Eighteen years after the death of Natalee Holloway, Joran van der Sloot confessed to killing the teen after pleading guilty in federal court Wednesday.
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Van der Sloot was previously accused of trying to sell information about the location of Holloway’s remains to her mother, Beth Holloway, and attempted to extort the family for $250,000. In a report by CNN, van der Sloot,36, confessed to killing the Alabama teen with a cinderblock on a beach in Aruba after she rejected his sexual advances. He added that Holloway kneed him in the crotch after he tried to rub her, then kicked her in the face before using the cinderblock.
In the interview transcript with his lawyer, van der Sloot said he decided to push the teen into the ocean. Her body was never found, and a judge signed an order declaring Holloway legally dead in 2012. van der Sloot previously confessed to killing another woman, Stephany Flores, who was murdered in 2010.
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“I have considered your confession to the brutal murder of Natalee Holloway. You have brutally murdered, in separate incidents years apart, two beautiful women who refused your sexual advances,” said Judge Anna Manasco during the court hearing.
Beth Holloway released a statement after van der Sloot’s verdict and said, “After 18 years, Natalee’s case is solved. He gave a proffer in which he finally confessed to killing Natalee.”
Van der Sloot has been arrested multiple times regarding Holloway’s death, but Aruban authorities released him due to a lack of evidence. Additionally, he was convicted 2021 of trafficking cocaine in his prison and sentenced to an additional 18 years.
In 2005, his associates Deepak and Satish Kalpoe were also arrested in connection to Holloway’s death and rearrested in 2007 for voluntary manslaughter. However, the brothers were released due to a lack of evidence.
Holloway’s disappearance became a major media sensation in the United States. Her family and friends launched a massive search effort, and the FBI sent agents to Aruba to assist. Holloway’s disappearance has had a profound impact on her family and friends. Her mother, Beth Holloway, has become a vocal advocate for victims of crime and their families. She has also written a book about her daughter’s disappearance, called “Holloway: One Mother’s Hell.”
Natalee Holloway’s story is a reminder of the dangers that can befall young people when they travel to foreign countries. It is also a reminder of the importance of staying safe and being aware of your surroundings when you are traveling.
