CRIME, POLICE + COURTS

Joran van der Sloot admits to killing Alabama teen Natalee Holloway – but her body will never be found, judge says

Oct 18, 2023, 8:37 PM

Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot is driven June 8 from a Peruvian maximum-security prison to be ex...

Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot is driven June 8 from a Peruvian maximum-security prison to be extradited to the US. (Martin Mejia/AP)

(Martin Mejia/AP)

Birmingham, Alabama (CNN) — Almost two decades after Natalee Holloway vanished in Aruba, the man long suspected in her death has confessed to killing the Alabama teen in grisly detail, court documents reveal.

Joran van der Sloot’s confession was publicized shortly after he pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to extorting and defrauding Holloway’s family.

He was accused of trying to sell information about the location of Holloway’s remains to her mother, Beth Holloway, in exchange for $250,000.

“It’s over. Joran van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in my daughter’s murder. He is the killer,” Beth Holloway said Wednesday.

“After 18 years, Natalee’s case is solved,” she said. “He gave a proffer in which he finally confessed to killing Natalee.”

In a proffer, a defendant offers information they know about a crime, often as part of a plea deal.

Van der Sloot, 36, admitted to killing the teen with a cinder block on an Aruban beach after she rejected his sexual advances, according to a transcript of an interview with his attorney.

Van der Sloot said Holloway kneed him in the crotch after he tried “feeling her up,” and he responded by kicking her in the face and bludgeoning her with the cinder block.

He then decided to “push her off” into the ocean, according to the interview transcript.

Holloway’s body has never been found. In 2012, an Alabama judge signed an order declaring her legally dead.

The deaths of Holloway in 2005 and Stephany Flores, a Peruvian woman, in 2010 – whom van der Sloot previously admitted to killing – prompted Judge Anna Manasco to sentence van der Sloot to 20 years on the federal charges.

“I have considered your confession to the brutal murder of Natalee Holloway,” Manasco said Wednesday.

“You have brutally murdered, in separate incidents years apart, two beautiful women who refused your sexual advances.”

After reading van der Sloot’s proffer, the judge said Holloway’s body would never be found.

Van der Sloot had been arrested multiple times in connection with Holloway’s death. He was subsequently released by Aruban authorities, who cited a lack of direct evidence.

He’s currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in Peru for the 2010 murder of Flores.

In 2021, van der Sloot was convicted of trafficking cocaine into his prison and was sentenced to an additional 18 years in Peru, according to a sentencing memorandum.

“Because Peruvian law prohibits prison sentences from exceeding a total of 35 years (unless given a life sentence), the Defendant is currently scheduled for release from prison in Peru on or about June 10, 2045 (35 years after his original arrest in Peru),” the court document states.

But Peruvian officials allowed his temporary release to the US in June to face the extortion and wire fraud charges.

Van der Sloot was expected to return to Peru to finish his murder sentence in the Flores case before returning to the US to serve time for the federal charges.

But Wednesday’s plea agreement says his 20-year US federal sentence will be served concurrently with his sentence in Peru. In other words, it appears unlikely van der Sloot will return to the US to serve prison time.

18 years of mystery and misery

Holloway was visiting Aruba on a high school graduation trip when she vanished in 2005.

The 18-year-old was last seen leaving a nightclub with van der Sloot and two other men, brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe.

The three men were arrested in 2005 but were released due to insufficient evidence.

They were rearrested and charged in 2007 for “involvement in the voluntary manslaughter of Natalee Holloway or causing serious bodily harm to Natalee Holloway, resulting in her death,” Aruban prosecutors said at the time.

But a few weeks later, an Aruban judge ordered van der Sloot’s release, citing a lack of direct evidence that Holloway died from a violent crime or that van der Sloot was involved in such a crime. The Kalpoe brothers were also released.

