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Subscribe to RSSLIMA -- Peru's top court has ruled Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot can be extradited to the United States in connection with the 2005 disappearance in Aruba of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway - but only after serving a 28-year Peruvian prison sentence for murder.
According to documents seen by Reuters, Peru's Supreme Court decided last week that Van der Sloot's extradition must wait until he serves out his sentence for the 2010 killing of a young Peruvian business student in Lima. The sentence handed down in January is under appeal.
Van der Sloot, 24, is wanted in the United States for extortion in connection with the unsolved Holloway case in which he was a prime suspect.
The prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway could face extradition to the United States from Peru, where he is currently serving a 28-year sentence for the murder of Stephanie Flores. TODAY's Natalie Morales reports.
Van der Sloot's lawyer Maximo Altez defended the extradition delay, saying it would be impossible for his client to get a fair trial in the U.S., Peru's El Comercio reported (Link in Spanish).
PhotoBlog: Trial of Van der Sloot begins in Peru as shamans peform a 'spiritual punishment'
"At this moment Joran van der Sloot will not have a fair trial in the United States because he has been satanized by the press, he is looked at like a demon," he told the newspaper.
However, van der Sloot could spend less than a decade behind bars in Peru because the country often frees prisoners for good behavior after serving a third of their terms. His lawyers want his sentence cut anyway.
US asks Peru to extradite van der Sloot
"We were surprised by how quickly the extradition request was heard," Altez told Reuters. "We think there is a lot of pressure from the U.S. government."
The U.S. embassy in Lima didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. It initiated a process to extradite Van der Sloot to face charges of extortion on January 30.
Prosecutors say van der Sloot, who was arrested but never charged over Holloway's disappearance, tried to get thousands of dollars in cash from her family in exchange for information on the whereabouts of her body.
Judge agrees Natalee Holloway is dead
Holloway was last seen during a graduation trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba.
Van der Sloot's lawyers have argued that post-traumatic stress from the Holloway inquiries led Van der Sloot to kill 21-year-old Stephany Flores in a Lima hotel room after he saw her looking at his laptop, which contained e-mails about the Aruba case. They had met playing poker in a Lima casino.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
this is GOOD news. although he needs to be tried for natalee's disappearance, he DEFINITELY needs to serve the rest of his time for the murder of that peruvian girl he viciously killed. an american prison would be like a 5-star resort compared to where he is now. he is where he belongs. leave him there.
It is funny they say the press has "satanized" him...because he MURDERED someone, and that is not even Holloway.
I still just can't believe that Peru only gives you 28 years for murder.
Kevin, that's because almost nobody survives 28 years in a Peruvian prison...but, if he does, then send him to the U.S. for Holloway's murder trial.
Keep him there. US would screw it up worse than Scotland.
Kevin C-752389 - 28 years in a Peruvian jail cell is like a 100 year sentence in the US. They don't pamper their inmates like we do.
Unfortunately, Van der Sloot (Slut) is not living the typical Peruvian "criminal sentence". He has sufficient money to keep him isolated from normal prison life, or he would be dead already. Photos have shown him ensconsced in a "private cell", with ample food, water, and even the occasional "girlfriend" smuggled in. Trust me...there is NOTHING you can't BUY in the Peruvian prisons. And, his Mother visits him on a regular basis, which is very rare in the Peru prisons. Money and his Fatehers' political clout have kept this filthy swine from justice.
He will NOT be tried for her disappearance! He will be tried for extortion!
Holloways, give it a rest...you cannot have your revenge. Be glad that this scum has finally gotten his comeuppance. Take sollace in the fact that he didn't get away with the Peruvian murder. No, he didn't get the death penalty, nor would he in the US for manslaughter. What is the expectation for extortion? two years. max! He will be an old man when and if he leaves prison in Peru. His father is dead. His mother will be before he gets out of prison. He will have nothing to go back to.
You're right Libralee! So far they have no evidence against him on the disappearance so extortion is the only thing they have. So yep - Peru hold him as long as you want and we'll pick him up when you're done with him.
