Latest news with #Gates-ChiliHighSchool
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘I wish I could have one more hug': Celebration of life held in honor of Officer Cameron Girvin
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – On Saturday, close friends and family members of Officer Cameron Girvin gathered to celebrate his life and to remember the legacy he left behind as a kind-spirited person. 'I hope today can be the day we take the first step towards rebuilding the world around the whole his absence has left,' Girvin's older brother James Sheridan Jr. said. Girvin, a 2017 graduate of Gates-Chili High School, was one of two officers shot in the line of duty on Feb. 21 in Virginia Beach. He died the next day. Those who remember Girvin said he always pushed others to be the best version of themselves. His brother, Connor, reflected on his relationship with Cameron during Saturday's gathering. 'I remember driving around in Cameron's car and talking about our aspirations,' Connor Girvin said. 'We shared the same dream: to be good dads and better husbands. He wanted to be better for his kids, to break the cycle we grew up with. I believe he did break that cycle.' Girvin and his wife, Jessica, were expecting parents. The baby is due in August 2025. 'Phone call you never want to get': Parents of fallen police officer holding onto memories as they grieve loss of son During his time with the Virginia Beach Police Department, Girvin became close with his fellow officers. Those he worked alongside, including Detective Will Watts, remembered him for his impressive skillset and his clear passion for law enforcement. 'Of all the guys I've worked with in my career, Cam was probably one of the most impressive officers I have ever worked with,' Watts said. Those closest to Girvin, including Officer Chris Grimm, said they hope to carry on his legacy of embracing positivity and spreading kindness. 'Cam wasn't just the best cop I ever worked with, he was one of my best friends,' Grimm said. 'I think everyone is a better person from knowing him.' A funeral was held in Virginia Beach for Officer Girvin and Officer Reese earlier this month in Virginia Beach. The GoFundMe to support Girvin's family as they navigate the loss can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Yahoo
Timeline: Brittanee Drexel murder case — 2009 til now
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW/WROC) — The scheduled sentencing of Angel Vause on Thursday for lying to FBI agents likely brings an end to criminal proceedings in the case murder case of New York teenager Brittanee Drexel. Drexel came to Myrtle Beach for spring break in April 2009, and her kidnapping and murder sparked a story of nationwide interest that culimated with Vaue's sentencing on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Charleston. Her killer, Raymond Moody, is serving a life sentence in state prison after confessing to her murder. Below is a timeline of coverage compiled by News13 and WROC in Rochchester, New York, where Drexel lived: Drexel travels to Myrtle Beach from the Rochester, New York, area for spring break with a group of friends. Drexel leaves her friends at the Bar Harbor Hotel to meet a friend at the Blue Water Resort. She was last seen on hotel surveillance leaving the Blue Water Resort shortly before 9 p.m. She texted her boyfriend, saying she was walking back to the Bar Harbor Hotel. On the same day an initial search for Drexel began, Moody, a registered sex offender, is issued a traffic ticket in Surfside Beach. Moody would later claim he was out of town at this time. The ticket would be used to prove otherwise. Multiple people reported seeing a person matching Drexel's description on a bus in Myrtle Beach. That person left the bus on Ocean Boulevard. Police investigated the claims. That same day, WROC in Rochester learns that Peter Brozowitz, one of Drexel's friends who was in Myrtle Beach at the time of her disappearance, had retained an attorney. The attorney said he did so due to 'repetitive questioning' from police. For years, Brozowitz would be considered the last person to see Drexel alive. Drexel's family also says they deposited money into her ATM account, hoping to see some activity on her card. No activity was detected, but police said they traced her cell phone to an area south of Georgetown County. Police release hotel surveillance video of Drexel, along with traffic camera footage from the main drag. Drexel's parents and Peter Brozowitz appeared on the 'Dr. Phil' show, bringing the case into the national spotlight. Drexel's story was featured on 'America's Most Wanted.' Chad Drexel, Brittanee's adopted father, received a call from her cell phone, only to find out the cell company had given her number to a new customer. Drexel's story is featured on the 'People' magazine. Campers find sunglasses that investigators think could be linked to the case. Myrtle Beach police say they had three or possibly four persons of interest in Drexel's disappearance. Drexel's classmates at Gates-Chili High School in New York remember her at their graduation ceremony. The school issues an honorary diploma and invits her family to the graduation. School officials say it was the first honorary diploma issued in Gates-Chili High School history. Timothy Shaun Taylor, 37, is arrested and accused of trying to kidnap a 20-year-old woman in Myrtle Beach. That woman claimed two men jumped out of a van and tried to abduct her. She said she elbowed one of the men in the face and escaped. Police initially think the case might be connected to Drexel's disappearance. Those charges were dropped five months later, with police saying the cases were not related. Prompted