Joran van der Sloot
Encyclopedia
Joran Andreas Petrus van der Sloot (ˈjɔːrɑn vɑn dər ˈsloʊt; born August 6, 1987) is a Dutch
national who lived in Aruba
. He has been indicted
by a federal grand jury
in the United States
for wire fraud
and extortion
related to the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway
, who disappeared
in Aruba on May 30, 2005, and is charged in Peru
with the first-degree murder
and robbery
of Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramírez, who died in the Peruvian capital Lima
on May 30, 2010, exactly five years after Holloway's disappearance.
Van der Sloot was apprehended on June 3, 2010, in Chile
and was deported
to Peru the next day. On June 7, he confessed to causing the death of Flores Ramírez and was transferred on June 11 to Miguel Castro Castro
maximum security prison in Lima, where he is awaiting trial and faces 30 years imprisonment. He has since attempted to legally retract
his confession, claiming that he had been intimidated
by the National Police of Peru
and framed
by the FBI
. However, a Peruvian judge ruled on June 25, 2010, that the confession is valid.
The Holloway and Flores Ramírez cases both attracted widespread media attention. Van der Sloot continued to be the subject of international news coverage from prison, leading to controversies that resulted in the investigation and suspension of Peruvian officials. Time
magazine declared Van der Sloot's arrest the top crime story of 2010.
, Netherlands
. He is the eldest of three sons born to Paul van der Sloot (1952–2010), a lawyer
, and Anita van der Sloot-Hugen, an art teacher. In 1990, his family moved from Arnhem to Aruba. He was an honor student at the International School of Aruba
. He was considered a star soccer and tennis athlete at the school. Van der Sloot competed in doubles tennis with his father at the Moët et Chandon
Anniversary Cup in 2005. He hoped to play for Saint Leo University
near Tampa, Florida
. Van der Sloot's mother said he had a problem with lying and had a tendency to sneak out of the house at night to go to casinos.
Van der Sloot (then age 17) and brothers Deepak Kalpoe (then age 21) and Satish Kalpoe (then age 18), were arrested on June 9, 2005, as suspects in the May 30, 2005 disappearance of an 18-year-old American
woman, Natalee Holloway
. The Kalpoes were released from custody on July 4, but were re-arrested on August 26 on suspicion of rape and murder, while Van der Sloot remained in custody. Van der Sloot and the Kalpoes were released on September 3 because of a lack of evidence. After his release, Van Der Sloot was required to stay within Dutch territory pending the results of the investigation. On September 5, 2005, Van der Sloot returned to the Netherlands to study international business management at a university, the Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen
. On September 14, a higher court removed the travel restrictions. Gerold G. Dompig, former deputy commissioner of the Aruba Police Force
, stated that the initial arrests were made prematurely under pressure from Holloway's family. Dompig charged that the family sidetracked the investigation by making it difficult for the police to collect evidence to solve the case.
that neither he nor the Kalpoe brothers had sex with Natalee, but he admitted that they initially agreed to lie to the authorities. He said that they first told police that Holloway was dropped off alone at her hotel. Van der Sloot later said that he was dropped off with the teen at the beach. He stated that he left Holloway alone at the beach at her request and that he regretted it.
On February 6, 2006, Van der Sloot's parents broke their silence on Good Morning America
, saying that their son was unfairly singled out and that the investigation left them devastated.
On February 16, 2006, while Van der Sloot and his father were in New York City
for an interview with ABC Primetime
, they were served with a lawsuit filed by Natalee's parents, Beth and Dave Holloway, alleging personal injury by Joran van der Sloot against Holloway and alleging that the father created a permissive environment. However, the case was dismissed on jurisdiction
al grounds on August 3, 2006.
In April 2007, De zaak Natalee Holloway
(The Case of Natalee Holloway), a Dutch language
book by Van der Sloot and reporter Zvezdana Vukojevic, was published by Sijthoff
in the Netherlands. Van der Sloot started writing the book while attending business classes in Arnhem. He stated in the introduction, "I see this book as my opportunity to be open and honest about everything that happened, for anyone who wants to read it."
On November 21, 2007, Van der Sloot was re-arrested in Arnhem, Netherlands, simultaneously with the Kalpoe brothers in Aruba for "suspicion of involvement in voluntary manslaughter and causing serious bodily harm that resulted in the death of Natalee Holloway" because of what the Aruba prosecutor's office stated was "new incriminating evidence" related to the disappearance of Holloway. Van der Sloot was returned to Aruba on November 23, and a court hearing on November 26 ruled to continue his detention for eight days. The Kalpoe brothers were released on December 1. Van der Sloot was ordered released on December 7, and he was released without charge the same day.
by crime reporter Peter R. de Vries
, Van der Sloot threw a glass of red wine into De Vries' face.
On February 3, 2008, an undercover video made by De Vries aired on Dutch television purporting to show Van der Sloot smoking marijuana and admitting to being present during Holloway's death. The show was watched by 7 million viewers in the Netherlands and was the most popular non-sports program in Dutch television history. Patrick van der Eem
, working undercover for De Vries, had befriended Van der Sloot, who was unaware that he was being taped when he said that Holloway had suffered some kind of seizure while having sex on the beach. After failing to revive her, he said that he summoned a friend named Daury, who loaded her on a boat and dumped her body into the sea. The prosecutor in Aruba determined the video was admissible, but the evidence was deemed insufficient to warrant re-arrest. Although the taped confession appeared damning, Van der Sloot argued that he was lying to impress Van der Eem, whom he believed to be a drug dealer. On September 22, 2008, in New York, De Vries accepted an International Emmy Award in Current Affairs for his coverage while accompanied by Beth Holloway. Under pressure of the attention from the program, Van der Sloot voluntarily checked into a psychiatric clinic before departing for Thailand
. He moved to Muang Ake, a suburb of Bangkok
, to study business at Rangsit University
, but dropped out and bought Sawadee Cup, a restaurant next to the campus that served sandwiches and pizza.
In November 2008, De Vries aired undercover footage of Van der Sloot making preparations for the apparent sex trafficking of Thai
women in Bangkok
. De Vries claimed that Van der Sloot was making $13,000 for every woman sold into prostitution in the Netherlands. Van der Sloot used the alias of "Murphy Jenkins" to avoid Thai authorities. Peruvian Minister of Justice
Aurelio Pastor
said that Thailand is pursuing criminal charges against Van der Sloot. According to The National Enquirer
, he is being investigated for his involvement in the disappearance of young women he may have recruited for a Thai sex slave gang while posing as a production consultant for a modeling agency
that would send them to Europe.
On April 19, 2009, Van der Sloot was portrayed by actor Jacques Strydom in the Lifetime television film Natalee Holloway
, which was based on the bestselling book Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith
by Natalee's mother Beth Holloway
. The movie brought in the highest television ratings
in Lifetime's 11-year history at the time. Van der Sloot himself watched the film one evening in 2010, according to his friend John Ludwick, and said that some parts were true while others were not.
In August 2009, Van der Sloot was spotted in Macau
at the Asia Pacific Poker Tour
. He won over $
12,000 that year in an online poker
tournament. He described himself on his YouTube
page as "a professional poker player" and cited the poker
strategy guide Ace on the River as his favorite book. In early 2010, Van der Sloot sold his restaurant business and returned to Aruba after the death of his father.
, Netherlands), was arrested on June 22, 2005, for questioning in the disappearance of Holloway. Paul was ordered released on June 26 after three days of questioning. According to Aruba's chief prosecutor, one of the Kalpoe brothers told investigators that Paul, who at the time was training to be a judge, advised that without a body, the police would have no case. Beth Twitty (Holloway's married name at the time) pursued Van der Sloot's parents in the ensuing media circus
on Aruba. She said that Paul acknowledged that they could not control their son and had sent him to a psychiatrist
.
On November 10, 2005, Paul van der Sloot won an unjust detention action against the Aruban government, clearing him as a suspect and allowing him to retain his government contract. The elder Van der Sloot then brought a second action, seeking monetary damages for himself and his family because of his false arrest. The action was initially successful, but the award of 40,000 Aruban florin
s (US$22,300) was reversed on appeal. The family's finances were depleted by the legal expenses. In January 2007, Paul found work as a managing partner at the law firm that represented him.
On November 24, 2008, On the Record aired an interview with Joran van der Sloot in which he alleged said that he sold Holloway into sexual slavery
, receiving money both when Holloway was taken, and later on to keep quiet. He also alleged that he paid the Kalpoe brothers for their assistance, and that his father paid off two police officers who had learned that Holloway was taken to Venezuela
. Van der Sloot later retracted the statements made in the interview. The show also aired part of an audio recording provided by Van der Sloot, which he alleged is a phone conversation between him and his father, in which the father displays knowledge of his son's purported involvement in human trafficking
. According to Mos, the voice heard on the recording is not that of Paul van der Sloot. The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf
reported that the "father's" voice is almost certainly that of Joran van der Sloot himself, trying to speak in a lower tone.
On January 8, 2010, Paul cancelled his partnership at the law firm where he had been working. On February 10, 2010, he died of a heart attack at the age of 57 while playing tennis in Aruba. Joran returned to Aruba soon afterward and turned to gambling. His mother Anita said that Joran had severe mental problems and blamed himself for his father's death. He left before she could have him psychiatrically committed
, leaving a note: "I'm gone, do not worry."
, with an offer to reveal the location of her daughter's body and the circumstances surrounding her death for an advance of US$
25,000 against a total of $250,000. Kelly said that he secretly went to Aruba in April to meet with Van der Sloot, who was desperate for money, and gave him $100. Kelly notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation
to set up a sting operation
with the Aruban authorities. On May 10, Van der Sloot allegedly accepted the amount of $15,000 by wire transfer
to his account in the Netherlands, following a cash payment of $10,000 that was videotaped by undercover investigators in Aruba. In exchange, Van der Sloot told Kelly that his father buried Holloway's remains in the foundation of a house. Authorities determined that the information that he in return provided was false, because the house had not yet been built at the time of Holloway's disappearance. Van der Sloot later e-mailed Kelly that he lied about the house. Holloway was shocked that the FBI did not promptly file extortion charges against Van der Sloot, allowing him to leave freely with the money to Bogotá
, Colombia
, on his way to Lima
, Peru
. The FBI and the office of the U.S. Attorney
contended that the case had not yet been sufficiently developed.