I guess the comfort of a Peruvian jail depends on the money and connections of the prisoner, so he's probably looking at some 8-10 years of relative comfort. Even if he is shipped to the U.S. at that point in time, this will be old news. He may get a couple of years but will still be a relatively young man by the time he is free. Too bad, life in prison without the possibility of parole would have been too good for this guy.
And that was for the murder of a member of prominent family!
As for Joran "being demonized" that is what happens when one's inner demons are laid out for public display. But it was Van der Sloot who put them on display. This guy is a double murderer and would almost surely have killed again. He is vermin, the very scum of society. It would be best if he simply died in a Peruvian prison from dysentary or some other foul disease.
Post traumatic stress syndrome was his excuse for killing again?
He will likely serve a third of his sentence meaning he will be out in perhaps 9 years. Is that fair ? I say NO. He killed this young woman viciously and he gets away with it. To send him to the US at that point may be very helpful in terms of Natalee's family getting some sort of closure....but it is wrong he killed this poor girl in Peru and he gets off. She is dead.....and he is alive. I don't get it. Sometimes, there is no justice, only victims.
This SCUM BAG belongs 6 feet under.....
Yes, in the end. But before that, he must pay for his deeds, and Peruvian prison is a much more fitting place for it than a regular plain American prison. As despising as his crimes were, they legally don't qualify him for Supermax. Unfortunately...
Oh, and let the Peruvian tax payers take care of him in the next 26 years or so. I, personally, don't want a single penny of my taxes to be spent on his upkeep.
he should be in jail for life but he will get off if no one kills him in his jail cell in about 9 years. He will then again fool and manipulate the system and perhaps end up free when he will kill again. Killing is a natural thing for him as he likely gets violent fast with little provocation. He has the upper hand with his huge body. These girls have no chance. If society wants to keep a well known psychopathic killer loose and watch him kill again and again, we certainly have the right conditions. SAD. My heart breaks for the families of his victims.
Why on earth would we be trying to extradite him for a mere extortion charge when he has a murder conviction sentence to serve?
Rick
The answer to your question is this .
Diplomatic connections . One must remember that daddy was a foreign diplomat and still has connections . He will try ( from behind the scenes ) anything to get sonny boy out of that rat hole he is in now .
bob
Daddy is dead, and has been for a while.
good catch zapper....daddy died 2/20/10.
Don't forget momma . . .
Rick:
The more important question would be "Why would we extradite for a crime committed on FOREIGN Soil, with no evidence to convict?" If the only crime was really extortion, it was accomplished via telephone, so convict him IN ABSENTIA of Extortion and Wire Fraud, and request that Peru extend the sentence.
No, we have become such a "Moral" Society that it becomes necessary to exact "Our Pound of Flesh" by whatever means necessary, at any cost to the taxpayer. The Casey Anthony Trial is a prime example of this. Of course, I'm sorry for the victims of these monsters, but the only thing that we actually accomplish is to further the political ambitions of prosecutors and laywers. With 1 in 5 Americans incarcerated at some point in their lives, the last thing taxpayers need is to be importing criminals from other countries.
He probabl admitted he did it in th extortion attempt. No way we would try for extradition unless they had the goods.
Absolutely leave him where he is until he is either about to be released or paroled. That person is a serial killer with no remorse except that he got caught. If he was free, he'd still be wandering around slaughtering young girls and laughing about it.
This guy loves the thrill of the kill. We need to get him in the US now as Peru will quietly let him go after a minimum prison time. He will kill again and again once he is out. Bring him here and send him to Texas, they know what to do with murder convicts, it's called a needle in the arm........
Why would want to move him to live better at our expense? An other DOJ a** move costing tax payers thousands of $ for no logical reason. Who appointed Holder? Who is calling these ridiculous shots?
Please, just knife the guy in prison and be done with it.
While I certainly believe that he should never be a free man again, to protect society, I doubt he can get a fair trial in the US. If not handled right, he might walk away.
The living conditions in a US prison is better than average conditions in Peru. Leave him down there.
You underestimate his negotiating skills. He already seems to have access to drugs and women.
