Joran Van Der Sloot, the infamous Dutch national who is the official suspect in the Natalee Holloway case, was officially sentenced last week to 28 years in prison for the brutal murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores.
In court last Wednesday, Joran looked bored and inconvenienced as he pleaded guilty to murdering Stephany five years to the day after Alabama teen Natalee Holloway disappeared from Aruba. Joran claimed that he truly felt bad about what he had done to Stephany, but the look on his face didn’t seem to reflect that sentiment at all. According to his lawyer, Joran had become “psychologically unhinged” after being “falsely accused” of Natalee Holloway’s death, and that is why he had snapped and killed Stephany.
So why did Joran plead guilty? Simply put, he wanted a shorter sentence. In Peru, if a defendant admits to guilt and offers up a “sincere confession” that goes along with the evidence the prosecutors have, he then has a very good chance of receiving a lighter sentence.
Fortunately for women everywhere, Joran’s all-female judges weren’t buying it, and rejected his plea on Friday, saying that it “did not meet the criteria of a sincere confession.” When he returned to court on Friday to hear his sentence, Joran looked considerably more nervous than he had the few days prior. He was sweating, wiping his brow, and looked like he would rather be anywhere else on Earth than in that courtroom.
Don’t get too excited though. With good behavior, Joran could be up for parole after only 9 years. Hopefully, if everything works out, he will then immediately be extradited to the U.S. so that he can go on trial for the extortion of Natalee Holloway’s mother, as well as for wire fraud. (For those who don’t know, Joran had extorted money from Beth Holloway, by telling her he would reveal the location of Natalee’s body – you can read the criminal complaint against him here).
Joran is being transferred from the Castro Castro prison he was in while awaiting trial (and where he was reportedly receiving internet access, and was able to watch TV), to the high-security Piedras Gordas prison in northern Lima.
Joran is expected to appeal his sentence, which will hopefully fall on deaf ears.
UPDATE: 1/19 7 PM CST
RadarOnline apparently has a letter from Joran to his “guardian angel” (see my prior post here) that he allegedly wrote to her after his sentencing. In the letter, he is begging her to continue supporting him.
He also tells her that he and his lawyer pleaded guilty for a reason, and that now his case will be handled at a higher court, which is “more serious.”
Someone is feeling pretty confident that he’s getting out, soon, huh? Let’s hope not.
Read the letter here.
SOURCES:
– http://articles.boston.com/2012-01-13/news/30624761_1_sloot-van-der-lima-casino
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