‘He hasn't let her go': Heather Elvis' family reacts to Sidney Moorer wanting new trial
Moorer and his wife, Tammy, were convicted in the kidnapping of Elvis, who disappeared in December 2013.
Elvis was 20 years old when she went missing. Her abandoned car was found at Peachtree Landing in Socastee, but authorities have not found her almost 12 years later.
Sidney Moorer was first found guilty of obstruction of justice in 2017 in connection with Elvis' disappearance before being found guilty on a kidnapping charge in a 2019 retrial.
In a post-conviction relief form, it states Sidney Moorer wants a new trial because his attorney 'did very little work.'
Moorer also claims prosecutors withheld evidence and changed their timeline to get Moorer convicted of kidnapping Heather Elvis.
Debbi Elvis, Heather's mother, said in every appeal Moorer has filed, he has asked for a new trial. She said she is worried Moorer may get a new trial and be found not guilty of kidnapping her daughter.
Morgan Elvis, Heather's sister, said she believes Heather's case and Moorer's trial were fair.
'It's been looked at by so many people, by so many courts, by so many officials, and nothing has been slipped through the cracks,' Morgan said. 'However, I do want to say that, in a system where he is able to advocate and fight for himself, I just wish he had thought the same, that Heather might have wanted to fight and advocate for her life as well.'
Almost 12 years after Heather disappeared, Morgan said many people have become desensitized to Heather's story, so much so that the Elvis family has received hateful messages and seen rumors about Heather online.
News13 asked Debbi and Morgan if they think they will see Heather again, if she will be able to tell her own story.
'I do wish I could see her again,' Morgan said. 'But the problem is, I wish I could see who she was again. The reality is, the person you bring home from any kind of traumatic situation is never the person that left.'
Debbi said, if she sees Moorer in court again, she would want to tell him one thing.
'I would like to just beg him to let Heather go,' Debbi said. 'I said that to the judge when I gave my victim's impact statement, that I wanted the sentence to be longer, because he's still holding her hostage. He hasn't let her go.'
Tammy Moorer is serving a 30-year sentence after being convicted of kidnapping Elvis in 2018.
The Moorer's previous appeals were denied in 2023.
* * *
Skylar Musick is a multimedia journalist at News13. Skylar is originally from Long Island, New York. She joined the News13 team in June 2024 after graduating from Villanova University in May 2024. Follow Skylar on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
2 hours ago
- Politico
MAGA world swallows a difficult truth: Arresting Trump's opponents is easier said than done
The issue flared most prominently last month when the Justice Department and FBI made the whiplash-inducing admission that the so-called Epstein files do not contain a 'client list' of celebrity sex traffickers. The existence of such a list has been an article of faith among MAGA influencers for years, and Trump aides' efforts to unwind the conspiracy theories have plunged the administration into weeks of turmoil and recriminations. 'What's the time? Oh look, it's no-one-has-been-arrested-o'clock again,' Elon Musk wrote in a July 7 post on X. The targets so far To be sure, the Trump administration has brought criminal charges against some Democrats and other officials who oppose — or are perceived as opposing — the president's agenda. They include Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), who was arrested while visiting an immigration detention center, and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan, who was charged with obstructing federal immigration authorities. Trump has also used other powers of his office to target perceived foes, like yanking the security clearances of lawyers who have worked on cases against him and ordering agencies to cancel contracts with law firms that have employed those lawyers. (Those efforts have largely been blocked by federal courts.) And he has ordered the Justice Department to investigate former Department of Homeland Security official Miles Taylor and former cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs, who have become vocal Trump critics. He has also called for the impeachment of judges who have blocked his policies. But Trump's base wants more. Far-right influencers have clamored for arrests stemming from a range of other purported conspiracies, including: the allegation that Obama and his top aides engaged in a 'treasonous conspiracy' in how they handled intelligence related to Russia's attempt to influence the 2016 election; the theory that Biden's aides committed crimes by allegedly covering up his cognitive decline, and that Biden's end-of-term pardons are invalid; the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump through rampant fraud; and the false claim that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was orchestrated by the government. Trump himself has floated investigations, arrests and prosecutions for many of those involved. Each example, amplified by Trump and his closest allies, has been backed by little to no evidence but has nevertheless become dogma among MAGA supporters. Now they're seething over the lack of action. 'Number of tweets that President Trump & his team have sent about arresting Russia Hoax traitors: 275,322. Number of arrests that President Trump & his team have made of Russia Hoax traitors: 0,' Emerald Robinson, a prominent pro-Trump broadcaster, recently posted. Another pro-Trump activist, Laura Loomer, demanded the Justice Department arrest Comey, the former FBI director, for a controversy over an Instagram post of seashells spelling out '86 47,' which Trump allies said was a coded threat against the president. For now, the administration appears willing to open all manner of investigations, even those seen as flimsy and unlikely to lead to actual arrests. Attorney General Pam Bondi this week ordered a grand jury investigation of the Russia-related allegations. Fox News' Laura Ingraham recently reported that Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is being eyed by the U.S. attorney in Maryland over mortgage paperwork — an allegation Schiff has called political retaliation. Smith, the former special prosecutor who brought two federal criminal cases against Trump, is under the gaze of the Office of Special Counsel, which probes allegations of improper political activity by government officials. None of the matters have yielded any criminal or ethics-related charges to date. The cycle moves to Texas Now, the Texas redistricting battle has ignited the cycle anew. Texas House leaders have authorized the civil arrest of Democrats to compel their attendance at a special session to consider redistricting legislation. But their power only extends to Texas' borders, and more than 50 of the Democratic lawmakers have fled to friendlier turf, like Illinois and Massachusetts.
