Page 40 - AM231018

40 LOCAL NEWS AWEMainta Diaranson, 18 October 2023

Authorities Hope Joran Finally Reveals

the Truth About Natalee in Court

EIGHTEEN years after Natalee Holloway was allegedly
killed during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, her

family may finally get answers. According to a statement by
the family’s attorney, John Kelly, he informed the press that
Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in Natalee’s disap-
pearance, has reached a plea deal with authorities in a sepa-

rate extortion case.

This agreement stipulates that Joran van der Sloot must
reveal details about Natalee Holloway’s death. None of the

other parties, including the prosecutor or van der Sloot’s
public defender, have commented on this. The attorney
explained that the deal is conditional on the revelation
of details about how Natalee died and how her body was

disposed of.
However, the attorney, John Kelly, expressed concerns that
van der Sloot might once again provide false information.
In the United States, he has not been charged with murder.

Natalee Holloway’s body was never found, but van der Sloot
extorted her family, demanding $250,000 in exchange for
information about her disappearance, apparently providing
false information after they paid part of the sum.

The attorney also informed the press that “there will be no
more investigations or searches... for Natalee’s remains”
after Joran, 36 years old, officially agrees to the proposed

plea deal. The reason behind this decision, according to the
family’s attorney, will become clear after the court appear-
ance on October 18.

He added that the deal is based on the FBI’s confirmation
that the information provided by Joran aligns, as he changed
his story multiple times. Joran van der Sloot was impris-
oned in Peru for the murder of Stephanie Flores, and he was

transported to the United States for extortion and electronic
fraud charges. In his initial court appearance upon arriving
in the U.S., he pleaded not guilty.

It is not yet known for which specific charges or if he will
plead guilty to both, but the hearing is scheduled for today
in the afternoon.
In May 2005, Natalee Holloway traveled to Aruba with a

group of her high school classmates to spend a few days on
vacation before entering college. The photo with her friends
on an Aruban beach was the last one taken of her, as on
May 30, 2005, night, nothing more was heard from her after

she left a nightclub with Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe
brothers, Satish and Deepak.