On June 3, 2010, the U.S. District Court of Northern Alabama
charged Van der Sloot with extortion
and wire fraud
. U.S. Attorney Joyce W. Vance issued an arrest warrant
through Interpol
to have Van der Sloot prosecuted in the United States. On June 4, at the request of the U.S. Justice Department, authorities raided and confiscated items from two homes in the Netherlands, one of them belonging to reporter Jaap Amesz
who had previously interviewed Van der Sloot and claimed knowledge of his criminal activities. Aruban investigators used information gathered from the extortion case to launch a new search at a beach, but no new evidence was found. The Solicitor General said they would not seek Van der Sloot's extradition to Aruba. On June 30, a federal grand jury formally indicted Van der Sloot of the two charges. The indictment filed with the U.S. District Court seeks the forfeiture of the $25,100 that had been paid to Van der Sloot.
In an interview published by De Telegraaf on September 6, 2010, Van der Sloot admitted to the extortion plot, stating: "I wanted to get back at Natalee's family. Her parents have been making my life tough for five years." Van der Sloot's attorney said that his client was not paid for the interview and suggested that "maybe there were some mistakes in the translation."
in the Miraflores District
of Lima, Peru. On June 2, hotel receptionist Adeli Esmeralda Abad Marchena found her beaten body in room 309, which had been registered in Van der Sloot's name. He had departed from the hotel without returning the room key and left the television running. A tennis racquet
, identified by the coroner as a possible homicide weapon, was recovered from the room. A hotel guest and an employee came forward to say they saw Van der Sloot and the victim entering the hotel room together, and the police obtained video of the two playing cards at the same table the night before at the Atlantic City Casino in Lima. Van der Sloot had entered Peru via Colombia on May 14, 2010 to attend the Latin American Poker Tour
.
Flores Ramírez was a business student less than a year from graduation at the University of Lima
. She was the daughter of Ricardo Flores, a former president of the Peruvian Automobile Club and winner of the "Caminos del Inca" rally in 1991. A prominent businessman and entertainment organizer, he ran for vice president in 2001 and for president five years later on fringe tickets. Flores said that police found date rape
drugs in his daughter's car, parked about 50 blocks from the hotel where she died. Her jewelry, money, ID
and credit cards were missing; including about US$1000 her father had given her to purchase a laptop
and over $10,000 she had won earlier at the casino. Stephany reportedly kept this money in her car, but a police search found no money in it.
After the family of Flores Ramírez reported her missing, police retrieved the hotel surveillance tape and obtained Van der Sloot's name and national identification number. Her brother's wife discovered Van der Sloot's background in a Google
search about an hour before her body was found.
issued an international arrest warrant
for Van der Sloot, believing that he had fled the country to Chile
and may have been traveling to Argentina
to return to Aruba. Van der Sloot was sighted entering Chile
via the Chacalluta border crossing, north of Arica
, on May 31, 2010. His ex-girlfriend Melody Granadillo said that Van der Sloot sent her a text message
asking for money to buy a ticket back to Aruba.
On June 3, Van der Sloot was arrested near Curacaví
by the Investigations Police of Chile while traveling in a rented taxi on Highway 68 between the coastal city of Viña del Mar
and the capital Santiago
. He was found with a laptop, foreign currency, a business card case, detailed charts of ocean currents around Lima, and bloody clothes. His phone's SIM card
was missing, which made mobile phone tracking
of his location impossible. He told Chilean police that unidentified armed robbers hid in the hotel room and killed Flores Ramírez when she disobeyed their order to be quiet. Van der Sloot's Dutch attorney claimed that his client was on his way to Santiago to turn himself in. He was subsequently transported by Chilean police in a Cessna 310
back to Arica and handed over to Peruvian authorities at the Chacalluta border crossing on June 4. Van der Sloot arrived at Lima police headquarters on June 5, where he was interrogated about the death while represented by attorney Luz Maria Romero Chinchay. The Dutch embassy provided a translator for his defense. He was permitted to contact his mother and was held in a seventh-floor cell. Van der Sloot was placed on suicide watch
by guards after it was reported that he deliberately hit his head against a wall. On June 10, he was moved to a cell at the prosecutor's office in central Lima.
table area on May 25, 2010, while accompanied by a male friend who was not Van der Sloot. According to casino spokesperson Luis Laos, she also won $237 playing poker
on May 29 and it was common for people to know the identities of big winners. Laos stated that Van der Sloot did not win any money that night. At 3:00 a.m. on May 30, Flores Ramírez was recorded entering the casino alone and walking to a poker table where Van der Sloot was sitting. Van der Sloot had not registered for the Latin American Poker Tour
. The deadline to pay the $2,700 entry fee for the June 2 event at the casino was May 30.
Police released hotel security video showing Van der Sloot and Flores Ramírez entering the Hotel TAC together at about 5:00 a.m. on May 30. At about 8:10 a.m., he is shown walking across the street to a supermarket and returning with bread and two cups of coffee. Around 8:45 a.m., he is seen leaving the hotel alone with his bags.
An autopsy ruled that Flores Ramírez had not had sexual intercourse before her death and that she was not under the influence of enough alcohol to prevent her from resisting an attack. She suffered blunt force trauma to her head, causing a brain hemorrhage, cranial fracture, and breaking her neck. She also suffered significant injuries to her face and showed signs of asphyxiation, according to court documents. Flores Ramírez tested positive for the presence of amphetamines. The lab report does not indicate whether the victim took the drugs willingly or unknowingly. The stains on Van der Sloot's clothes matched the blood type of Flores Ramírez. Blood was also found on the floor, hallway, and mattress in the hotel room. Police stated that DNA tests would be conducted on the clothes, skin found under the victim's fingernails, and the previously recovered tennis racquet. Ricardo Flores stated in interviews that his daughter's body needed to be exhumed to gather the fingernail DNA evidence, and that her body had not been cremated for this reason.
On March 14, 2011, the National Police of Peru
provided a copy of the hard disk drive from Van der Sloot's laptop computer to the FBI. Colonel Oscar González of the high tech division of the Peruvian police stated that the U.S. federal investigation was interested in information related to Holloway's disappearance and the alleged extortion of her family. Peruvian detectives determined that the laptop accessed information about the Holloway case before Flores Ramírez arrived in Van der Sloot's hotel room; it was then used to visit two poker websites at around the time Flores Ramírez was present in the room. According to a police dossier, the laptop was later used to search Google
for the subjects: "relationship between the Peruvian and Chilean police", "Chilean border pass
", " buses in Chile", and "countries that do not extradite
in Latin America."
, which is punishable by 6 to 20 years in prison, while a conviction for murder
could result in up to 35 years imprisonment. The prosecution is seeking a sentence of 30 years. Peru does not issue life sentences in standard cases of murder and has abolished capital punishment
in all but exceptional circumstances, such as crimes committed under military law. However, a life sentence can be issued for a murder committed during the commission of a robbery
. Peruvian president Alan García Pérez
used the case to seek the reinstatement of the death penalty for murder.
On June 8, Peruvian investigators reportedly planned to take Van der Sloot back to the hotel room for a re-enactment
of the crime scene as part of standard procedure, but waived it on the basis that his alleged confession was remarkably complete and corroborated by evidence. In the written confession released by Peruvian police, Van der Sloot recounted that he briefly left the hotel to get some coffee and bread, and returned to find Flores Ramírez using his laptop computer without his permission. A police source stated that she may have found information linking him to the disappearance of Holloway. An altercation allegedly began and she attempted to escape. According to the written confession that has been released by Peruvian authorities, Van der Sloot stated, "I did not want to do it. The girl intruded into my private life . . . she didn't have any right. I went to her and I hit her. She was scared, we argued and she tried to escape. I grabbed her by the neck and hit her." Van der Sloot reportedly stated that he was intoxicated with marijuana at the time. A detective linked to the case said that Van der Sloot considered getting rid of the body in a suitcase, but decided against it because he would have been stopped at the front desk. He then reportedly drank espresso
and took amphetamine
s to counter fatigue before fleeing.
Criminal police chief Cesar Guardia said Van der Sloot "let slip that he knew the place" where Holloway's body is buried. Guardia stated that the interrogation was limited to their case in Peru, which he considered "practically closed," and that questions about Holloway's disappearance were avoided. Guardia said that the confession contains lies because Van der Sloot's "toxicological report shows no signs that he had ingested any kind of drug." Felonies
committed under the influence of drugs can gain leniency in Peruvian courts. Guardia said that the motive for the crime was robbery. Van der Sloot reportedly offered a different motive for killing Flores Ramírez, stating that he "feared that she would go to the police." On June 14, Peruvian authorities released written transcripts of Van der Sloot's alleged confession. His mother Anita expressed concern that her son's confession may have been coerced
. According to Van der Sloot's former attorney Luz Maria Romero Chinchay, his mother advised him not to make any statements nor sign anything, but it was too late.
Van der Sloot later retract
ed this confession in a prison cell interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf
, claiming that he had been intimidated
and "tricked" by police with a promise to be transferred to the Netherlands. He stated that at the time he signed the confession documents, he did not understand the content as it was in Spanish. He was quoted: "In my blind panic, I signed everything, but didn't even know what it said." Van der Sloot said that he was lured to Peru and framed
by another gambler named Elton Garcia, who he claimed was working undercover for the FBI. Van der Sloot's attorney Maximo Alonso Altez Navarro stated his intention to resign because the case "created many problems" for him. He had been threatened and harassed for taking the case, and Van der Sloot's family was unable to afford his legal expenses. However, Altez Navarro stayed on to file a motion to void the confession on the grounds that his client was not properly represented during his interrogation. On June 25, Superior Court Judge Wilder Casique Alvizuri rejected the motion, noting that Van der Sloot was represented by a state-appointed lawyer
and provided a translator by the Dutch embassy. Altez Navarro said that Van der Sloot was as "depressed" as anyone in prison would be.