NBC News
4 hours ago
- NBC News
Labubu burglars make off with thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise from L.A.-area store
LOS ANGELES — A group of burglars snatched a bunch of the summer's most sought-after toy after they broke into a Los Angeles County store overnight, the shop said on Instagram. One Stop Sales in La Puente said four men broke into the store and stole "all of our inventory," which included a number of the trendy Labubu dolls — toothy, gremlin-looking plush toys that have exploded in popularity. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said deputies responded to a burglary in the 600 block of Glendora Avenue in La Puente, east of Los Angeles, at 1:29 a.m. Wednesday. "Several boxes of Labubu dolls were stolen, valued at approximately seven thousand dollars," the sheriff's department said in a statement. The burglars were using a stolen Toyota Tacoma that was recovered shortly after the burglary, the sheriff's office said. One Stop Sales posted in-store security video on Instagram that shows a group of masked men enter the store as the sound of breaking glass is heard. The men can be seen in the video taking boxes of merchandise from the store. "Today we got robbed, and they took all of our inventory trashed our store, we are still in shock, if you guys can share this post please and help us find these thief's!" One Stop Sales wrote on Instagram. According to the store's website, some of the pricer Labubus are going for $500. A Labubu collection that dropped in the spring was retailing for $27.99, but the retail market for the plush collectibles, specifically this summer, has been hot. The Labubu dolls are exclusively made and sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese retailer that is known for "blind box" collectibles. When they purchase one of the boxesm, buyers don't know which color or design Labubu they are getting until they open them. It wasn't immediately clear how many Labubus the burglars made off with. The store had been promoting its inventory on social media in the days leading up to the break-in.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Silly Goose frontman Jackson Foster arrested for pop-up concert at Chicago gas station after Lollapalooza gig
A rap-rock band's frontman was arrested for throwing a pop-up concert at a gas station just days after their 'legendary' Lollapalooza performance — despite claiming he had a deal to host the gig. Silly Goose frontman Jackson Foster, 23, was seen being handcuffed at a BP gas station in Chicago, Ill. on Saturday and taken into a police cruiser. 'What am I being arrested for?' Foster asked the officers in the video. Advertisement Foster walked through a crowd of cheering fans and yelled, 'They're only getting me, not the rest of the guys!' 4 Silly Goose frontman Jackson Foster was arrested during a pop-up concert at a gas station. sillygooseatl, /Instagram The arrest happened two days after Silly Goose performed at Lollapalooza's opening on Thursday, where an estimated 115,000 people attended each day. Advertisement 'Was I the only artist who played Lollapalooza and then went to jail?' Foster later wrote in an Instagram post. Foster was the only member of the band to be arrested for the impromptu performance. He claimed that the Atlanta-based band, which has 95,000 monthly Spotify listeners, received permission from the gas station manager to perform at the location for an hour in exchange for $100 nightly. 'We did the same thing last year and we had an arrangement with the dude who runs the gas station,' Foster told Chicago Q101. 'And he was cool with us playing there and we would just give him a couple of hundred bucks each night. Advertisement 4 Foster insisted that the band 'received permission from the manager' to perform. sillygooseatl, /Instagram 'We went to go do the same thing this year. He said we were all good and that we could play at the gas station.' Foster said the gig went well across the first two nights of the Lollapalooza weekend, but the band clashed with police on their third night playing at the gas station. 'We were playing and the cops showed up. I don't know if (the manager) changed his mind or what happened, but all of a sudden we stop playing, I get off the van and I'm put in handcuffs and brought to the police station,' he said. Advertisement 'At first, in the beginning of the set, the guy who worked there was standing in front like in the crowd smiling. When the cops got there, I saw the cars pull up and we kept playing. When they walked over to the van, we stopped playing. I never saw (the police) walk behind and talk to the guy at first. I'm sure they talked to him because I think he signed something for us to go to jail. I'm not really sure. 4 Video posted on social media showed Foster being handcuffed and taken into custody. sillygooseatl, /Instagram Police claimed the incident was much more serious than how Foster described it. The 'unruly' crowd's 'partying and mosh-pitting' allegedly blocked off the parking lot and sidewalk, according to police reports obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. 'Several people were surrounding a van with a band on top playing music at an extremely high volume,' the police report added. The general manager of the gas station alleged that there was no agreement between the business and the band, according to the Sun-Times 4 The crowd at the gas station was acting 'unruly' and 'mosh-pitting,' according to police records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. sillygooseatl, /Instagram Foster insisted that the band was trying to 'raise awareness' for their upcoming album set to be released Oct. 17. Advertisement Foster was charged with criminal trespass to property. The band has a series of shows booked in Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom between September and November 2025, according to its website. Silly Goose launched a fundraiser to hire an attorney for Foster and has raised $5,658 of its $8,000 goal as of Thursday night. Advertisement 'I am worried that can affect getting to Europe this winter and in the future,' he told the radio station. .