Why van der Sloot was charged in the US

While US officials don’t have jurisdiction over the criminal investigation in Aruba, a federal grand jury in Alabama indicted van der Sloot for an alleged plot to sell information about Holloway’s remains to her family.

According to the indictment, van der Sloot’s scheme took place between March and May 2010.

He was indicted in June 2010 on charges of extortion and wire fraud.

In the weeks between the extortion and indictment, van der Sloot killed 21-year-old Flores on May 30, 2010, in his hotel room in Peru.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.

Crime, Police + Courts

A Uintah County woman is accused of putting Borax in her children's water, allegedly to help their ...

Pat Reavy, KSL.com

Utah woman accused of putting Borax in her children’s water

Prosecutors say since the beginning of the school year in August, the suspect, Barbara Susan Williford, 47, "had been putting a pinch of Borax in her minor child's water."

18 hours ago

A Unified Police Department vehicle sits in a neighborhood in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Friday, Feb....

Michael Houck

SWAT arrests man suspected of robbing a Utah bank and sending threats to another

SALT LAKE CITY — A man is accused of robbing a bank and stealing a dollar amount to reference the 9/11 attacks. On Thursday, Unified police and the FBI were called to a robbery that happened at a Chase Bank on 2855 E, 3300 South in Millcreek. Witnesses told investigators that a white man with […]

21 hours ago

FILE — A Salt Lake City Police Department squad car. Salt Lake City Police Department’s Bike Sq...

Diana Jones

SLCPD officers arrest two people suspected of drug trafficking in Library Square

On Thursday, Salt Lake City Police Department’s Bike Squad arrested two men for suspected drug-trafficking operation in Library Square. 

3 days ago

FILE - A police vehicle flashes its lights. (Getty)...

Michael Houck

Pedestrian killed after being hit by a vehicle, Santa Clara-Ivins police say

A woman was fatally hit by a vehicle Friday evening, Santa Clara-Ivins police say.

3 days ago

Santa Clara murder charges...

Jacob Freeman

Charges brought against 15-year-old in Santa Clara murder case

A 15-year-old has been charged for killing a family member and wounding another in a Santa Clara home on Jan. 30.

4 days ago

FILE: A United States District Court emblem is seen in a courtroom in the Salt Lake City Federal Co...

Simone Seikaly

Former gymnastics coach pleads guilty to new charges involving cameras, bathrooms

Gymnastics coach Adam Richard Jacobs has plead guilty to putting a camera in a minor's hotel room and bathroom.

5 days ago

Sponsored Articles

Full speed through the snow. A man on skis is pulled by his through the snow at full gallop Skijori...

Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Get ready for an unforgettable skijoring adventure in Bear Lake!

“Skijoring the Bear” takes place this year on February 21-22 in Garden City, Utah.

the bedroom in a geodesic dome shows the night sky...

Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon

Your front row to an extraordinary cosmos show

As America's first glass dome stargazing resort, Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon is one of the world’s most unique and spectacular places to stay.

2 people huddled up in a blanket and warm clothes sipping hot chocolate...

Bear Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau

The best ways to spend your Christmas vacation in Bear Lake

If you're dreaming of a white Christmas this year, Bear Lake should definitely be on your radar. Read this guide for more!

big crowd of people under holiday lights in an outdoor market...

Western Nut

Our favorite family Christmas activities in Utah

We gathered up a list of our favorite activities, movies, and treats to try this holiday season that the whole family can enjoy.

an IT tech looks at a laptop in front of a server network...

Comcast Business

Tips to protect yourself from phishing attacks

Check out this resource from Comcast Business to learn more about phishing attacks and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of one.

A surprise gift, wrapped and ready to bring holiday cheer! Whether for Christmas, a birthday, or an...

Western Nut

10 Holiday Gift Ideas to cover everyone on your list

This guide is for you if you need holiday gift ideas that will make a lasting impression. 

Joran van der Sloot admits to killing Alabama teen Natalee Holloway – but her body will never be found, judge says