Prosecutors in Arbua have asked the U.S. Department of Justice for documents related to their investigation of Joran van der Sloot, who confessed this week to killing Natalee Holloway.
Aruba public prosecutor’s office spokesperson Ann Angela told AL.com that officials there want to review the information “before deciding on the procedural steps to be taken” against van der Sloot, 36. However, she seemingly sidestepped questions regarding a statute of limitations — as it is apparently 12 years for homicide in Aruba.
“It depends on several factors within the investigation. The Police Force, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Aruba and other investigative entities will follow up on any serious leads that could solve the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. The Holloway case is still an open investigation in Aruba,” Angela said in an email to AL.com.
On Wednesday, van der Sloot’s confession in an Alabama court was made public. There, he admitted to bludgeoning Holloway to death with a cinderblock in 2005 for rejecting his sexual advances. He also stated that he threw her body into the ocean.
Van der Sloot was extradited to Alabama in June, more than a decade after he was indicted for extortion and wire fraud. The charges in Alabama stemmed from him being paid $25,000 for information about Holloway’s whereabouts and demanding an additional $225,000 from Holloway’s family. Afterward, he provided a link to a website that he claimed detailed where Holloway’s remains were buried, but that was not the case.
AL.com reported that a lie detector test determined van der Sloot was truthful in court about the circumstances surrounding Holloway’s death.
As part of a plea deal, van der Sloot confessed to killing Holloway so his 20-year sentence for extortion and wire fraud will be served concurrently with the 28-year sentence he was already serving for killing Stephany Flores’ in Peru in 2010. In that case, van Der Sloot claimed the slaying occurred after Flores learned of his connection to Holloway’s murder.
Read continuing coverage about van Der Sloot’s confession on Crime Online.
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[Featured image: Joran van der Sloot/Peruvian mug shot; Natalee Holloway/FBI]
