Any time a student goes on a trip with their class, parents worry. It’s natural. For Senior Natalee Holloway and her class in 2005, Aruba seemed like the perfect trip to cap off their time in High School. Going missing one night, the only real suspect was a Dutch national Joran Van der Sloot. Despite the evidence at the start, it wasn’t enough, and her remains were unable to be found.
Despite not giving up her body, Van der Sloot led the FBI and many others on a wild goose chase, including Holloway’s mother Beth. Eventually losing her teaching license, tenure, and savings while chasing leaders and eventually paying an extortion ransom to Van der Sloot, she lost it all.
Now facing extortion and wire fraud charges for his deception of Beth, it would only add to his jail time for another killing. Back in 2012, he was convicted in the killing of 21-year-old Stephany Flores in Peru, damn near five years to the date of Holloway’s vanishing. Getting 28 years for that charge, plus another 18 years for moving cocaine in prison back in 2018, the future was fading fast for him.
Extradited to the US in Jun 2023 to face extortion and wire fraud charges, he confessed to killing Holloway once he arrived. According to a report from Fox News, US Judge Anna Manasco had the confession recorded and will be providing it to Holloway’s mother. Their report also says, “Van der Sloot apologized to Holloway’s family in court and agreed to assist law enforcement and her relatives about her disappearance and submit to a polygraph test.”
Handed a 20-year sentence, Van der Sloot can be released on June 9, 2043. According to the deal, prosecutors cannot use his confession of Holloway’s murder for anything else. It brings him to justice while giving Beth and her family the closure they need.