On June 11, 2010, Lima Superior Court Judge Juan Buendia ordered Van der Sloot held on charges of first-degree murder and robbery, determining that he acted with "ferocity and great cruelty". Under Peruvian law, Van der Sloot is not eligible to be released on bail
, and will be tried by a panel of three judges rather than a jury. A simple majority
of the three is required for conviction. Police transported Van der Sloot on the same day from Lima's Palace of Justice
in an armored truck while angry onlookers yelled and threw rotten lettuce. He was taken to Miguel Castro Castro maximum security prison and placed in a cell near the prison director's office for his own safety. He is registered as inmate #326390 and separated from the general prison population under 24-hour guard in a high-security cell block where the only other inmate is alleged Colombian hitman
Hugo Trujillo Ospina. Van der Sloot reportedly offered to disclose the location of Holloway's body in exchange for transfer to an Aruban prison because of fear for his life in Miguel Castro Castro prison. President Alan García Pérez said that Van der Sloot would have to stand trial for the homicide before any extradition
request would be considered. He also stated that Van der Sloot will serve his prison sentence in Peru. There is no treaty for the transfer of prisoners between Peru and the Netherlands.
On June 15, Aruban and Peruvian authorities announced that they would cooperate in their respective cases involving Van der Sloot. Aruban investigators expect to be able to interview Van der Sloot in Peru in August, after Peruvian authorities have completed their investigation. At his first formal hearing within the on-site courtroom of Miguel Castro Castro prison on June 21, Van der Sloot refused to discuss the case with Judge Carlos Morales Cordova, claiming that his rights and due process
were violated. Van der Sloot filed a complaint with the National Police of Peru, accusing chief detective Miguel Angel Canlla Ore of misconduct. He also claimed that his laptop had been improperly searched. Van der Sloot's defense counsel filed a motion of habeas corpus
disputing the legality of his detention and to nullify statements he gave to police, but the motion was declared "unfounded" by Superior Court Judge Wilder Casique Alvizuri on June 25. The judge upheld all three depositions given by Van der Sloot to police and stated that the defendant's laptop was sealed by the court. Defense attorney Altez Navarro vowed to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court of Peru
and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
with a legal strategy to "paralyze the process". The Peruvian court said that this would not hold up the case against Van der Sloot.
Altez Navarro stated that he filed suit against attorney Luz Maria Romero Chinchay, who first represented Van der Sloot during his interrogation, charging her with abuse of authority, conspiracy to commit a crime, and misrepresentation because he did not find her name on the list of public defender
s from the Ministry of Justice
. Altez Navarro also filed a complaint against Van der Sloot's translator, insisting that he misrepresented himself as an official translator of the Dutch embassy. Romero Chinchay rejected the claims against her, stating that Van der Sloot had selected her as a private attorney after declining another defense attorney appointed by the state. She contradicted his claims that he did not understand what he was signing by stating that she was able to speak with him in perfect Spanish. She said that Van der Sloot was interested in talking about the Holloway case, thinking that it might get him extradited to Aruba. Romero Chinchay also said that when she told Van der Sloot that she noticed he was signing various documents with very different signatures, he signaled for her to be quiet.
Altez Navarro stated on August 21, 2010 that the case is stagnating because an official interpreter is unable to be found for the case in Peru. The Peruvian association of translators and interpreters and the Dutch embassy both separately stated at the time that they have been unable to locate one to officially translate Spanish into Dutch. Unlike Aruba and the United States, Peru does not guarantee the right to a speedy trial
. On September 6, a Peruvian appeals court voted 2 to 1 to reject Van der Sloot's motion that he is being unlawfully held. Because 3 votes are required for a decision, if a fourth judge votes in Van der Sloot's favor, a fifth judge will be required to break the tie. Peruvian statutes permit a suspect to be detained for up to 18 months for interrogation, though Altez Navarro expressed skepticism that law enforcement officers will do so with his client.
In February 2011, Altez Navarro filed a "violent emotion" defense with the court, arguing that Van der Sloot had entered into a state of temporary insanity because Flores Ramírez found out about his connection to Holloway from his laptop computer. Under Peruvian law, if the judge accepts this crime of passion
argument, the sentence for such a plea could be reduced to only 3 to 5 years; Altez Navarro noted that this could allow Van der Sloot to be eligible for parole in as soon as 20 months. Oscar González of the Peruvian police stated that an examination of Van der Sloot's laptop determined that Flores Ramírez did not access such information while she was in the hotel room with him.
in Peru has been fueled by local media, which labeled Van der Sloot a "monster", "serial killer", and "psychopath". The coverage of this controversy highlighted cases of other women dying at the hands of foreigners. Peruvian and Colombian newspapers published sensationalist
articles about the investigation of the disappearance of two young women who frequented casinos during Van der Sloot's stay in at least two Bogota hotels from May 6 to 14, 2010, prior to entering Peru. However, the Administrative Department of Security of Colombia do not consider Van der Sloot a suspect as they believe his presence in Bogota was merely in transit to Peru.
Dutch daily newspaper Trouw
warned that the overwhelming pressure on authorities of Van der Sloot's presumed guilt risked turning the case into a show trial
. The Dutch consulate told Peruvian authorities that it was concerned how Van der Sloot was being treated and presented to the media.
In December 2010, Time
magazine named Van der Sloot's arrest the most important criminal event of the year, ahead of the Belgian love triangle skydiving murder case
, the Chinese school attacks
and the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping
trial. ABC News
listed the coverage of Van der Sloot's murder confession by Good Morning America
among the most read stories from its website in 2010. CBS 42
, the news affiliate in Birmingham
near Holloway's hometown, named the criminal charges filed against Van der Sloot in 2010 among the top ten stories of the year in Alabama
. Radio Netherlands Worldwide identified him as one of the most talked about Dutch people of the year.
, with reporters vying to gain exclusive access and report about his prison surroundings. Since his incarceration, he has only consented to interviews to De Telegraaf, in which he admitted to extorting the Holloway family and said that he received a number of marriage proposals in his cell, including one from a woman who wanted to have his child. Van der Sloot reportedly receives fan mail
from around the world, though mostly from women residing in the United States and the Netherlands. According to sources within the prison, Van der Sloot sought US$1 million in exchange for an on-camera interview.
The Office of Internal Affairs of the National Penitentiary Institute of Peru
began administrative and disciplinary action on August 23, 2010, when Peruvian network América Televisión
aired a picture of Van der Sloot with three other inmates that had been taken with official photographic equipment at Miguel Castro Castro prison. The photo included Van der Sloot casually posing with Colombian hitman Hugo Trujillo Ospina, accused of the contract killing
of Peruvian entrepreneur Myriam Fefer, and American William Trickett Smith II, accused of killing and dismembering
his Peruvian wife. Van der Sloot and Smith have been referred to by local media as "the foreigners accused of the most talked-about assassinations in our country."
On September 11, 2010, Beth Holloway and Peter R. De Vries traveled to Peru with a Dutch television crew to visit the prison. According to Van der Sloot's attorney Maximo Alonso Altez Navarro, his client was taken to meet them "practically by force." Altez Navarro stated that the meeting with Holloway took "less than one minute." Holloway said that she told Van der Sloot that she had "no hate in her soul" for him and asked about her daughter's disappearance, to which Van der Sloot responded by saying that he could not speak to her without his lawyer present and handing her his business card. According to Altez Navarro, Holloway was "snuck" into the prison without being identified by the Dutch media crew who she was with. A prison spokesperson stated that Holloway's name was not found in the visitor registry. Holloway and the crew were removed from the prison, reportedly after a hidden camera
was discovered by the guards. Representatives for Holloway and De Vries denied that a hidden camera was involved nor was anything seized. Miguel Castro Castro prison warden Alex Samamé Peña was suspended after video segments of the confrontation between Holloway's mother and Van der Sloot later began airing on Dutch network SBS6
.
In October 2010, América Televisión broadcasted video of a transaction for marijuana within the prison that was conducted by a shirtless man who was addressed as "gringo
Van der Sloot." Defense attorney Altez Navarro said that the situation was "staged" and asked the National Penitentiary Institute to investigate how it was leaked. Prison spokesperson Bruno Guzman said that Van der Sloot had been painting his cell "to improve his conditions" and that the incident was being investigated.
In November 2010, a forensic expert determined that a jawbone found on an Aruban beach was from a young woman. A part of the bone was sent to The Hague
for testing by the Netherlands Forensic Institute
against Natalee Holloway's dental records
. According to Altez Navarro, Van der Sloot began laughing when notified of the developments. Aruba Solicitor-General Taco Stein later announced that the bone was confirmed to be not from Holloway.
Van der Sloot's mother Anita stated in a Dutch interview that her son could have killed Flores Ramírez and that she will not visit him at the prison. She said in another interview that she hopes to talk to the family of the victim and apologize to them.
In February 2011, Altez Navarro protested a decision by prison officials to deny Radio Netherlands Worldwide permission for a subsequent interview with Van der Sloot. Altez Navarro claimed that the ruling was influenced by upcoming general elections.
On July 5, 2011, St. Martin's Press
published "Portrait of a Monster: Joran van der Sloot, a Murder in Peru, and the Natalee Holloway Mystery" by Lisa Pulitzer
and Cole Thompson.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
national who lived in Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
. He has been indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
by a federal grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for wire fraud
Wire fraud
Mail and wire fraud is a federal crime in the United States. Together, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343, and 1346 reach any fraudulent scheme or artifice to intentionally deprive another of property or honest services with a nexus to mail or wire communication....
and extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
related to the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway
Natalee Holloway
Natalee Ann Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, a Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. An American student from Mountain Brook, Alabama, Holloway graduated from Mountain Brook High School on May 24, 2005, shortly before the trip...
