Man Admits to Killing Woman 20 Years Ago and Attempted Extortion

In a startling development, Joran van der Sloot has confessed to a gruesome crime committed two decades ago. He pleaded guilty to attempted extortion, part of a plea deal that compelled him to reveal the harrowing details of 18-year-old American Natalee Holloway's tragic demise.

Van der Sloot admitted that he brutally killed Natalee Holloway on an Aruban beach in 2005 after she rebuffed his advances. This admission finally puts to rest nearly 20 years of speculation surrounding the case. It's important to note that he hasn't been charged with her murder, but his extortion confession has shed light on the events of that fateful day.

Beth Holloway, Natalee's mother, expressed her emotions outside the federal courthouse in Alabama, Natalee's home state, saying, "As far as I'm concerned, it's over. Joran Van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in my daughter's murder. He is the killer."

Van der Sloot, a Dutch citizen, is currently serving a 28-year sentence for the murder of another woman in Peru. His extradition to the United States was approved by Peru's government to face trials for alleged extortion and wire fraud charges related to the Holloway case.

Natalee Holloway, a resident of Birmingham, Alabama, vanished during a night out with friends. She was last seen leaving a bar with Van der Sloot, who was a student at an international school on the island. In his confession, he admitted to disposing of her body in the sea, which has never been recovered.

According to court documents, Van der Sloot provided his confession during a polygraph test. As part of his plea deal, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to 20 years, to be served concurrently with his 28-year sentence for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores.

During the sentencing, Judge Anna Manasco condemned Van der Sloot for "brutally murdering" two women who had rejected his advances only a few years apart. In a statement, wearing an orange jumpsuit, Van der Sloot expressed a desire to apologize to the Holloway family and his own, stating, "I am no longer the person I was back then."

Beth Holloway, in her impact statement, simply told Van der Sloot, "You look like hell, Joran." A lawyer representing Natalee's father, Dave, acknowledged that Van der Sloot could not be prosecuted in Aruba due to the statute of limitations having expired.