Joran van der Sloot Confesses to Murdering Natalee Holloway in 2005

The 2005 murder of Natalee Holloway is no longer a mystery after Joran van der Sloot, who has long been considered the primary suspect, confessed to her murder – according to a recent court filing. It took the Holloway family 18 years before they got the closure they deserved, but that day has finally come. 

The 35-year-old, who is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in Peru, landed in the United States on June 8 after being charged with extortion and wire fraud in connection with Holloway’s murder – he was not being charged with her murder, but was the primary suspect. His confession was all they needed.

“It’s over. Joran van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in my daughter’s murder. He is the killer. He gave a proffer in which he finally confessed to killing Natalee. After 18 years, Natalee’s case is solved,” said Beth Holloway – Natalee’s mother. It’s a moment the Holloway family has been waiting on for far too long. 

RELATED: Joran van der Sloot Pleads Not Guilty on Extortion and Wire Fraud Charges

On Wednesday (Oct. 18), Joran van der Sloot pleaded guilty to the extortion and wire fraud charges brought against him earlier this year. He confessed to the 2005 murder in a proffer – which is when a ‘defendant offers information they know about a crime, often as part of a plea deal,’ according to CNN. 

The proffer was then reviewed by a federal judge, who didn’t provide any details behind the confession – though she did say there was a reason why Natalee’s body would never be found. Natalee’s mother, Beth, further expanded on what van der Sloot confessed to and the gruesome nature behind the murder. 

“He said that after killing her on the beach in Aruba, he put her into the water and that was the last that he ever saw her,” Beth told reporters on Wednesday (Oct. 18) – adding that Joran’s confession was verified with a polygraph test. “I’m satisfied knowing that he did it, he did it alone and he disposed of her alone.”

It’s important to note that Joran van der Sloot has not been charged for murder – in fact, he can’t be charged for her murder (in the United States, at least). His 20-year prison sentence for the extortion and wire fraud charges will begin once his current 28-year prison sentence ends – he was sentenced in 2012. 

What Was Joran van der Sloot Charged With?

The recent sentence given to Joran van der Sloot has been more than 13 years in the making. He was originally indicted on the federal charges in 2010 after the Holloway family accused him of trying to extort $250,000 from the family– in return, he said he would disclose the location of their daughter’s body. 

The family was smart enough to get the FBI involved and they successfully completed a sting operation that caught Joran in the act. The family ended up giving Joran an up-front payment of $10,000, a wire transfer of $15,000, and the remaining $225,000 was going to be sent once they received the location. 

The FBI was quick to the punch when they realized the location he gave them was of a building that hadn’t been built at the time of the murder. Calling his bluff, Joran later admitted to lying about the location and was charged with extortion and wire fraud. It took 13 years, but Joran has finally learned his fate. 

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Now that he has been sentenced, Joran van der Sloot will return to Peru to continue serving his 28-year prison sentence – he murdered a second woman  in May 2010, on the five-year anniversary of Holloway’s disappearance. He admitted to the murder in June and was sentenced to 28 years in prison in 2012.