by Drexel's disappearance, the city of Myrtle Beach announces plans to install 20 new surveillance cameras across the city to boost security. Drexel's story is featured on the Investigation Discovery show 'Disappeared.' Acting on anonymous tip, police search an area near Charleston, South Carolina. Drexel's mother, Dawn Pleckan, says it was the 47th search conducted since her daughter disappeared. Drexel's case is one of many to be reexamined by investigators with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Cue Center for Missing Persons organizes a 'large scale' search. On the weekend before the two-year anniversary of Drexel's disappearance, family members, law enforcement and volunteers conduct another search but come up empty. Authorities search an apartment that belonged to Raymond Moody at the time of Drexel's disappearance. Moody, Moody who would later plead guilty to kidnapping and killing Drexel, no longer lived there at the time. A search team scours an island off the coast of McClellanville based on a tip from a fisherman, but find no new evidence. Authorities identify Moody, a convicted child rapist, as the primary person of interest in Drexel's disappearance. Police say he was 'one of many people' they had investigated. Days after the three-year anniversary of Drexel's disappearance, her friends and family gather in Myrtle Beach to plant a tree in her honor. A week before what would have been Drexel's 21st birthday, her mother sends a letter to Myrtle Beach media outlets questioning whether the friends Drexel was with the day she disappeared had told police everything they knew. She claims Drexel's friends never looked for her and refused to report her missing. A candlelight vigil is held at Drexel's memorial tree in Myrtle Beach on her birthday. The Cue Center for Missing Persons releases an age-progressed artist sketch of Drexel. A vigil is held at Ontario Beach Park in Rochester, New York, to mark the four-year anniversary of Drexel's disappearance. South Carolina authorities search a new area in connection to the Drexel case. Investigators say new technology made additional cell phone data available, leading to the expanded search area. Nothing new was found. A special petition is started with the goal of getting the U.S. Justice Department to review the case. It surpasses its goal. The FBI says investigators think Drexel was kidnapped, taken to the McClellanville area, held against her will for days, and then ultimately killed. They also announced a $25,000 reward for information about the crime. It's the first time authorities publicly say they think Drexel was murdered. The 'Charleston Post and Courier' newspaper names 26-year-old Timothy Da'Shaun Taylor as the man who might have thrown Drexel's body into an alligator pit. Drexel's father Chad says Taylor was the son of the Timothy Shaun Taylor who was arrested in 2010. The newspaper reports that the FBI said an informant told them Timothy D. Taylor held, raped, and killed Brittanee at her home before disposing of her body in an alligator-infested swamp. Taylor was arrested weeks later on an unrelated robbery charge. His attorneys claim he was immediately interrogated about the Drexel case, for which he was never charged. Taylor releases a statement maintaining his innocence. He claims the FBI was given false information by an inmate desperate to cut a deal. Taylor's mother also denies the accusations. Chad Drexel issues a statement saying he thinks allegations are true. Chad Drexel creates a petition asking a grand jury to weigh in and either validate or discredit the supposed eyewitness claims. The petition calls for Taylor and his father to be indicted for Brittanee's murder if the grand jury finds the claims to be truthful. Drexel's mother, Dawn Pleckan, starts a foundation in her daughter's honor. Brittanee's Little Angels was created with the goal of helping families of missing children and human trafficking victims. Investigators search a property outside Georgetown. The FBI calls the search a matter of 'investigative activity' linked to Drexel'x disappearance. They did not provide any information about the evidence or tip which led them to search the area. Investigators say they made 'some progress,' but did not elaborate. Timothy D. Taylor is arrested after authorities say he violated the terms of bail after a robbery arrest by crossing county lines. Federal prosecutors say Taylor failed a polygraph test administered in 2017 regarding the Drexel case. Prosecutors urge a judge to sentence Taylor to up to 20 years in prison, under a plea deal in a robbery case. The defense team claims federal prosecutors were only pursuing a lengthy prison sentence because of a lack of closure in the Drexel case. Drexel's family holds a vigil in Myrtle Beach on the nine-year anniversary of her death. A federal court judge in Charleston reinstates bond for Timothy Da'Shaun Taylor, who was jailed after violating the terms of his release. In 2016, a prison inmate told law enforcement Taylor was involved in Drexel's disappearance. Weeks later, federal agents arrested Taylor on an unrelated robbery charge. His attorneys claimed he was immediately interrogated about the Drexel case, but no charges were filed. Authorities confirm Moody was arrested on May 4 in Georgetown County on an obstruction charge. He was a person of interest in 2012 but was never charged in connection with the case. News13 reports that the offense date listed for Moody's obstructing justice charge is listed as the same date Drexel disappeared. Moody is granted bond on the obstruction of justice charge by remains in the Georgetown County Detention Center on a $100,00 bond. Documents show Moody is not allowed to leave South Carolina and must wear a GPS monitor. Moody is charged with murder after Georgetown County officials have confirms that remains found in a wooded area along Old Town Avenue in Harmony Township were those of Drexel. Authorities say Moody confessed to killing Drexel and led authorities to her body. Georgetown County Coroner Chase Ridgeway says exactly how Drexel died remains a mystery, saying her cause of death remained 'undetermined.' Moody apologizes and cries during court while referring to himself as a 'monster' before he is sentenced to life in prison for killing Drexel. Prosecutors laid out in court how investigators were able to link to the death of Drexel. Authorities say Moody is being evaluated at the Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center in Columbia before he's permanently assigned to a state prison. 