Current:Home > InvestJohnathan Walker:Joran van der Sloot admitted to killing Natalee Holloway "on the beach," her mom says after extortion case hearing -BeyondProfit Compass
Johnathan Walker:Joran van der Sloot admitted to killing Natalee Holloway "on the beach," her mom says after extortion case hearing
Burley Garcia View
Date:2025-04-06 11:32:48
Joran van der Sloot admitted to killing Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005,Johnathan Walker her mother said Wednesday, as he entered a plea deal with federal prosecutors in an extortion case stemming from the disappearance that received international attention.
"Joran van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in my daughter's murder," Holloway's mother Beth Holloway told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama, after a plea and sentencing hearing for the 36-year-old Dutchman. "He is the killer."
Van der Sloot confessed to authorities that he killed Natalee Holloway while she was on a high school graduation trip, Beth Holloway said.
"He said that after killing her on the beach in Aruba, he put her into the water and that was the last that he ever saw her," she told reporters. "... I'm satisfied knowing that he did it, he did it alone and he disposed of her alone."
Natalee Holloway's father Dave Holloway said he was able to watch van der Sloot's confession and that he believes it.
The killing was intentional because his daughter "dared to stand up for her own body," Dave Holloway said in a victim impact statement to U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco that was released after Wednesday's proceedings.
She "defended herself against his unwanted sexual advances," Dave Holloway wrote in the statement. "Protecting herself enraged an aggressive predator to the point of murder. He murdered Natalee, and then tortured and extorted those who loved her most."
"He is evil personified," Holloway said in the statement.
Beth Holloway said van der Sloot's confession was verified with a polygraph test. He hasn't been charged in the killing, and Beth Holloway said he couldn't be tried in the U.S. for it.
Van der Sloot pleaded guilty to extortion and wire fraud charges during Wednesday's hearing, and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison to run concurrently with his 28-year sentence in Peru in another killing. He was charged in 2010 with trying to extort a quarter-million dollars from Beth Holloway in exchange for information about her missing daughter's remains, but he wasn't extradited to the U.S. until earlier this year.
As part of the plea deal, an attorney for Beth Holloway said van der Sloot had to provide details about what happened to Natalee Holloway. Before Manasco imposed her sentence, Beth Holloway told the court that van der Sloot had said he killed her daughter.
Were Natalee Holloway's remains ever found?
Holloway was legally declared dead in 2012. Her remains haven't been found. She was last seen with van der Sloot on the Caribbean island nation during the May 2005 trip.
The extortion case dates back to 2010, when Holloway had been missing for nearly five years. According to a grand jury indictment, van der Sloot contacted Beth Holloway's attorney John Q. Kelly and offered to give him details about how Natalee Holloway died and about the location of her remains in Aruba for an initial payment of $25,000.
In the next part of the scheme, when the remains were confirmed to be Holloway's, her mother would then pay van der Sloot an additional $225,000, according to the indictment.
Van der Sloot took Kelly to a site in Aruba, but after securing the initial $25,000 payment, van der Sloot said in an email that the information he provided was "worthless," according to the indictment.
In June, van der Sloot was extradited to the U.S. from Peru, where he has been incarcerated since he pleaded guilty in 2012 to killing 21-year-old college student Stephany Flores.
Beth Holloway said she was "overcome with mixed emotions" by van der Sloot's extradition.
"I am hopeful that some small semblance of justice may finally be realized, even though no act of justice will heal the pain we've endured," she said in a statement.
Dave Holloway called the extradition "an important step toward accountability and hopefully, justice."
U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona said van der Sloot would be returned to Peru after the case concludes.
Hannah Fraser-Chanpong contributed reporting.
- In:
- Joran van der Sloot
- Natalee Holloway
Alex Sundby is a senior editor for CBSNews.com.
TwitterveryGood! (76)
Related
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Georgia plans to put to death a man in the state’s first execution in more than 4 years
- Jokic’s 35 points pace Nuggets in 115-112 win over short-handed Timberwolves after tight finish
- Sorry, Coke. Pepsi is in at Subway as sandwich chain switches sodas after 15 years
- Sam Taylor
- Lose Yourself Over Eminem's Reunion With Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent at Dr. Dre's Walk of Fame Ceremony
- Fire destroys senior community clubhouse in Philadelphia suburb, but no injuries reported
- More than six in 10 US abortions in 2023 were done by medication — a significant jump since 2020
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- The prep isn't fun, but take it from me: Getting this medical test can save your life
Ranking
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Best Buy plans to close 10 to 15 stores by 2025, according to recent earnings call
- What to know about Dalton Knecht, leading scorer for No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers
- Former Mississippi police officer gets 10 years for possessing child sexual abuse materials
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Nickelodeon Alum Devon Werkheiser Apologizes to Drake Bell for Joking About Docuseries
- I’m a Shopping Editor. Here’s What I’m Buying From the Amazon Big Spring Sale: $6 Beauty Deals and More
- Eiza González slams being labeled 'too hot' for roles, says Latinas are 'overly sexualized'
Recommendation
The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
Jonathan Majors' ex-girlfriend sues him for assault and defamation
Mega Millions jackpot nears billion dollar mark, at $977 million
Georgia lawmakers may be close to deal to limit rise in property tax bills
Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
Jonathan Majors' ex-girlfriend sues him for assault and defamation
Georgia bill could provide specific reasons for challenging voters
Pair accused of stealing battery manufacturing secrets from Tesla and starting their own company