, who disappeared
Missing person
A missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
in Aruba on May 30, 2005, and is charged in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
with the first-degree murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
of Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramírez, who died in the Peruvian capital Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
on May 30, 2010, exactly five years after Holloway's disappearance.
Van der Sloot was apprehended on June 3, 2010, in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and was deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
to Peru the next day. On June 7, he confessed to causing the death of Flores Ramírez and was transferred on June 11 to Miguel Castro Castro
National Penitentiary Institute (Peru)
The National Penitentiary Institute of Peru is the government agency charged with incarcerating convicts and suspects charged with crimes. It is part of the Peruvian government's Ministry of Justice.-History:...
maximum security prison in Lima, where he is awaiting trial and faces 30 years imprisonment. He has since attempted to legally retract
Retraction
A retraction is a public statement, by the author of an earlier statement, that withdraws, cancels, refutes, diametrically reverses the original statement or ceases and desists from publishing the original statement...
his confession, claiming that he had been intimidated
Intimidation
Intimidation is intentional behavior "which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities" fear of injury or harm. It's not necessary to prove that the behavior was so violent as to cause terror or that the victim was actually frightened.Criminal threatening is the crime of intentionally or...
by the National Police of Peru
National Police of Peru
The Peruvian National Police is the national police force of Peru. Its jurisdiction covers the nation's land, sea, and air territories. Formed from the merger of the Investigative Police, the Civil Guard, and the Republican Guard in 1988, it is one of the largest police forces in Latin America...
and framed
Frameup
A frame-up or setup is an American term referring to the act of framing someone, that is, providing false evidence or false testimony in order to falsely prove someone guilty of a crime....
by the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
. However, a Peruvian judge ruled on June 25, 2010, that the confession is valid.
The Holloway and Flores Ramírez cases both attracted widespread media attention. Van der Sloot continued to be the subject of international news coverage from prison, leading to controversies that resulted in the investigation and suspension of Peruvian officials. Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine declared Van der Sloot's arrest the top crime story of 2010.
Background
Joran van der Sloot was born in ArnhemArnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He is the eldest of three sons born to Paul van der Sloot (1952–2010), a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, and Anita van der Sloot-Hugen, an art teacher. In 1990, his family moved from Arnhem to Aruba. He was an honor student at the International School of Aruba
International School of Aruba
The International School of Aruba is a school with students of many nationalities. In 2006, the school moved to a new campus offering a more centralized location for the students....
. He was considered a star soccer and tennis athlete at the school. Van der Sloot competed in doubles tennis with his father at the Moët et Chandon
Moët et Chandon
Moët & Chandon , or Moët, is a French winery and co-owner of the luxury goods company Moët-Hennessy • Louis Vuitton. Moët et Chandon is one of the world's largest champagne producers and a prominent champagne house. The company holds a Royal Warrant to supply champagne to Elizabeth II...
Anniversary Cup in 2005. He hoped to play for Saint Leo University
Saint Leo University
Saint Leo University is a private, non-profit, Roman Catholic liberal arts university established in 1889 and located in Saint Leo, Florida, 35 miles north of Tampa. The University is associated with the Holy Name Monastery, a Benedictine convent, and Saint Leo Abbey, a Benedictine monastery...
near Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. Van der Sloot's mother said he had a problem with lying and had a tendency to sneak out of the house at night to go to casinos.
Natalee Holloway disappearance
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman, Natalee Holloway
Natalee Holloway
Natalee Ann Holloway disappeared on May 30, 2005, during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, a Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. An American student from Mountain Brook, Alabama, Holloway graduated from Mountain Brook High School on May 24, 2005, shortly before the trip...
. The Kalpoes were released from custody on July 4, but were re-arrested on August 26 on suspicion of rape and murder, while Van der Sloot remained in custody. Van der Sloot and the Kalpoes were released on September 3 because of a lack of evidence. After his release, Van Der Sloot was required to stay within Dutch territory pending the results of the investigation. On September 5, 2005, Van der Sloot returned to the Netherlands to study international business management at a university, the Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen
Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen
The HAN University of Applied Sciences , often abbreviated as HAN, is a university of applied sciences with campuses in Arnhem and Nijmegen in the Netherlands. It offers Bachelor and Master degrees in a wide range of subjects. Arnhem Business School is the international department of HAN University...
. On September 14, a higher court removed the travel restrictions. Gerold G. Dompig, former deputy commissioner of the Aruba Police Force
Aruba Police Force
The Aruba Police Force is the law enforcement agency of the island of Aruba. The force operates under the authority of the Ministry of Justice.-Organization:...
, stated that the initial arrests were made prematurely under pressure from Holloway's family. Dompig charged that the family sidetracked the investigation by making it difficult for the police to collect evidence to solve the case.
Media coverage
On September 26, 2005, Van der Sloot said on the American television show A Current AffairA Current Affair (US TV series)
A Current Affair is an American television newsmagazine that aired in syndicated from July 1986 to 1996 before reappearing briefly in March 2005. The show was produced by 20th Century Fox, and long based at Fox's New York flagship WNYW.-Overview:...
that neither he nor the Kalpoe brothers had sex with Natalee, but he admitted that they initially agreed to lie to the authorities. He said that they first told police that Holloway was dropped off alone at her hotel. Van der Sloot later said that he was dropped off with the teen at the beach. He stated that he left Holloway alone at the beach at her request and that he regretted it.
On February 6, 2006, Van der Sloot's parents broke their silence on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, saying that their son was unfairly singled out and that the investigation left them devastated.
On February 16, 2006, while Van der Sloot and his father were in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for an interview with ABC Primetime
Primetime (TV series)
Primetime is an American news magazine show which debuted on ABC in 1989 with co-hosts Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and originally had the title Primetime Live.-Early history:...
, they were served with a lawsuit filed by Natalee's parents, Beth and Dave Holloway, alleging personal injury by Joran van der Sloot against Holloway and alleging that the father created a permissive environment. However, the case was dismissed on jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
al grounds on August 3, 2006.
In April 2007, De zaak Natalee Holloway
De zaak Natalee Holloway
De zaak Natalee Holloway: mijn eigen verhaal over haar verdwijning op Aruba is an autobiographical non-fiction book written by Joran van der Sloot with Zvezdana Vukojevic. It was released in 2007 in the Dutch language by Amsterdam-based publisher Sijthoff...
(The Case of Natalee Holloway), a Dutch language
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
book by Van der Sloot and reporter Zvezdana Vukojevic, was published by Sijthoff
Luitingh-Sijthoff
Luitingh-Sijthoff is a publishing company based in the Netherlands that releases fiction and nonfiction books for the Dutch language market. It is a subsidiary of Dutch conglomerate NDC VBK de uitgevers.-History:...
in the Netherlands. Van der Sloot started writing the book while attending business classes in Arnhem. He stated in the introduction, "I see this book as my opportunity to be open and honest about everything that happened, for anyone who wants to read it."
2007 search and arrest
On April 27, 2007, a new search involving some twenty investigators was launched at Van der Sloot's parents' home on Aruba. Dutch authorities searched the yard and surrounding area, using shovels and thin metal rods to penetrate the dirt. A spokesman for the prosecutor's office, Vivian van der Biezen, stated "The investigation has never stopped and the Dutch authorities are completely reviewing the case for new indications". A statement released directly from the prosecutor's office stated: "The team has indications that justify a more thorough search." Investigators did not comment on what prompted the new search, except that it was not related to Van der Sloot's book.On November 21, 2007, Van der Sloot was re-arrested in Arnhem, Netherlands, simultaneously with the Kalpoe brothers in Aruba for "suspicion of involvement in voluntary manslaughter and causing serious bodily harm that resulted in the death of Natalee Holloway" because of what the Aruba prosecutor's office stated was "new incriminating evidence" related to the disappearance of Holloway. Van der Sloot was returned to Aruba on November 23, and a court hearing on November 26 ruled to continue his detention for eight days. The Kalpoe brothers were released on December 1. Van der Sloot was ordered released on December 7, and he was released without charge the same day.
2008 Dutch television sting operations
On January 11, 2008, after being challenged on the Dutch late-night talk show Pauw & WittemanPauw & Witteman
Pauw & Witteman is a Dutch late-night talk show, hosted by Jeroen Pauw en Paul Witteman. It is generally focused on current affairs and politics. It is broadcast every weekday at 11 pm on Nederland 1. It is produced by Dutch public broadcasters NPS and VARA....
by crime reporter Peter R. de Vries
Peter R. de Vries
Peter Rudolf de Vries is a Dutch Investigative Journalist and crime reporter. His television program covers high profile cases and set a Dutch television viewing record. In 2005, he started his own political party which was disbanded soon after.-Early life and career:Peter Rudolf de Vries was born...
, Van der Sloot threw a glass of red wine into De Vries' face.
On February 3, 2008, an undercover video made by De Vries aired on Dutch television purporting to show Van der Sloot smoking marijuana and admitting to being present during Holloway's death. The show was watched by 7 million viewers in the Netherlands and was the most popular non-sports program in Dutch television history. Patrick van der Eem
Patrick van der Eem
Patrick Paul van der Eem is a Dutch Antillean entrepreneur and convicted drug dealer known for his part in the undercover television report about Joran van der Sloot that was produced by Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries...
