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LIMA, Peru -- Joran van der Sloot, on trial in the murder of a young Peruvian woman Friday nearly seven years after he became the prime suspect in the unsolved disappearance of an American teenager on holiday in Aruba, appears to be on the verge of pleading guilty.
The 24-year-old Dutchman is charged with killing Stephany Flores, 21, in his Lima hotel room on May 30, 2010, after the two left a casino together in the day's early hours.
The slaying happened five years to the day after the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, a 19-year-old from Alabama who was celebrating her high school graduation on the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba and was seen leaving a nightclub with van der Sloot.
Her body has never been found and he remains the prime suspect in that killing.
Van der Sloot shook his head as the prosecutor detailed the case against him in the Flores case. When asked how he would plead, he answered in rudimentary Spanish, "I want to give a sincere confession, but I don't agree with all the charges that has placed on me by the prosecutor. Can I have more time to think about this?"
Judge Victoria Montoya agreed to the postponement.
Van der Sloot entered the courtroom Friday morning in a blue blazer and faded blue jeans with a bulletproof vest beneath the jacket. He sported a crew cut and wore a long-sleeved gray shirt.
Defense attorney Jose Luis Jimenez told The Associated Press Friday that there was a 70 percent chance Van der Sloot will plead guilty, which could help him get a reduced sentence.
Flores' father, Ricardo Flores, told the AP Friday that the family would participate in the trial in hopes of ensuring that van der Sloot is also accused of robbery in connection with the killing,
Prosecutors are seeking a 30-year prison sentence on murder and theft charges.
Joran Van der Sloot, best known as the prime suspect in the disappearance of U.S. teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba five years ago, goes on trial for the murder of a young woman in Peru. NBC's Lilia Luciano reports.
But Jimenez has said he would argue that his client was in a state of emotional distress when he killed Flores and "seek to reduce the charge from first-degree murder to simple homicide." The latter carries a prison sentence of from eight to 20 years.
Police and Flores' family dispute Van der Sloot's version of her death. They say the defendant was hard up for cash and knew the Peruvian business student had been winning at the casino.
"We hope that throughout this process our attorneys can demonstrate the true motives for the killing of my daughter," Ricardo Flores said.
Van der Sloot has in several interviews described himself as a pathological liar. He has been in custody after his arrest in neighboring Chile just days after Flores' death.
Paolo Aguilar / EPA
Joran Van der Sloot enters the Third Penal Courtroom at Lurigancho prison in Lima, January 6.
Van der Sloot shares a cell with a Mexican and a Chinese inmate at the maximum security Miguel Castro Castro prison, separated from convicted prisoners, said Jimenez.
He said Van der Sloot spends his days making crafts and reading self-help books.
"His mood is super good," Jimenez said during a telephone interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday.
The defendant has granted several jailhouse interviews to media and was confronted there in September 2010 by Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, when she accompanied a Dutch television crew. Her lawyer, John Kelly, said at the time that she was determined to get answers about her daughter.
Van der Sloot has told several people he was involved in Holloway's disappearance, only to later deny it.
U.S. law enforcement officials say he extorted $25,000 from Twitty after offering to lead Kelly to Holloway's body in Aruba, using the money to fly to Lima on May 14, 2010, just days after meeting with Kelly.
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The Associated Press and msbc.com staff conributed to this report.
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Please, let there be justice for these two young women....he cannot possibly go free ever and do this again !
This guy has issues. The exact same day, five years later. Wow. Seems to be a cycle for this psycho. I know that everyone deserves a day in court but this is over the top.
This guy should never see the light of day again other than through the bars of a prison. He has already killed two young women and, if released, I am sure he would kill again. There is something seriously wrong with this guy. The idea that he could ever again be free is completely unacceptable.
the only sensible judgement for this clown, is to; FRY HIS BUTT !!!......
To easy, just fold him over and stuff him in a barrel then leave it in the prison recreation yard for the next 30 years. Then Fry his butt.
Unfortunately, Peru doesn't have the death penalty.
Joran scares me to death. He killed both ladies (Holloway). Give it up Joran....
GUILTY!!!!!!!! Creepy as Heck
Scum of the earth! It's too bad that Peru doesn't apply the death penalty to capital cirmes. I wonder whose wife he will become when he enters the general prison population.
Probably wont have a chance. His latest victims father is a beloved race car driver in Peru. The victims family has already received word that he will be taken care of soon after he enters general population.
I cannot hardly wait for proper justice to be dispensed to this barbarian. The number of years this garbage receives is unimportant; once he is released into the general population he won't last 72 hours. The young woman's father is a celebrity in Peru and viewed as a hero in their sports world; now pretend for a moment he was in the U S prison system and he was awaiting trial for killing the daughter of a top NASCAR driver.
