Current:Home > InvestJoran van der Sloot, prime suspect in Natalee Holloway's 2005 disappearance, pleads not guilty to extortion charges -WealthConverge Strategies
Joran van der Sloot, prime suspect in Natalee Holloway's 2005 disappearance, pleads not guilty to extortion charges
View
Date:2025-04-19 02:31:12
Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, pleaded not guilty on Friday to extortion and fraud charges in a Birmingham courtroom, CBS affiliate WIAT reports.
Van der Sloot, a Dutch national, was flown to Birmingham from Peru on Thursday where he is serving a 28-year sentence for the 2010 murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores. He confessed to killing Flores, exactly five years after Holloway's disappearance, in his hotel room in Lima. The daughter of the wealthy Peruvian businessman Ricardo Flores was found stabbed, lying in a pool of blood.
U.S. prosecutors say that more than a decade ago, van der Sloot reached attempted to extort $250,000 from Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway, to disclose the location of the young woman's body. A grand jury indicted him in 2010.
Van der Sloot is not charged with killing Holloway, who was declared dead several years ago. The 18-year-old disappeared during a high school graduation trip in Aruba. She was last seen leaving a bar with three men on May 30, 2005, hours before she was scheduled to board a plane home. In the years that followed, her case garnered international attention mostly due to the dogged determination of her mother.
In a statement released by his attorneys on Friday, Natalee's father, Dave Holloway said, "While filled with mixed emotions, I am confident that today was an important step toward accountability and hopefully, justice. These particular charges do not involve me directly, but I am trusting that this prosecution will lead us to the truth about Natalee."
- In:
- Joran van der Sloot
- Crime
- Natalee Holloway
veryGood! (27)
Related
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Vanderpump Rules Finale: Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss Declare Their Love Amid Cheating Scandal
- Salma Hayek Suffers NSFW Wardrobe Malfunction on Instagram Live
- In the Face of a Pandemic, Climate Activists Reevaluate Their Tactics
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Warning: TikToker Abbie Herbert's Thoughts on Parenting 2 Under 2 Might Give You Baby Fever
- Have you tried to get an abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned? Share your story
- Lawmakers again target military contractors' price gouging
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Dolce Vita's Sale Section Will Have Your Wardrobe Vacation-Ready on a Budget
Ranking
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- 5 Texas women denied abortions sue the state, saying the bans put them in danger
- Saving Ecosystems to Protect the Climate, and Vice Versa: a Global Deal for Nature
- Exodus From Canada’s Oil Sands Continues as Energy Giants Shed Assets
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- 6 Ways Trump’s Denial of Science Has Delayed the Response to COVID-19 (and Climate Change)
- Emma Heming Willis Wants to Talk About Brain Health
- Idaho Murder Case: Suspect Bryan Kohberger Indicted By Grand Jury
Recommendation
Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
Nearly 1 in 5 adults have experienced depression — but rates vary by state, CDC report finds
Walgreens won't sell abortion pills in red states that threatened legal action
Can Solyndra’s Breakthrough Solar Technology Outlive the Company’s Demise?
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
What is Shigella, the increasingly drug-resistant bacteria the CDC is warning about?
Tori Spelling Says Mold Infection Has Been Slowly Killing Her Family for Years
Emma Heming Willis Wants to Talk About Brain Health