, working undercover for De Vries, had befriended Van der Sloot, who was unaware that he was being taped when he said that Holloway had suffered some kind of seizure while having sex on the beach. After failing to revive her, he said that he summoned a friend named Daury, who loaded her on a boat and dumped her body into the sea. The prosecutor in Aruba determined the video was admissible, but the evidence was deemed insufficient to warrant re-arrest. Although the taped confession appeared damning, Van der Sloot argued that he was lying to impress Van der Eem, whom he believed to be a drug dealer. On September 22, 2008, in New York, De Vries accepted an International Emmy Award in Current Affairs for his coverage while accompanied by Beth Holloway. Under pressure of the attention from the program, Van der Sloot voluntarily checked into a psychiatric clinic before departing for Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. He moved to Muang Ake, a suburb of Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, to study business at Rangsit University
Rangsit University
Rangsit University is a private institution of higher education with the primary aim of creating graduates in the area of study meeting the requirements of national development by focusing mainly on science , technology, design and management including independent professions which are requisites...
, but dropped out and bought Sawadee Cup, a restaurant next to the campus that served sandwiches and pizza.
In November 2008, De Vries aired undercover footage of Van der Sloot making preparations for the apparent sex trafficking of Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
women in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. De Vries claimed that Van der Sloot was making $13,000 for every woman sold into prostitution in the Netherlands. Van der Sloot used the alias of "Murphy Jenkins" to avoid Thai authorities. Peruvian Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Peru)
The Ministry of Justice of Peru is the government ministry charged with advising the President of Peru in judicial matters.The ministry is responsible, among other matters, for the national prison system as well as the state's relationship with the Roman Catholic Church in Peru.The current...
Aurelio Pastor
Aurelio Pastor
Aurelio Pastor Valdivieso is a Peruvian politician and a former Congressman representing San Martín for the 2006-2011 term. Pastor belongs to the Peruvian Aprista Party. He was soundly defeated in his 2011 campaign for congressional representative of Lima....
said that Thailand is pursuing criminal charges against Van der Sloot. According to The National Enquirer
The National Enquirer
The National Enquirer is an American supermarket tabloid now published by American Media Inc . Founded in 1926, the tabloid has gone through a variety of changes over the years....
, he is being investigated for his involvement in the disappearance of young women he may have recruited for a Thai sex slave gang while posing as a production consultant for a modeling agency
Modeling agency
A modeling agency is a company that represents fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and or the head agency....
that would send them to Europe.
On April 19, 2009, Van der Sloot was portrayed by actor Jacques Strydom in the Lifetime television film Natalee Holloway
Natalee Holloway (film)
Natalee Holloway is a 2009 film directed by Mikael Salomon. The made-for-television movie is based on Beth Holloway's book about the 2005 disappearance of her daughter Natalee Holloway. The film stars Amy Gumenick as Natalee Holloway, Tracy Pollan as Beth Holloway-Twitty, and Jacques Strydom as...
, which was based on the bestselling book Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith
Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith
Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith is an autobiography written by Beth Holloway about her missing daughter Natalee Holloway, with portions contributed by Sunny Tillman...
by Natalee's mother Beth Holloway
Beth Holloway
Elizabeth Ann Reynolds "Beth" Holloway, also previously known as Beth Twitty, is an American speech pathologist and motivational speaker. Holloway specializes in teaching special needs children in public schools...
. The movie brought in the highest television ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
in Lifetime's 11-year history at the time. Van der Sloot himself watched the film one evening in 2010, according to his friend John Ludwick, and said that some parts were true while others were not.
In August 2009, Van der Sloot was spotted in Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
at the Asia Pacific Poker Tour
Asia Pacific Poker Tour
The Asia Pacific Poker Tour started in 2007 and is the first major poker tour in this region. Like its counterparts, the European Poker Tour, Latin American Poker Tour, and North American Poker Tour, it is sponsored by PokerStars. The tour was created by President Jeffrey Haas and Director of...
. He won over $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
12,000 that year in an online poker
Online poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...
tournament. He described himself on his YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
page as "a professional poker player" and cited the poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
strategy guide Ace on the River as his favorite book. In early 2010, Van der Sloot sold his restaurant business and returned to Aruba after the death of his father.
Father's involvement in the case
Joran's father, Paulus Antonius Petrus Johanna "Paul" van der Sloot (born February 15, 1952; BoxtelBoxtel
Boxtel is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.This is the origin of the van Boxtel family, which has numerous descendants in North Brabant....
, Netherlands), was arrested on June 22, 2005, for questioning in the disappearance of Holloway. Paul was ordered released on June 26 after three days of questioning. According to Aruba's chief prosecutor, one of the Kalpoe brothers told investigators that Paul, who at the time was training to be a judge, advised that without a body, the police would have no case. Beth Twitty (Holloway's married name at the time) pursued Van der Sloot's parents in the ensuing media circus
Media circus
Media circus is a colloquial metaphor, or idiom, describing a news event where the media coverage is perceived to be out of proportion to the event being covered, such as the number of reporters at the scene, the amount of news media published or broadcast, and the level of media hype...
on Aruba. She said that Paul acknowledged that they could not control their son and had sent him to a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
.
On November 10, 2005, Paul van der Sloot won an unjust detention action against the Aruban government, clearing him as a suspect and allowing him to retain his government contract. The elder Van der Sloot then brought a second action, seeking monetary damages for himself and his family because of his false arrest. The action was initially successful, but the award of 40,000 Aruban florin
Aruban florin
The florin is the currency of Aruba. It is subdivided into 100 cents. The florin was introduced in 1986, replacing the Netherlands Antillean guilder at par.-History:...
s (US$22,300) was reversed on appeal. The family's finances were depleted by the legal expenses. In January 2007, Paul found work as a managing partner at the law firm that represented him.
On November 24, 2008, On the Record aired an interview with Joran van der Sloot in which he alleged said that he sold Holloway into sexual slavery
Sexual slavery
Sexual slavery is when unwilling people are coerced into slavery for sexual exploitation. The incidence of sexual slavery by country has been studied and tabulated by UNESCO, with the cooperation of various international agencies...
, receiving money both when Holloway was taken, and later on to keep quiet. He also alleged that he paid the Kalpoe brothers for their assistance, and that his father paid off two police officers who had learned that Holloway was taken to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Van der Sloot later retracted the statements made in the interview. The show also aired part of an audio recording provided by Van der Sloot, which he alleged is a phone conversation between him and his father, in which the father displays knowledge of his son's purported involvement in human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
. According to Mos, the voice heard on the recording is not that of Paul van der Sloot. The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf
De Telegraaf
De Telegraaf is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper, with a daily circulation of approximately . De Telegraaf is based in Amsterdam...
reported that the "father's" voice is almost certainly that of Joran van der Sloot himself, trying to speak in a lower tone.
On January 8, 2010, Paul cancelled his partnership at the law firm where he had been working. On February 10, 2010, he died of a heart attack at the age of 57 while playing tennis in Aruba. Joran returned to Aruba soon afterward and turned to gambling. His mother Anita said that Joran had severe mental problems and blamed himself for his father's death. He left before she could have him psychiatrically committed
Involuntary commitment
Involuntary commitment or civil commitment is a legal process through which an individual with symptoms of severe mental illness is court-ordered into treatment in a hospital or in the community ....
, leaving a note: "I'm gone, do not worry."
2010 charges in the United States
Around March 29, 2010, Van der Sloot allegedly contacted John Q. Kelly, legal representative of Natalee's mother Beth HollowayBeth Holloway
Elizabeth Ann Reynolds "Beth" Holloway, also previously known as Beth Twitty, is an American speech pathologist and motivational speaker. Holloway specializes in teaching special needs children in public schools...
, with an offer to reveal the location of her daughter's body and the circumstances surrounding her death for an advance of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
25,000 against a total of $250,000. Kelly said that he secretly went to Aruba in April to meet with Van der Sloot, who was desperate for money, and gave him $100. Kelly notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
to set up a sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
with the Aruban authorities. On May 10, Van der Sloot allegedly accepted the amount of $15,000 by wire transfer
Wire transfer
Wire transfer or credit transfer is a method of electronic funds transfer from one person or institution to another. A wire transfer can be made from one bank account to another bank account or through a transfer of cash at a cash office...
to his account in the Netherlands, following a cash payment of $10,000 that was videotaped by undercover investigators in Aruba. In exchange, Van der Sloot told Kelly that his father buried Holloway's remains in the foundation of a house. Authorities determined that the information that he in return provided was false, because the house had not yet been built at the time of Holloway's disappearance. Van der Sloot later e-mailed Kelly that he lied about the house. Holloway was shocked that the FBI did not promptly file extortion charges against Van der Sloot, allowing him to leave freely with the money to Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, on his way to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. The FBI and the office of the U.S. Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
contended that the case had not yet been sufficiently developed.
On June 3, 2010, the U.S. District Court of Northern Alabama
United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Cullman, De Kalb, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar,...
charged Van der Sloot with extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
and wire fraud
Wire fraud
Mail and wire fraud is a federal crime in the United States. Together, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343, and 1346 reach any fraudulent scheme or artifice to intentionally deprive another of property or honest services with a nexus to mail or wire communication....
. U.S. Attorney Joyce W. Vance issued an arrest warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
through Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
to have Van der Sloot prosecuted in the United States. On June 4, at the request of the U.S. Justice Department, authorities raided and confiscated items from two homes in the Netherlands, one of them belonging to reporter Jaap Amesz
Jaap Amesz
Jaap Amesz is a Dutch television personality. He gained fame as the first winner of the Dutch reality television series The Golden Cage, the predecessor to Big Brother...
who had previously interviewed Van der Sloot and claimed knowledge of his criminal activities. Aruban investigators used information gathered from the extortion case to launch a new search at a beach, but no new evidence was found. The Solicitor General said they would not seek Van der Sloot's extradition to Aruba. On June 30, a federal grand jury formally indicted Van der Sloot of the two charges. The indictment filed with the U.S. District Court seeks the forfeiture of the $25,100 that had been paid to Van der Sloot.
In an interview published by De Telegraaf on September 6, 2010, Van der Sloot admitted to the extortion plot, stating: "I wanted to get back at Natalee's family. Her parents have been making my life tough for five years." Van der Sloot's attorney said that his client was not paid for the interview and suggested that "maybe there were some mistakes in the translation."
