Natalee Holloway, left, and Beth Holloway.Photo:Courtesy of Beth Twitty
Courtesy of Beth Twitty
The 2005 disappearance ofNatalee Hollowayin Aruba has generated intense coverage and interest for nearly two decades, and the case has once again been reinvigorated.
On Wednesday,Joran van der Sloot, the Dutch man who has long been suspected in Natalee’s disappearance,pleaded guilty in federal court to extortion and wire fraud chargesfor extorting Natalee’s mother, Beth Holloway, in 2010, PEOPLE confirms.
In June, Van der Sloot was extradited to the U.S. from Peru, where he was serving a sentence for the unrelated 2010 murder of a21-year-old woman.
2005: Natalee Holloway vanishes
The 18-year-old, from Mountain Brook, Ala., was on a senior trip in Aruba with more than 100 of her classmates in spring 2005. In the early morning hours of May 30, Natalee left a nightclub with Dutch national Joran van der Sloot, who was 17 and attending an international school on the island at the time, and two other men,PEOPLE previously reported.
Later that morning, Natalee was supposed to meet her classmates and fly home, but she never showed up for the return trip and was never seen or heard from again.
Van der Sloot and the two other men —Deepak Kalpoe and Satish Kalpoe— would claim that they dropped her off at her hotel, but their stories would soon change.
Natalee, left, and Dave Holloway.Courtesy of Beth Twitty
In the years following Natalee’s disappearance, both of her parents — Beth and Dave Holloway, who are divorced — have madenumerous media appearancesand have authored books while seeking out answers in their daughter’s disappearance. The case has also been the subject of several true crime shows and movies. Van der Sloot also made several television appearances in both the United States and his native Netherlands.
May 30, 2010: Stephany Flores Ramírez is Murdered
On May 30, 2010, five years to the date after Natalee’s disappearance,Stephany Flores Ramírezwas murdered in van der Sloot’s hotel room. According to a 2005ABC Newsreport, Flores Ramírez may have seen a message referencing van der Sloot’s alleged involvement in the disappearance of Natalee on the night she was killed. He choked and beat Flores Ramírez, then smothered her to death, according to the outlet, citing a transcript of his confession.Van der Slootwas arrested in connection with her murder on June 3.
June 2010: Van der Sloot Is Indicted on Charges of Extortion
Van der Sloot met with Beth’s attorney John Q. Kelly in Aruba,PEOPLE previously reported, and said that Natalee’s remains could be found under the foundation of a house. He later confessed the information was a lie, but the payment meant van der Sloot could be charged with extortion. In June 2010, he was indicted on extortion and wire fraud charges in connection with the scheme.
Joran van der Sloot.Peruvian Mug Shot
2012: Guilty plea and death declaration
Two significant events happened within a day of each other in early 2012. On Jan. 11, van der Sloot pleaded guilty to murdering Flores Ramírez and would later besentenced to 28 yearsin prison.
The next day, an Alabama judge would end up declaring Natalee dead, meaning her parents could finally obtain a death certificate,NBC reported.
Beth Holloway.Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
June 2023: Van der Sloot extradited
Van der Sloot, now 36, was extradited to the United States in June of this year to face extortion charges stemming from the 2010 encounter with Beth, theAssociated Press reported.
October 2023: Van der Sloot pleads guilty
After initially pleading not guilty at his arraignment, van der Sloot pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one extortion charge and one wire fraud charge.
After he pled,Beth made a victim impact statement, according to reporters in the courtroom, and disclosed that van der Sloot admitted to killing Natalee.
“For eighteen years you have denied killing my daughter… The grief extends deep into my soul,” Beth said during her statement, according to a reporter forWBRC News.
“You have finally admitted that you murdered her… You terminated her potential, her dreams and possibilities when you bludgeoned her to death,” she continued, according to AL.com reporter,Ivana Hrynkiw Shatara, who was in the courtroom.
“You didn’t get what you wanted from Natalee, your sexual satisfaction, so you brutally killed her,” Beth added, according to Shatara.
Van der Sloot was sentenced to 20 years for the extortion and wire fraud crimes on Wednesday. The sentence in the U.S. will run concurrently to his sentence in Peru, but if he is released from the Peruvian prison early, he would then serve the remainder of his 20-year sentence in the U.S.,AL.com reports.
source: people.com
