel on May 4, 2022 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A week later, her remains were found outside of Georgetown
Drexel, a native of Rochester, New York, was in South Carolina with friends on spring break when she was last seen
Harding said she’s still haunted by the words he said to her when she was eight, “Let’s get in the back, we’re gonna fuck.” Moody was 23 at the time.
Years later, on May 4, 2022, he confessed to killing Drexel. A week later, her remains were found outside of Georgetown.
Originally from Rochester, New York, the teenager was out with friends at the time — unbeknownst to her parents.
He now faces counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping and criminal sexual misconduct, all of which are eligible for the death penalty.
In a separate interview with WHEC, Harding said, “He’s a demon and a monster and he needs to be killed. The world would be a better place without him.”
Harding told The Sun that on a winter morning in 1983 she met a friend in a schoolyard for a play date.
As she walked near the school, Harding first encountered Moody, who was standing by his car and hopping a basketball.
Describing her abduction in 1983, Harding said, “Everything happened in the blink of an eye. He had me in his car and was driving away within seconds.
Harding said of Drexel’s killing: “I was nauseous, that’s all I can say, I was nauseous. He must be taken away forever. I’m so, so sorry this happened to her.
Moody told her not to go the way she was going because repairs were being made to a fence. Harding said she ignored him but realized he was telling the truth so she turned and walked back to find the predator waiting.
Then Harding says, “Everything happened in a jiffy. He had me in his car and was driving away within seconds.’
Harding said Moody lowered her head in the passenger seat while steering with one hand.
Moody told her that she was too young to travel alone and that he would take her to a police station.
Eventually, Moody took Harding to what appeared to be an abandoned housing site, where he told her, “Did anyone tell you you had a beautiful body?”
Harding said his next words haunted her forever, Moody told her, “Let’s go to the back, we’re gonna fuck.” At age 8, Harding said she didn’t understand what he meant.
After hours of brutal treatment, Harding was able to convince Moody to allow her to go to the bathroom while he held her hair.
When Harding tried to urinate, a pool of blood spurted out, causing Moody to lose her hands.
Harding ran to a couple who were looking at one of the houses with a realtor. From there, they were able to alert authorities as Moody sped away from the scene.
In her interview, Harding spoke about how difficult it was for her family members to hear about her ordeal. She said: “My uncles were very strong men and seeing them so devastated and feeling so helpless is something I will never forget as long as I live.”
Shortly after the incident, Harding said that her mother and aunt drove her around the area where she was abducted in hopes of spotting Moody’s car.
After some time, Moody recalled that his car was adorned with a green bumper sticker used by military personnel to gain access to the nearby naval dockyard.
Harding was able to identify a green sticker on Moody’s car indicating he had access to a local naval yard. This helped detectives arrest him in 1983
Moody was arrested the following day. Reports from this period indicate that Moody had been a second-class corporal at Mare Island Naval Shipyard.
After his release from Solano, California State Penitentiary, Moody moved across the country to Georgetown, South Carolina.
When Moody was first named as a suspect in Drexel’s disappearance in 2012, Harding told WMBF News that she went to the police.
It was also the first time she found out that Moody had been released halfway through his 42-year sentence.
She said: “I did everything I thought possible to help them have evidence that he did this to Brittanee. For example, I told them to bring my notes over here and compare them to Brittanee’s notes, and they did, and the similarities were uncanny.”
Harding continued: “I was nauseous, that’s all I can say, I was nauseous. He must be taken away forever. I’m so, so sorry this happened to her.”