Death of Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramírez
On May 30, 2010, the fifth anniversary of Holloway's disappearance, Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramírez, 21, died at the Hotel TAC, S.A.C.S.A. (corporation)
S.A. designates a particular type of corporation in various countries, mostly those employing the civil law. It originated in Spain during the 16th century. Depending on language, the abbreviation stands for various phrases meaning anonymous society, anonymous company, anonymous partnership, or...
in the Miraflores District
Miraflores District, Lima
Miraflores is a district of the Lima Province in Peru. Known for its shopping areas, gardens, flower-filled parks and beaches, it is one of the upscale districts that make up the city of Lima....
of Lima, Peru. On June 2, hotel receptionist Adeli Esmeralda Abad Marchena found her beaten body in room 309, which had been registered in Van der Sloot's name. He had departed from the hotel without returning the room key and left the television running. A tennis racquet
Racquet
A racquet or racket is a sports implement consisting of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a network of cord is stretched tightly. It is used for striking a ball in such games as squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton...
, identified by the coroner as a possible homicide weapon, was recovered from the room. A hotel guest and an employee came forward to say they saw Van der Sloot and the victim entering the hotel room together, and the police obtained video of the two playing cards at the same table the night before at the Atlantic City Casino in Lima. Van der Sloot had entered Peru via Colombia on May 14, 2010 to attend the Latin American Poker Tour
Latin American Poker Tour
The Latin American Poker Tour started in May 2008, is a major poker tour in Latin America. The LAPT is sponsored by PokerStars, like its counterparts, the European Poker Tour , Asia Pacific Poker Tour , and North American Poker Tour ....
.
Flores Ramírez was a business student less than a year from graduation at the University of Lima
University of Lima
The University of Lima is a private university in Lima, the capital of Peru. It was founded in 1962. The decision to create the University of Lima was made in the early 1960s by a group of university professors, along with important commerce and industry representatives. It started with only 120...
. She was the daughter of Ricardo Flores, a former president of the Peruvian Automobile Club and winner of the "Caminos del Inca" rally in 1991. A prominent businessman and entertainment organizer, he ran for vice president in 2001 and for president five years later on fringe tickets. Flores said that police found date rape
Date rape
"Date rape", often referred to as acquaintance rape, is an assault or attempted assault usually committed by a new acquaintance involving sexual intercourse without mutual consent....
drugs in his daughter's car, parked about 50 blocks from the hotel where she died. Her jewelry, money, ID
Identity document
An identity document is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's personal identity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card...
and credit cards were missing; including about US$1000 her father had given her to purchase a laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
and over $10,000 she had won earlier at the casino. Stephany reportedly kept this money in her car, but a police search found no money in it.
After the family of Flores Ramírez reported her missing, police retrieved the hotel surveillance tape and obtained Van der Sloot's name and national identification number. Her brother's wife discovered Van der Sloot's background in a Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
search about an hour before her body was found.
Arrest
Peruvian officials named Van der Sloot as the lone suspect in the homicide investigation. InterpolInterpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
issued an international arrest warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
for Van der Sloot, believing that he had fled the country to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and may have been traveling to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
to return to Aruba. Van der Sloot was sighted entering Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
via the Chacalluta border crossing, north of Arica
Arica
Arica is a city in northern Chile. "Arica" may also refer to:Places* Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile* Arica Airport , Chile* Arica, Amazonas, town in Colombia* Rio Aricá-açu, tributary of the Cuiabá River south of Cuiabá, BrazilOther...
, on May 31, 2010. His ex-girlfriend Melody Granadillo said that Van der Sloot sent her a text message
Text messaging
Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
asking for money to buy a ticket back to Aruba.
On June 3, Van der Sloot was arrested near Curacaví
Curacaví
Curacaví is a city and commune in the Melipilla Province of central Chile's Santiago Metropolitan Region.-Geography and climate:Immersed among the hills of the coastal mountain range, Curacaví occupies an area of and borders the following communes: Casablanca, Quilpué, Lampa, Pudahuel, Maipú,...
by the Investigations Police of Chile while traveling in a rented taxi on Highway 68 between the coastal city of Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar , is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Its long stretches of white sandy beaches are a major attraction for national and international tourists. The city is Chile's main tourist attraction. Known as "La Ciudad Jardín" , Viña del Mar is a Chilean Municipality located...
and the capital Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. He was found with a laptop, foreign currency, a business card case, detailed charts of ocean currents around Lima, and bloody clothes. His phone's SIM card
Subscriber Identity Module
A subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module is an integrated circuit that securely stores the International Mobile Subscriber Identity and the related key used to identify and authenticate subscriber on mobile telephony devices .A SIM is held on a removable SIM card, which...
was missing, which made mobile phone tracking
Mobile phone tracking
Mobile phone tracking refers to the attaining of the current position of a mobile phone, stationary or moving. Localization may occur either via multilateration of radio signals between radio towers of the network and the phone, or simply via GPS...
of his location impossible. He told Chilean police that unidentified armed robbers hid in the hotel room and killed Flores Ramírez when she disobeyed their order to be quiet. Van der Sloot's Dutch attorney claimed that his client was on his way to Santiago to turn himself in. He was subsequently transported by Chilean police in a Cessna 310
Cessna 310
The Cessna 310 is an American six-seat, low-wing, twin-engined monoplane that was produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engined aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II.-Development:...
back to Arica and handed over to Peruvian authorities at the Chacalluta border crossing on June 4. Van der Sloot arrived at Lima police headquarters on June 5, where he was interrogated about the death while represented by attorney Luz Maria Romero Chinchay. The Dutch embassy provided a translator for his defense. He was permitted to contact his mother and was held in a seventh-floor cell. Van der Sloot was placed on suicide watch
Suicide watch
Suicide watch is an intensive monitoring process used to ensure that an individual does not die by suicide. Usually the term is used in reference to inmates in a prison, hospital, psychiatric hospital, or military bases...
by guards after it was reported that he deliberately hit his head against a wall. On June 10, he was moved to a cell at the prosecutor's office in central Lima.
Forensic investigation
Surveillance video from the Atlantic City Casino recorded Flores Ramírez winning US$10,000 at a baccaratBaccarat
Baccarat is a card game, played at casinos and by gamblers. It is believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the reign of King Charles VIII , and it is similar to Faro and Basset...
table area on May 25, 2010, while accompanied by a male friend who was not Van der Sloot. According to casino spokesperson Luis Laos, she also won $237 playing poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
on May 29 and it was common for people to know the identities of big winners. Laos stated that Van der Sloot did not win any money that night. At 3:00 a.m. on May 30, Flores Ramírez was recorded entering the casino alone and walking to a poker table where Van der Sloot was sitting. Van der Sloot had not registered for the Latin American Poker Tour
Latin American Poker Tour
The Latin American Poker Tour started in May 2008, is a major poker tour in Latin America. The LAPT is sponsored by PokerStars, like its counterparts, the European Poker Tour , Asia Pacific Poker Tour , and North American Poker Tour ....
. The deadline to pay the $2,700 entry fee for the June 2 event at the casino was May 30.
Police released hotel security video showing Van der Sloot and Flores Ramírez entering the Hotel TAC together at about 5:00 a.m. on May 30. At about 8:10 a.m., he is shown walking across the street to a supermarket and returning with bread and two cups of coffee. Around 8:45 a.m., he is seen leaving the hotel alone with his bags.
An autopsy ruled that Flores Ramírez had not had sexual intercourse before her death and that she was not under the influence of enough alcohol to prevent her from resisting an attack. She suffered blunt force trauma to her head, causing a brain hemorrhage, cranial fracture, and breaking her neck. She also suffered significant injuries to her face and showed signs of asphyxiation, according to court documents. Flores Ramírez tested positive for the presence of amphetamines. The lab report does not indicate whether the victim took the drugs willingly or unknowingly. The stains on Van der Sloot's clothes matched the blood type of Flores Ramírez. Blood was also found on the floor, hallway, and mattress in the hotel room. Police stated that DNA tests would be conducted on the clothes, skin found under the victim's fingernails, and the previously recovered tennis racquet. Ricardo Flores stated in interviews that his daughter's body needed to be exhumed to gather the fingernail DNA evidence, and that her body had not been cremated for this reason.
On March 14, 2011, the National Police of Peru
National Police of Peru
The Peruvian National Police is the national police force of Peru. Its jurisdiction covers the nation's land, sea, and air territories. Formed from the merger of the Investigative Police, the Civil Guard, and the Republican Guard in 1988, it is one of the largest police forces in Latin America...
provided a copy of the hard disk drive from Van der Sloot's laptop computer to the FBI. Colonel Oscar González of the high tech division of the Peruvian police stated that the U.S. federal investigation was interested in information related to Holloway's disappearance and the alleged extortion of her family. Peruvian detectives determined that the laptop accessed information about the Holloway case before Flores Ramírez arrived in Van der Sloot's hotel room; it was then used to visit two poker websites at around the time Flores Ramírez was present in the room. According to a police dossier, the laptop was later used to search Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
for the subjects: "relationship between the Peruvian and Chilean police", "Chilean border pass
Border control
Border controls are measures used by a country to monitor or regulate its borders.The control of the flow of many people, animals and goods across a border may be controlled by government Customs services. Security is enforced by various kinds of Border Guards and Coast Guards...
", " buses in Chile", and "countries that do not extradite
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
in Latin America."
