The prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway has admitted that he bludgeoned her to death. Joran van der Sloot appeared in an Alabama court, where prosecutors said that he confessed that he killed Natalee for refusing his sexual advances.
Joran’s confession is part of a plea deal in which the 36-year-old suspect pleaded guilty to trying to extort $250,000 from Natalee’s family in exchange for information on her death. He claimed that her death has haunted him for years.
In Birmingham, Alabama, US District Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Joran to 20 years in federal prison on Wednesday, October 18 – a sentence that will continue to run concurrently with his 28-year sentence for murdering Stephany Flores in Peru.
‘You terminated her dreams, her potential, her possibilities’
Judge Manasco told Natalee’s parents that their daughter’s remains will not be found as Joran placed them in the ocean. Natalee’s mother, Beth, addressed Joran directly during the sentencing, saying, according to the Daily Mail, “You terminated her dreams, her potential, her possibilities, when you bludgeoned her to death in 2005. You didn't get what you wanted from Natalee, your sexual satisfaction, so you brutally killed her.”
“I paid my daughter's killer money. That's shocking. I don't think anyone can really wrap their mind around what that means... I have no doubt she would have made all her dreams come true. She really would have,” she added. “By the way you look like hell, Joran. I do not see how you're gonna make it ... You are a killer and I want you to remember that every time that jail door slams.”
{{/usCountry}}“I paid my daughter's killer money. That's shocking. I don't think anyone can really wrap their mind around what that means... I have no doubt she would have made all her dreams come true. She really would have,” she added. “By the way you look like hell, Joran. I do not see how you're gonna make it ... You are a killer and I want you to remember that every time that jail door slams.”
{{/usCountry}}Joran apologised to the Holloway family in court, saying, “I would like to take this chance to apologize to the Holloway family, to apologize to my own family, to say I hope the statement I provided brings some kind of closure to everyone involved. I am no longer that person I was back then, I've given my heart to Jesus Christ.”
Natalee disappeared from the Caribbean island of Aruba in 2005. She was 18 at the time. She went missing during a trip with school friends. Natalee was reportedly last seen with a Dutch citizen.