Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the unsolved murder of Natalee Holloway, is expected to plead guilty this week to charges of extorting and defrauding Natalee’s mother.
Teenager Natalee vanished in May 2005 while on a high school trip to the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba. She was last seen leaving a nightclub with local teenager van der Sloot and two other men.
Her remains have never been found, but an Alabama judge declared her dead in 2010.
Van der Sloot and brothers Deepak Kalpoe and Satish Kalpoe were hauled in by the police on numerous occasions, but no charges were ever brought against the men in Natalee’s case.
Federal charges were brought against van der Sloot in 2010, accusing him of trying to extort $250,000 from Natalee’s mom, Beth Holloway, in exchange for information about where her daughter was buried.
In June, Van der Sloot was finally extradited to the US from Peru, where he is serving an unrelated sentence for murder, and is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
Joran van der Sloot plea deal states he must reveal what happened to Natalee Holloway on Aruba
Holloway family lawyer John Q. Kelly told the press that van der Sloot will accept a plea deal on extortion charges and that in exchange for the deal, he will reveal how Natalie died and where she is buried.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThere is some reticence about the plea deal because van der Sloot has continually changed his story regarding Natalee and has not shown himself to be trustworthy.
On one occasion, Beth Holloway transferred $25,000 to van der Sloot in exchange for information about Natalee, but the info he provided was false.
In 2008, footage emerged that appeared to show van der Sloot confessing to Natalee’s murder; however, he insisted he was lying in the video. On another occasion, he claimed to have sold her into slavery but later denied that claim, too.
Joran van der Sloot pleaded guilty to another murder in Peru
Van der Sloot is currently serving a 28-year sentence in Peru for murdering 21-year-old business student Stephany Flores. He pleaded guilty to repeatedly beating her before strangling her with his bloodied shirt in his hotel room.
The killer stole about $300 and credit cards from his victim and fled to Chile. He was later arrested in Chile. His lawyers actually claimed he had killed Flores because he was stressed about being falsely accused of killing Natalee.
It is thought that van der Sloot used some of the $25,000 he extorted from Beth Holloway to pay for his trip to Peru.
Van der Sloot will appear in court Wednesday in Shelby County, Alabama, where the Holloway family are based.