Confession and retraction
On June 7, 2010, Van der Sloot reportedly confessed to killing Flores Ramírez, after hours of interrogation. He initially proclaimed his innocence. According to an expert in Peruvian law, the confession fit a defense strategy of trying to get the charge reduced to manslaughterManslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
, which is punishable by 6 to 20 years in prison, while a conviction for murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
could result in up to 35 years imprisonment. The prosecution is seeking a sentence of 30 years. Peru does not issue life sentences in standard cases of murder and has abolished capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in all but exceptional circumstances, such as crimes committed under military law. However, a life sentence can be issued for a murder committed during the commission of a robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
. Peruvian president Alan García Pérez
Alan García Pérez
Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez was the President of Peru, having won the 2006 elections on 4 June 2006 in a run-off against Union for Peru candidate Ollanta Humala. He is the leader of the APRA and the only party member ever to have served as President of Peru. He served a first term as...
used the case to seek the reinstatement of the death penalty for murder.
On June 8, Peruvian investigators reportedly planned to take Van der Sloot back to the hotel room for a re-enactment
Crime reconstruction
Crime scene reconstruction is the use of scientific methods, physical evidence, deductive reasoning, and their interrelationships to gain explicit knowledge of the series of events that surround the commission of a crime. It is a disciplined and principled approach towards objectively understanding...
of the crime scene as part of standard procedure, but waived it on the basis that his alleged confession was remarkably complete and corroborated by evidence. In the written confession released by Peruvian police, Van der Sloot recounted that he briefly left the hotel to get some coffee and bread, and returned to find Flores Ramírez using his laptop computer without his permission. A police source stated that she may have found information linking him to the disappearance of Holloway. An altercation allegedly began and she attempted to escape. According to the written confession that has been released by Peruvian authorities, Van der Sloot stated, "I did not want to do it. The girl intruded into my private life . . . she didn't have any right. I went to her and I hit her. She was scared, we argued and she tried to escape. I grabbed her by the neck and hit her." Van der Sloot reportedly stated that he was intoxicated with marijuana at the time. A detective linked to the case said that Van der Sloot considered getting rid of the body in a suitcase, but decided against it because he would have been stopped at the front desk. He then reportedly drank espresso
Espresso
Espresso is a concentrated beverage brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Espresso is widely known throughout the world....
and took amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
s to counter fatigue before fleeing.
Criminal police chief Cesar Guardia said Van der Sloot "let slip that he knew the place" where Holloway's body is buried. Guardia stated that the interrogation was limited to their case in Peru, which he considered "practically closed," and that questions about Holloway's disappearance were avoided. Guardia said that the confession contains lies because Van der Sloot's "toxicological report shows no signs that he had ingested any kind of drug." Felonies
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
committed under the influence of drugs can gain leniency in Peruvian courts. Guardia said that the motive for the crime was robbery. Van der Sloot reportedly offered a different motive for killing Flores Ramírez, stating that he "feared that she would go to the police." On June 14, Peruvian authorities released written transcripts of Van der Sloot's alleged confession. His mother Anita expressed concern that her son's confession may have been coerced
Coercion
Coercion is the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner by use of threats or intimidation or some other form of pressure or force. In law, coercion is codified as the duress crime. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way...
. According to Van der Sloot's former attorney Luz Maria Romero Chinchay, his mother advised him not to make any statements nor sign anything, but it was too late.
Van der Sloot later retract
Retraction
A retraction is a public statement, by the author of an earlier statement, that withdraws, cancels, refutes, diametrically reverses the original statement or ceases and desists from publishing the original statement...
ed this confession in a prison cell interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf
De Telegraaf
De Telegraaf is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper, with a daily circulation of approximately . De Telegraaf is based in Amsterdam...
, claiming that he had been intimidated
Intimidation
Intimidation is intentional behavior "which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities" fear of injury or harm. It's not necessary to prove that the behavior was so violent as to cause terror or that the victim was actually frightened.Criminal threatening is the crime of intentionally or...
and "tricked" by police with a promise to be transferred to the Netherlands. He stated that at the time he signed the confession documents, he did not understand the content as it was in Spanish. He was quoted: "In my blind panic, I signed everything, but didn't even know what it said." Van der Sloot said that he was lured to Peru and framed
Frameup
A frame-up or setup is an American term referring to the act of framing someone, that is, providing false evidence or false testimony in order to falsely prove someone guilty of a crime....
by another gambler named Elton Garcia, who he claimed was working undercover for the FBI. Van der Sloot's attorney Maximo Alonso Altez Navarro stated his intention to resign because the case "created many problems" for him. He had been threatened and harassed for taking the case, and Van der Sloot's family was unable to afford his legal expenses. However, Altez Navarro stayed on to file a motion to void the confession on the grounds that his client was not properly represented during his interrogation. On June 25, Superior Court Judge Wilder Casique Alvizuri rejected the motion, noting that Van der Sloot was represented by a state-appointed lawyer
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
and provided a translator by the Dutch embassy. Altez Navarro said that Van der Sloot was as "depressed" as anyone in prison would be.
Criminal proceedings
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
, and will be tried by a panel of three judges rather than a jury. A simple majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
of the three is required for conviction. Police transported Van der Sloot on the same day from Lima's Palace of Justice
Palace of Justice (Peru)
The Palace of Justice is the seat of the Supreme Court of Peru. It is located in the Lima District of the city of Lima, capital of Peru. Construction started during the second government of Augusto B. Leguía and finished under the presidency of Óscar R. Benavides, who inaugurated the building in...
in an armored truck while angry onlookers yelled and threw rotten lettuce. He was taken to Miguel Castro Castro maximum security prison and placed in a cell near the prison director's office for his own safety. He is registered as inmate #326390 and separated from the general prison population under 24-hour guard in a high-security cell block where the only other inmate is alleged Colombian hitman
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
Hugo Trujillo Ospina. Van der Sloot reportedly offered to disclose the location of Holloway's body in exchange for transfer to an Aruban prison because of fear for his life in Miguel Castro Castro prison. President Alan García Pérez said that Van der Sloot would have to stand trial for the homicide before any extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
request would be considered. He also stated that Van der Sloot will serve his prison sentence in Peru. There is no treaty for the transfer of prisoners between Peru and the Netherlands.
On June 15, Aruban and Peruvian authorities announced that they would cooperate in their respective cases involving Van der Sloot. Aruban investigators expect to be able to interview Van der Sloot in Peru in August, after Peruvian authorities have completed their investigation. At his first formal hearing within the on-site courtroom of Miguel Castro Castro prison on June 21, Van der Sloot refused to discuss the case with Judge Carlos Morales Cordova, claiming that his rights and due process
Due process
Due process is the legal code that the state must venerate all of the legal rights that are owed to a person under the principle. Due process balances the power of the state law of the land and thus protects individual persons from it...
were violated. Van der Sloot filed a complaint with the National Police of Peru, accusing chief detective Miguel Angel Canlla Ore of misconduct. He also claimed that his laptop had been improperly searched. Van der Sloot's defense counsel filed a motion of habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
disputing the legality of his detention and to nullify statements he gave to police, but the motion was declared "unfounded" by Superior Court Judge Wilder Casique Alvizuri on June 25. The judge upheld all three depositions given by Van der Sloot to police and stated that the defendant's laptop was sealed by the court. Defense attorney Altez Navarro vowed to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court of Peru
Supreme Court of Peru
The Supreme Court of Justice is the highest judicial court in Peru. Its jurisdiction extends over the entire territory of the nation. It is headquartered in the Palace of Justice in Lima.The supreme court is composed of three Supreme Sectors:...
and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is an autonomous judicial institution based in the city of San José, Costa Rica. Together with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, it makes up the human rights protection system of the Organization of American States , which serves to uphold and...
with a legal strategy to "paralyze the process". The Peruvian court said that this would not hold up the case against Van der Sloot.
Altez Navarro stated that he filed suit against attorney Luz Maria Romero Chinchay, who first represented Van der Sloot during his interrogation, charging her with abuse of authority, conspiracy to commit a crime, and misrepresentation because he did not find her name on the list of public defender
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
s from the Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Peru)
The Ministry of Justice of Peru is the government ministry charged with advising the President of Peru in judicial matters.The ministry is responsible, among other matters, for the national prison system as well as the state's relationship with the Roman Catholic Church in Peru.The current...
. Altez Navarro also filed a complaint against Van der Sloot's translator, insisting that he misrepresented himself as an official translator of the Dutch embassy. Romero Chinchay rejected the claims against her, stating that Van der Sloot had selected her as a private attorney after declining another defense attorney appointed by the state. She contradicted his claims that he did not understand what he was signing by stating that she was able to speak with him in perfect Spanish. She said that Van der Sloot was interested in talking about the Holloway case, thinking that it might get him extradited to Aruba. Romero Chinchay also said that when she told Van der Sloot that she noticed he was signing various documents with very different signatures, he signaled for her to be quiet.
Altez Navarro stated on August 21, 2010 that the case is stagnating because an official interpreter is unable to be found for the case in Peru. The Peruvian association of translators and interpreters and the Dutch embassy both separately stated at the time that they have been unable to locate one to officially translate Spanish into Dutch. Unlike Aruba and the United States, Peru does not guarantee the right to a speedy trial
Speedy trial
Speedy trial refers to one of the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution to defendants in criminal proceedings. The right to a speedy trial, guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment, is intended to ensure that defendants are not subjected to unreasonably lengthy incarceration prior to a fair...
. On September 6, a Peruvian appeals court voted 2 to 1 to reject Van der Sloot's motion that he is being unlawfully held. Because 3 votes are required for a decision, if a fourth judge votes in Van der Sloot's favor, a fifth judge will be required to break the tie. Peruvian statutes permit a suspect to be detained for up to 18 months for interrogation, though Altez Navarro expressed skepticism that law enforcement officers will do so with his client.
In February 2011, Altez Navarro filed a "violent emotion" defense with the court, arguing that Van der Sloot had entered into a state of temporary insanity because Flores Ramírez found out about his connection to Holloway from his laptop computer. Under Peruvian law, if the judge accepts this crime of passion
Crime of passion
A crime of passion, or crime passionnel, in popular usage, refers to a crime in which the perpetrator commits a crime, especially assault or murder, against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as sudden rage or heartbreak rather than as a premeditated crime...
argument, the sentence for such a plea could be reduced to only 3 to 5 years; Altez Navarro noted that this could allow Van der Sloot to be eligible for parole in as soon as 20 months. Oscar González of the Peruvian police stated that an examination of Van der Sloot's laptop determined that Flores Ramírez did not access such information while she was in the hotel room with him.
