Van der Sloot enters Peru killing guilty plea
Joran van der Sloot yesterday pleaded guilty to murdering a 21-year-old woman from Peru at his long-awaited trial, which took place in the South American country’s capital – Lima.
Van der Sloot first went on trial at the start of the year for the killing of Stephany Flores, a young lady he met while gambling at a Lima casino that was later found murdered in a hotel room on 30 May 2010. Additionally, Van der Sloot remains a suspect in US student Natalee Holloway’s disappearance in 2005 on the island of Aruba. Frustratingly for her family, her corpse has never been discovered.
Ms Flores was murdered exactly five years to the day that Natalee Holloway, aged 18, was last seen by friends. The prosecution in the case heard in Lima accused Van der Sloot of murdering Ms Flores cruelly and ferociously in a hotel room after they had initially met whilst playing poker.
Through pleading guilty, the Dutch citizen should get certain benefits, such as having his sentence reduced. The three judges of the trial have exactly 48 hours to pass sentence, with the prosecution seeking a jail term of 30-years.
Last week, the trial was adjourned after Van der Sloot explained to the court that he needed extra time to consider which plea he should enter. At Wednesday’s hearing, he told the judges while speaking Spanish that he wished to plead guilty.