'Brittanee wanted to get married,' her mother, Dawn Pleckan says in a statement aimed at Moody. 'She loved kids and wanted to be a mom, a career woman, a wife. But you took that all away from her.' 'She's about four feet down,' Moody says of Drexel in an interview contained in documents showing his confession to Drexel's murder. The documents outlining Moody's interactions with Drexel were released by the 15th Circuit Solcitor's Office, which investigated the case. Dawn Plecklan, Drexel's mother, sues Moody, seeking judgment against him for all 'damages' suffered fromthe loss of her daughter. She demanded a jury trial. Moody's handwritten response to a lawsuit file by Drexel's family are revealed. In the documents, he says, 'I do deny each & every question/statement listed in the requests for admission,' the letter reads. The letter was dated April 3 and filed in court on April 14, according to court records. Drexel's estate sues Moody and the Bar Harbor Resort in Myrtle Beach, where they say she stayed before her for Drexel's estate announced the lawsuit in a news conference Thursday afternoon in Georgetown County. Attorneys for the Bar Harbor Resort where Drexel stayed before her disappearance denied a series of allegations contained in a lawsuit filed by Drexel's family. The hotel says Drexel was never a registered guest and that might have been friends with another guest at the resort. Drexel's family previously said she was staying at the hotel without the permission of her parents. Timothy D'Shaun Taylor's sues in U.S. District Court in Charleston, claiming false narratives pushed by the FBI during the Drexel invexsigation caused irreversible emotional strain. Vause is given a $10,000 bond in U.S. District Court in Charleston after being accused of three counts of lying to investigators in the Drexel case. Vause agrees to plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Charleston to two counts of making false statements to federal agents — each carries maximum penalties of five years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Vause is set to plead guilty in U.S. District Court to lying to federal investigators during the search for Drexel's killer. It's expected she could face up to 10 years in prison. Vause rejects 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 Drexel's disappearance and death. Federal prosecutors say the might pursue a kidnapping charge against the girlfriend of Brittanee Drexel's killer after she rejected a plea agreement on charges of lying to FBI investigators. Court filings show Vause scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Sept. 9 in Charleston. Vause turned down a deal on Aug. 28 that would have seen her admit to two counts of making false statements to federal agents during their probe into Drexel's disappearance. On the even of Vause's scheduled sentencing for lying to investigators, Timothy Taylor's mother, Joan, says at a news conference that Drexel's family and loved ones deserve closure. 'However, justice cannot be served by falsely accusing innocent individuals while allowing others who may have been involved to evade scrutiny,' she said. Vause admits for the first time that her story about the April 25, 2009, with Drexel was a lie, pleading guilty in U.S. District Court in Charleston to three counts of making a false statement to federal agents. Federal authorities say Vause could get up to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of making a false statement to federal agents during the Drexel invetigation. Sentencing documents released Vause's sentencing in federal court in Charleston paint a sordid picture of how Vause and Moody, interacted with the New York teenager. The documents also lay out Moody's history as a sexual predator in California, including a stint in a California prison from 1983-2004 after he admitted to 'stalking, abducting and raping' seven young women over two years, including one who was 8 years old. A pair of lawsuits filed against Moody are set to have hearings in February and March. Drexel's mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Moody in Georgetown County in January 2023. Public records show a civil trial is set for Feb. 24 at the Georgetown County Judicial Center. Pleckan filed another lawsuit in Richland County in November 2023, naming Moody and the Bar Harbor Resort, where Drexel was staying when she disappeared. Public records show that case is set on the trial roster for the week of March 10. A sentencing memorandum filed on Feb. 3 by Vause's attorney seeks a maximum of 87 months — or 7.25 years — for the 57-old, who in September pleaded guilty to three counts of lying to the FBI over the course of their probe into Drexel's disappearance and death. Her sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 13 * * * Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