Public reaction
Public outcryMoral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
in Peru has been fueled by local media, which labeled Van der Sloot a "monster", "serial killer", and "psychopath". The coverage of this controversy highlighted cases of other women dying at the hands of foreigners. Peruvian and Colombian newspapers published sensationalist
Sensationalism
Sensationalism is a type of editorial bias in mass media in which events and topics in news stories and pieces are over-hyped to increase viewership or readership numbers...
articles about the investigation of the disappearance of two young women who frequented casinos during Van der Sloot's stay in at least two Bogota hotels from May 6 to 14, 2010, prior to entering Peru. However, the Administrative Department of Security of Colombia do not consider Van der Sloot a suspect as they believe his presence in Bogota was merely in transit to Peru.
Dutch daily newspaper Trouw
Trouw
Trouw is a Dutch daily newspaper. "Trouw" is a Dutch word meaning "fidelity", "loyalty", or "allegiance", and is cognate with the English adjective "true"...
warned that the overwhelming pressure on authorities of Van der Sloot's presumed guilt risked turning the case into a show trial
Show trial
The term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial in which there is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal to present the accusation and the verdict to the public as...
. The Dutch consulate told Peruvian authorities that it was concerned how Van der Sloot was being treated and presented to the media.
In December 2010, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine named Van der Sloot's arrest the most important criminal event of the year, ahead of the Belgian love triangle skydiving murder case
2010 Belgian love triangle skydiving murder trial
The Parachute murder is a name the Belgian media gave the 2010 Belgian love triangle skydiving murder trial. The defendant, elementary school teacher and amateur skydiver Els 'Babs' Clottemans, was found guilty of murder by sabotaging the parachute of another woman, fellow skydiver Els Van Doren,...
, the Chinese school attacks
2010 Chinese school attacks
A series of uncoordinated mass stabbings, hammer attacks, and cleaver attacks in the People's Republic of China began in March 2010. The spate of attacks left at least 21 dead and some 90 injured...
and the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping
Elizabeth Smart kidnapping
The kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart occurred on June 5, 2002, when 14-year-old American girl Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City, Utah, bedroom...
trial. ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
listed the coverage of Van der Sloot's murder confession by Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
among the most read stories from its website in 2010. CBS 42
WIAT
WIAT, virtual channel 42, is the CBS-affiliated television station in the Birmingham/Tuscaloosa/Anniston/Gadsden, Alabama television market. Licensed to Birmingham, it broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 30, although through the use of PSIP, the station's virtual channel number is...
, the news affiliate in Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
near Holloway's hometown, named the criminal charges filed against Van der Sloot in 2010 among the top ten stories of the year in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Radio Netherlands Worldwide identified him as one of the most talked about Dutch people of the year.
Media coverage at Miguel Castro Castro prison
Van der Sloot's cell became the target of a media circusMedia circus
Media circus is a colloquial metaphor, or idiom, describing a news event where the media coverage is perceived to be out of proportion to the event being covered, such as the number of reporters at the scene, the amount of news media published or broadcast, and the level of media hype...
, with reporters vying to gain exclusive access and report about his prison surroundings. Since his incarceration, he has only consented to interviews to De Telegraaf, in which he admitted to extorting the Holloway family and said that he received a number of marriage proposals in his cell, including one from a woman who wanted to have his child. Van der Sloot reportedly receives fan mail
Fan mail
Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or "fans".In return celebrities may send a poster or picture and usually a return letter.-Overview:...
from around the world, though mostly from women residing in the United States and the Netherlands. According to sources within the prison, Van der Sloot sought US$1 million in exchange for an on-camera interview.
The Office of Internal Affairs of the National Penitentiary Institute of Peru
National Penitentiary Institute (Peru)
The National Penitentiary Institute of Peru is the government agency charged with incarcerating convicts and suspects charged with crimes. It is part of the Peruvian government's Ministry of Justice.-History:...
began administrative and disciplinary action on August 23, 2010, when Peruvian network América Televisión
America Television
America Television , better known as America TV, is a Peruvian television network affiliated with Televisa of Mexico. It was founded on December 15, 1958 by Antonio Umbert F., Nicanor Gonzalez V., and Avelino Aramburu. The network belongs to the Plural TV group formed by the daily newspapers El...
aired a picture of Van der Sloot with three other inmates that had been taken with official photographic equipment at Miguel Castro Castro prison. The photo included Van der Sloot casually posing with Colombian hitman Hugo Trujillo Ospina, accused of the contract killing
Contract killing
Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
of Peruvian entrepreneur Myriam Fefer, and American William Trickett Smith II, accused of killing and dismembering
Dismemberment
Dismemberment is the act of cutting, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise removing, the limbs of a living thing. It may be practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, as a result of a traumatic accident, or in connection with murder, suicide, or cannibalism...
his Peruvian wife. Van der Sloot and Smith have been referred to by local media as "the foreigners accused of the most talked-about assassinations in our country."
On September 11, 2010, Beth Holloway and Peter R. De Vries traveled to Peru with a Dutch television crew to visit the prison. According to Van der Sloot's attorney Maximo Alonso Altez Navarro, his client was taken to meet them "practically by force." Altez Navarro stated that the meeting with Holloway took "less than one minute." Holloway said that she told Van der Sloot that she had "no hate in her soul" for him and asked about her daughter's disappearance, to which Van der Sloot responded by saying that he could not speak to her without his lawyer present and handing her his business card. According to Altez Navarro, Holloway was "snuck" into the prison without being identified by the Dutch media crew who she was with. A prison spokesperson stated that Holloway's name was not found in the visitor registry. Holloway and the crew were removed from the prison, reportedly after a hidden camera
Hidden camera
A hidden camera is a still or video camera used to film people without their knowledge. The camera is "hidden" because it is either not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another object...
was discovered by the guards. Representatives for Holloway and De Vries denied that a hidden camera was involved nor was anything seized. Miguel Castro Castro prison warden Alex Samamé Peña was suspended after video segments of the confrontation between Holloway's mother and Van der Sloot later began airing on Dutch network SBS6
SBS6
SBS 6 is a commercial TV channel in the Netherlands owned by Sanoma and Talpa Holding . Other channels of the group in the Netherlands are NET 5 and Veronica.- History :SBS stands for Scandinavian Broadcasting System...
.
In October 2010, América Televisión broadcasted video of a transaction for marijuana within the prison that was conducted by a shirtless man who was addressed as "gringo
Gringo
Gringo is a slang Spanish and Portuguese word used in Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America, to denote foreigners, often from the United States. The term can be applied to someone who is actually a foreigner, or it can denote a strong association or assimilation into...
Van der Sloot." Defense attorney Altez Navarro said that the situation was "staged" and asked the National Penitentiary Institute to investigate how it was leaked. Prison spokesperson Bruno Guzman said that Van der Sloot had been painting his cell "to improve his conditions" and that the incident was being investigated.
In November 2010, a forensic expert determined that a jawbone found on an Aruban beach was from a young woman. A part of the bone was sent to The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
for testing by the Netherlands Forensic Institute
Netherlands Forensic Institute
The Netherlands Forensic Institute, is the national forensics institute of the Netherlands, located in the Ypenburg quarter of The Hague....
against Natalee Holloway's dental records
Forensic Dentistry
Forensic dentistry or forensic odontology is the proper handling, examination and evaluation of dental evidence, which will be then presented in the interest of justice. The evidence that may be derived from teeth, is the age and identification of the person to whom the teeth belong...
. According to Altez Navarro, Van der Sloot began laughing when notified of the developments. Aruba Solicitor-General Taco Stein later announced that the bone was confirmed to be not from Holloway.
Van der Sloot's mother Anita stated in a Dutch interview that her son could have killed Flores Ramírez and that she will not visit him at the prison. She said in another interview that she hopes to talk to the family of the victim and apologize to them.
In February 2011, Altez Navarro protested a decision by prison officials to deny Radio Netherlands Worldwide permission for a subsequent interview with Van der Sloot. Altez Navarro claimed that the ruling was influenced by upcoming general elections.
On July 5, 2011, St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
published "Portrait of a Monster: Joran van der Sloot, a Murder in Peru, and the Natalee Holloway Mystery" by Lisa Pulitzer
Lisa Pulitzer
Lisa Pulitzer Lisa Pulitzer Lisa Pulitzer (born c. 1964 is an American book writer.Pulitzer is a former correspondent for The New York Times newspaper,In 1994, her first book, "Crossing the Line: Joel Rifkin", investigated serial killer Rifkin and the crimes he confessed to committing...
and Cole Thompson.
External links
- Case #MAG10-117: United States of America v. Joran van der Sloot
- Affidavit in support of criminal complaint (Case #MAG10-117, Attachment A) at The Smoking GunThe Smoking GunThe Smoking Gun is a website that posts legal documents, arrest records, and police mugshots on a daily basis. The intent is to bring to the public light information that is damning, shocking, outrageous, or amazing, yet also somewhat obscure or unreported by more mainstream media sources...
- Indictment: United States of America v. Joran Andreas Petrus van der Sloot at the U.S. Justice DepartmentUnited States Department of JusticeThe United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
- Affidavit in support of criminal complaint (Case #MAG10-117, Attachment A) at The Smoking Gun
- Joran van der Sloot Charged with Fraud and Extortion in Birmingham at the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of InvestigationThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
- Federal Grand Jury Indicts Joran van der Sloot for Wire Fraud and Extortion at the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of InvestigationThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
- Wanted: Van der Sloot, Joran Andreas Petrus - arrest warrant at InterpolInterpolInterpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
- Joran van der Sloot blog (active July 2005 – March 2006)