...look at like a demon, and it is all the fault of the press.
I'm sure the fact that young women are ending up dead of missing after being seen in his company has nothing to do with it.
What is mystifying to me is that a first degree murder conviction only rates a 28 year sentence in Peru.
What does one have to do to draw a life sentence there, criticize the government?
Why don't you move there and find out first hand? They have their justice system, we have ours. What works for one may or maynot work for the other.
Why don't you write Mr. van der Sloot a letter, promising you'll wait for him?
I'm happy here in the U.S.A., where there is yet a chance that a first degree murderer will never be free again.
We're all free to express our opinions on the criminal justice systems of other nations, without being invited to move there. It is right there in the Constitution, twinky.
Thank heavens for little favors we have enough trash here from other countries why do we need more besides he should fry for that horrible murder and not get on 28 years but that is their law NOT ours.
Just get Van der Sloot up here. Turn him loose in Alabama for the fine people of the state to take care of.
He should serve his entire sentence in Peru. That's fine with me. Let him do it on Peru's dime. Afterwards, (if he's still alive), he can be extradited back to the US for his trial here. And he can continue to serve time. Why do I agree? He's off the streets and won't be killing any more young women. It's not the scenario I prefer, but the longer he is locked up and kept away from his potential victims, the better off we will be.
he killed that women in peru her family is wealthy and has the "right" connections if you get my drift, you can say any life that animal has will be OVER.......
He's been satanized by the press? He's killed at least 2 women (that we know of). I think that is more than enough to "satanize" him.
He is the personification of evil without question. He will manipulate every and anyone in his sphere for his own nefarious gain. If ever anyone deserved the death penalty, he would be a prime example. He thinks he can get away with anything, however, there is a God who sees all, and he will have the final judgement. I truly would love to be a fly on the wall when his turn comes just to hear his feeble excuses!
I don't want this guy anywhere near our shores. I can just see our judicial system letting him go out on bail while waiting his trial (for extortion???!!!).
You're right, he'll never get a fair trial here, so leave his sorry ass there where he belongs.
Gracias, Peru.
If he's extradited here, he and George Zimmerman will probably end up being pen pals and trading secrets on deception. They both seem to be professionals on the subject. One would lie and the other would swear to it.
The sick POS would probably love coming to America with all the media attention. No telling how many "deals" he'd try to cut in exchange for the location of Natalie's remains, which would do nothing more than further torture the family. Let him rot in Peru.
why spend the money? Let's just pay Peru 50K to hold him over in jail another 75 years. Otherwise, we spend 1.5M on a trial and another 1.5M housing this jackass/ murderer. I doubt the lives of Natalie's parents will be enriched by convicting him. Dead is still dead. Torment in Peru is the best option! Maybe Dick Cheney could arrange some daily water-boarding until he tells us where the body is...
Better yet... go hunting with Dick
He looks like a terrorist to me. After his Peruvian stay, have the CIA deliver him to Guantanamo for an extended interview.
Leave Van der Sloot in Peru. The prison system is worse and the conditions are deplorable. Moving him to the US is a waste of time and money. No one wants him here. Why would we import a murder?
Bring him to the U.S. in irons to face the court, then ship him back to Peru to serve out his sentence. Simple, no?
leave 'em there. USA doesn't need the expense.
Save the taxpayers another useless trial and long jail sentence, just have the little turd put in a shallow jungle grave. This could probably be arranged for less than $1k.
This folks, especially for those studying psychology is what a psychopath looks like and how they behave.
His charge in the U.S. would be extortion, and there is ample proof. I have read where he could get a sentence of 20-25 years. He has stated that he would be terrified to go to a Federal prison in the U.S. As far as his sentence in Peru, he may spend less than 10 years which is about average for his sentence. There have been many articles about how "good" he has it right where he is. He has every priviledge he wants and has lots of friends.
I heard just last week he recieves piles of mail from women, some even including marriage proposals and the desire to have his love child. This aspect of the female psyche has always fascianted and disturbed me. Apparently normal women to all appearances sending correspondence to cold blooded killers they've never met wanting their seed.