Joran van der Sloot

On 9 March 2014, the Peruvian government announced that Van der Sloot would face extradition to the United States in the year 2038 to face charges of extortion and wire fraud, after completion of his 28-year sentence in Peru for the murder of Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramírez (see below). In February 2016, an undercover reporter filmed Van der Sloot confessing to Natalee Holloway's murder. The film shows Van der Sloot, in Dutch, laughing over how he never told the truth about the whole event and that he did in fact kill Natalee. His Peruvian wife is also present during this conversation.

In August 2014, Van der Sloot was transferred to Challapalca prison in the mountainous South of Peru, where conditions are harsh due to the location's altitude. Two months later, a Dutch online news service claimed that Van der Sloot was stabbed and critically injured by fellow prisoners in Peru. Van der Sloot's wife's claim of a stabbing is contested by Peruvian authorities.

On July 4, 2014, Van der Sloot married a Peruvian woman named Leidy Figueroa, whom he met while she was selling goods inside the prison. She was seven months pregnant with his child at the time. On September 28, 2014, Figueroa gave birth in Peru.

On 11 January 2012, Van der Sloot pleaded guilty to the "qualified murder" and simple robbery of Flores. He was convicted and sentenced to 28 years' imprisonment for the murder on 13 January, and, he must pay $75,000 to the Flores family. Hours after learning of the sentence, Van der Sloot was transferred to a maximum security prison, Piedras Gordas, located north of Lima. He is currently expected to be released on 10 June 2038.

On 14 March 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 arrived in Van der Sloot's hotel room; it was then used to visit two poker websites at around the time Flores 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."

In February 2011, Navarro filed a "violent emotion" defense with the court, arguing that Van der Sloot had entered into a state of temporary insanity because Flores 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; 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 did not access such information while she was in the hotel room with him.

In February 2011, Navarro protested a decision by prison officials to deny Radio Netherlands worldwide permission for a subsequent interview with Van der Sloot. Navarro claimed that the ruling was influenced by upcoming general elections.

On 5 July 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.

After Flores' murder on 30 May 2010—five years to the day after Holloway's disappearance—Van der Sloot fled to Chile, where he was arrested and extradited back to Peru for questioning regarding the murder. On 7 June 2010, he confessed to bludgeoning Ramírez. He later tried to formally retract his confession, claiming that he had been intimidated by the Peruvian police and framed by the FBI. A Peruvian judge ruled on 25 June 2010 that the confession was valid, and on 13 January 2012, Van der Sloot was sentenced to 28 years' imprisonment for Flores' murder.

The Holloway and Flores cases both attracted widespread media attention; Time magazine declared Van der Sloot's arrest the top crime story of 2010. Van der Sloot was the subject of international news coverage from prison, leading to controversies that resulted in the investigation and suspension of several Peruvian officials.

On 8 January 2010, Paulus cancelled his partnership at the law firm where he had been working. On 10 February 2010, he died of a heart attack at the age of 57 while playing tennis in Aruba. Van der Sloot returned to Aruba soon afterward and turned to gambling. His mother, Anita, said that Van der Sloot 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."

Around 29 March 2010, Van der Sloot allegedly contacted John Q. Kelly, Beth Holloway's legal representative, with an offer to reveal the location of Natalee's body and the circumstances surrounding her death for an advance of $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 FBI, which set up a sting operation with the Aruban authorities.

On 3 June 2010, the U.S. District Court of Northern Alabama charged Van der Sloot with extortion and wire fraud. U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance issued an arrest warrant through Interpol to have Van der Sloot prosecuted in the United States. On 4 June, at the request of the U.S. Justice Department, Dutch 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. Aruba's Solicitor-General said they would not seek Van der Sloot's extradition to Aruba. On 30 June, 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 6 September 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."

On 30 May 2010—the fifth anniversary of Holloway's disappearance—Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramírez, 21, died at the Hotel TAC, in the Miraflores District of Lima, Peru. On 2 June, a hotel employee 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 14 May 2010 to attend the Latin American Poker Tour.

Peruvian officials named Van der Sloot as the lone suspect in the homicide investigation. Interpol issued an international arrest warrant for Van der Sloot, believing that he had fled the country to Chile, possibly intending to return to Aruba through Argentina. Van der Sloot was sighted entering Chile via the Chacalluta border crossing, north of Arica, on 31 May 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.

Surveillance video from the Atlantic City Casino recorded Flores winning $10,000 at a baccarat table area on 25 May 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 29 May 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 30 May, Flores 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 2 June event at the casino was 30 May.

On 7 June 2010, Van der Sloot reportedly confessed to killing Flores, 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 manslaughter, 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 was 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. 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 11 June 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 was not eligible to be released on bail, and would be tried by a panel of three judges rather than a jury. A simple majority of the three was 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 the Miguel Castro Castro maximum security prison and placed in a cell near the prison director's office for his own safety. He was registered as inmate #326390 and separated from the general prison population under 24-hour guard, in a high-security cell block housing only one other inmate. 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. President 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.

Navarro stated, on 21 August 2010, that the case was stagnating because an official interpreter was 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 6 September, 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 voted in Van der Sloot's favor, a fifth judge would be required to break the tie. Peruvian statutes permit a suspect to be detained for up to 18 months for interrogation, though Navarro expressed skepticism that law enforcement officers would do so with his client.

