Van der Sloot poised to plead guilty in Peru murder case
- 12 years ago
(ROUGH CUT-NO REPORTER NARRATION)
STORY: Dutch citizen Joran Van der Sloot, poised to plead guilty, went on trial on Friday on charges of killing a young Peruvian woman in 2010, five years to the day after a U.S. teenager vanished on the island of Aruba after spending time with him.
Van der Sloot, who was arrested but not charged in the 2005 disappearance of 18-year-old Alabama woman Natalee Holloway on the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba, has confessed to killing 21-year-old business student Stephany Flores after meeting her in a casino in Lima.
His defense lawyer, who has complained that the panel of three judges is made up exclusively of women and might be biased against him, said on Friday Van der Sloot would plead guilty.
Van der Sloot smiled nervously as the trial opened, answered a few procedural questions the judges asked him, and then alternately closed his eyes, snoozed and yawned.
Peruvian criminal law specialists have said prosecutors were initially expected to try for a sentence of life in prison against Van der Sloot. But they had to scale back their plans and are expected to ask for a 30-year term because of sentencing guidelines for murders in which robbery could be the primary motive.
If convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison, Van der Sloot would be eligible for parole after serving 10 years.
Peruvian police said Flores, a skilled poker player and the daughter of a wealthy businessman, was robbed and killed on May 30, 2010, exactly five years after Holloway disappeared.
Van der Sloot has told police he strangled Flores after he found her looking at his laptop computer in his hotel room. The laptop contained emails about Holloway's death.
Van der Sloot, reportedly 24 years old, fled to Chile after Flores' death but was arrested there and returned to Peru for questioning.
The murder probe brought renewed attention to the case of Holloway, who vanished during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, where Van der Sloot was living.
Van der Sloot was arrested twice in the Holloway case but he was never charged due to a lack of evidence. Holloway's family has criticized Dutch authorities for not making more progress in the case.
STORY: Dutch citizen Joran Van der Sloot, poised to plead guilty, went on trial on Friday on charges of killing a young Peruvian woman in 2010, five years to the day after a U.S. teenager vanished on the island of Aruba after spending time with him.
Van der Sloot, who was arrested but not charged in the 2005 disappearance of 18-year-old Alabama woman Natalee Holloway on the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba, has confessed to killing 21-year-old business student Stephany Flores after meeting her in a casino in Lima.
His defense lawyer, who has complained that the panel of three judges is made up exclusively of women and might be biased against him, said on Friday Van der Sloot would plead guilty.
Van der Sloot smiled nervously as the trial opened, answered a few procedural questions the judges asked him, and then alternately closed his eyes, snoozed and yawned.
Peruvian criminal law specialists have said prosecutors were initially expected to try for a sentence of life in prison against Van der Sloot. But they had to scale back their plans and are expected to ask for a 30-year term because of sentencing guidelines for murders in which robbery could be the primary motive.
If convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison, Van der Sloot would be eligible for parole after serving 10 years.
Peruvian police said Flores, a skilled poker player and the daughter of a wealthy businessman, was robbed and killed on May 30, 2010, exactly five years after Holloway disappeared.
Van der Sloot has told police he strangled Flores after he found her looking at his laptop computer in his hotel room. The laptop contained emails about Holloway's death.
Van der Sloot, reportedly 24 years old, fled to Chile after Flores' death but was arrested there and returned to Peru for questioning.
The murder probe brought renewed attention to the case of Holloway, who vanished during a high school graduation trip to Aruba, where Van der Sloot was living.
Van der Sloot was arrested twice in the Holloway case but he was never charged due to a lack of evidence. Holloway's family has criticized Dutch authorities for not making more progress in the case.