HOW LONG WOULD HE LAST?
LOL-If this POS was in the U.S., his lawyers would be going for an insanity plea. Then, there would be one bleeding heart jury member who would fall for all of the BS and vote for acquittal or a mental hospital. If by chance, he was found guilty and sentenced to death, there would be years of appeals. Meanwhile, there would be a few nutcase women writing to him protesting that he is innocent and wanting to marry him.
VanderSlut deserves Peru and what they will do to him!!
30 years in a Peruvian prison... nice.
Well, since we can now see that this ridiculous excuse for a human being has absolutely no problem with murder, I wonder if anyone has looked to see if he was in the area of any other young traveling woman's disappearances.
He got away with murder once with the help of his lying corrupt judge father. When the anxiety of the father having a murdering son became to much for him, his heart shut down. Urine may or may not have had the sense to except the blame for his father's demise but he was just as culpable the same. Shame is, another young woman had to die in order for him to get the punishment he so obviously desired.
Dang too bad Casey Anthony was aquitted. There could have been a realty show with these to locked in a house. Survivor gets their own jail cell with cable tv.
Casey had Jose Baez - Joran has Jose Jimenez. They all make me sick. By the way Michael, I like your version of his name - "Urine" - that's too funny!
No telling what will happen if this monster gets away with another murder. He's basically a serial killer and I don't understand why he's getting away with it. I hope the Peruvian gov't do what they need to do rid of their country of this killer.
They don't need a trial. They just need a tall tree and a rope for this phsycopathic killer.
His parents must be so proud!
I believe his Father is now dead and his mother doesn't want anything to do with him.
His father died of cancer last year...
I have never wished death on anyone, but i seriously hope that this guy is taken care of in jail. He deserves real punishment for what he has done to these two girls and their family. Makes me sick.
I hope when he gets to the general population they extract the information from Urine that the Holloways' need to find their daughters remains or at least know what happened. Let the info be verified AND THEN DO WITH HIM WHAT THEY WILL.
From the father of two daughters!
He would not have escaped justice the first time if it had been one of my daughters!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it would have been slow!
He's had 19 months to decide his plea, but now needs a delay to think about it? Please!
This callous, non-remorseful, ugly psycho has been 'playing the system' for years. I only hope that Peru sees thru this cocky #@$ and sends him away for the max. Too bad Peru doesn't have a death penalty! He truly is the lowest of scum walking the earth. After seeing him in court this morning with his cocky smile, all of his yawning, squirming around like he was bored to death, I would love to have known his thoughts. Bet he was 'hating' everyone there, especially the three women judges. I detest this killer with almost the same intensity as Casey Anthony. The word 'almost' came from the fact Casey killed her innocent precious little Caylee and threw her in the woods behind the Anthony home, never reporting her even missing. Cindy is the one pressing to know where Casey was. It will never happen that I detest anyone more than Casey.....and the sentiments of 99% of the population!
He confessed..give him a death sentence and be done with it...but let them do it slowly and painfully. I'm Dutch myself and I think he's a disgrace to my country.
Vaya con El Diablo van der sloot!....Lurigancho will wipe the arrogant atitude from your face,pinche Hoto!..Many yrs there and a long life.
once again Joran is trying to delay as much as possible his fate for even if he manages to get lesser chargers he knows he is going to be locked up and some one is going to decide he has not gotten enough justice and maybe do to him what he did to florence proably with a rope or bare hands. at least finaly the families may wind up with some justice Joran locked up where he can not take any more victims ever. and proably his ticket to hell soon to be booked.
He's wearing a bullet proof vest folks, so aim for the head! Seriously, they should torture this SOB until he tells the parents of his first victim what he did with the body.
So shall he reap.
You all have expressed my same feelings of this Dude. Let this be a first, agreeing with everyone on the blog.
OMG...set that guy free, he hasn't accomplished his mission....
This POS and his lawyers had TWO YEARS to think of what he was going to do when he had his day in court--and then at the last minute they ask for more time???? What the heck is going on with court systems around the world? This guy HATES women (he's a misogynist to the nth degree!! I wonder if his mother was an extremely weak person and was subservient to both Joran and his father? Joran was a spoiled brat who got to live his life whatever way he wanted from his early teens.)-so I think he did what he did today because the 3 judges were women. Get men in there next week to throw him off--and let's see how he acts. He showed total disregard for everything the court system stands for-and total disregard for every person who was in the courtroom, too. This guy should never see the light of day (except to be transported back to prison).
Justme: Joran's father did NOT die of cancer; I believe he collapsed from a heart attack while playing tennis. And..they can NOT give Joran the DP in Peru- they don't have it. The MAX he can get is around 30 years-for 1st degree murder!!!! How sad is that????