Public outcry 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 articles about the investigation of the disappearance of two young women who frequented casinos during Van der Sloot's stay in at least two Bogotá hotels from 6 to 14 May 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 Bogotá 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 notable 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. WIAT-TV, the CBS affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama, near Holloway's hometown, named the criminal charges filed against Van der Sloot in 2010 among the top ten stories of the year. Radio Netherlands Worldwide identified him as one of the most talked about Dutch people of the year.

The Office of Internal Affairs of the National Penitentiary Institute of Peru began administrative and disciplinary action on 23 August 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 and American murderer William Trickett Smith II. 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 11 September 2010, Beth Holloway and De Vries traveled to Peru with a Dutch television crew to visit the prison. According to Navarro, his client was taken to meet them "practically by force." 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 he could not speak to her without his lawyer present and handed her Navarro's business card. However, Holloway also stated in interviews about the encounter, "I've hated him for five years. I wanted to peel his skin off." According to Navarro, Holloway was "snuck" into the prison without identifying to the Dutch TV crew who she was. 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 or that anything was 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 broadcast video of a transaction for marijuana within the prison that was conducted by a shirtless man addressed as "gringo Van der Sloot". 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 the incident was being investigated.

Van der Sloot was portrayed by actor Jacques Strydom in the Lifetime television film Natalee Holloway (2009), which was based on the bestselling book Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith (2007) by 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. The film was followed by a sequel, Justice for Natalee Holloway (2011), in which Van der Sloot was played by actor Stephen Amell.

In August 2009, Van der Sloot was spotted in Macau at the Asia Pacific Poker Tour. He won over US$12,000 that year in an online poker tournament. He described himself on his YouTube page as "a professional poker player" and cited Barry Greenstein's 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 Paulus.

On 11 January 2008, after being challenged on the Dutch late-night talk show Pauw & Witteman by crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, Van der Sloot threw a glass of red wine into De Vries' face. On 3 February, 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.

On 22 September 2008, in New York City, 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 "Murphy Jenkins" to avoid Thai authorities. Peruvian Minister of Justice Aurelio Pastor said that Thailand was 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 24 November 2008, Fox News' On the Record aired an interview with Joran Van der Sloot in which he 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 Paulus 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 Paulus, in which Paulus displays knowledge of his son's purported involvement in human trafficking. According to Mos, the voice heard on the recording was not that of Paulus van der Sloot. The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that the "father's" voice is almost certainly that of Joran himself, trying to speak in a lower tone.

In April 2007, De zaak Natalee Holloway (The Case of Natalee Holloway), a book written in Dutch 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 27 April 2007, a new search involving some twenty investigators was launched at Van der Sloot's parents' home in 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 21 November 2007, Van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers were re-arrested in Arnhem and 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 23 November, and a court hearing on 26 November ruled to continue his detention for eight days. The Kalpoe brothers were released on 1 December. Van der Sloot was ordered released on 7 December, and he was released without charge the same day.

On 6 February 2006, on ABC's Good Morning America, Van der Sloot's parents stated that their son was unfairly singled out and that the investigation left them devastated. Later that month, while Van der Sloot and his father were in New York City for an interview with ABC's Primetime, they were served with a lawsuit filed by Natalee's parents, Beth and Dave Holloway, alleging personal injury; the case was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds that August.

While living in Aruba five years earlier, Van der Sloot had been the prime suspect in the disappearance of eighteen-year-old American woman Natalee Holloway, who disappeared in Aruba on 30 May 2005. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in the U.S. for wire fraud and extortion related to Holloway's whereabouts. Holloway's disappearance remains unsolved.

Van der Sloot (then age 17), along with the Kalpoe brothers, Deepak (then age 21) and Satish (then age 18), was arrested on 9 June 2005, as a suspect in the 30 May 2005 disappearance of an 18-year-old American woman, Natalee Holloway, who was declared legally dead six years after she disappeared. The Kalpoes were released from custody on 4 July, but were re-arrested on 26 August on suspicion of rape and murder, while Van der Sloot remained in custody. All three suspects were released on 3 September 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 5 September 2005, he returned to the Netherlands to study international business management at the HAN University of Applied Sciences. On 14 September, 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.

On 26 September 2005, Van der Sloot told the American television show A Current Affair 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, while he later said that he was dropped off with her at the beach. He stated that he left Holloway alone at the beach at her request and that he regretted it.

Paulus (Paul) van der Sloot was arrested on 22 June 2005, for questioning in Holloway's disappearance. He was ordered released on 26 June after three days of questioning. According to Aruba's chief prosecutor, one of the Kalpoe brothers told investigators that Paulus, who at the time was training to be a judge, advised that without a body, the police would have no case. Beth Holloway pursued Van der Sloot's parents in the ensuing media circus on Aruba. She said that Paulus acknowledged that they could not control their son and had sent him to a psychiatrist.

On 10 November 2005, Paulus 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 florins (US$22,300) was reversed on appeal. The family's finances were depleted by the legal expenses. In January 2007, Paulus found work as a managing partner at the law firm that represented him.

Flores was a business student who was 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.

Joran Andreas Petrus van der Sloot (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjoːrɑn vɑn dεr ˈsloːt] ; born 6 August 1987) is a Dutch convicted murderer who killed Stephany Flores Ramírez in Lima, Peru in 2010. He is also the prime suspect in the Disappearance of Natalee Holloway in 2005.

Joran van der Sloot was born in Arnhem in the Netherlands as one of three sons of Paulus 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, where 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 and 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.