Joran Van Der Sloot Postpones Plea in Murder of 21-Year-Old Girl
Joran van der Sloot, charged with the murder of a 21-year-old girl, asked Judges Friday for more time to consider how he would plea.
The Dutch national faces charges for the murder of Stephany Flores in Peru, who police say Sloot robbed before fleeing to Chile. Sloot was also the prime suspect in the murder of an Alabama student, Natalee Holloway, who vanished in 2005 while on a graduation trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba.
If charged, Sloot could face a sentence of up to 30 years. Flores’ family however was unsatisfied with the minimal sentence. The family has tried to push for a more serious charge that would consider life in prison. However, despite their reports that Sloot is aloof in court, the request was denied.
Sloot could also face charges in the U.S. on counts of wire fraud and extortion after he allegedly attempted to extort $250,000 from Holloway's mother. He successfully obtained $25,000 from the Holloway family, money which authorities believe was later used for Sloot’s ticket to Peru where he met Flores in a poker tournament.
"I want to give a sincere confession, but I don't agree with all the charges that have been placed on me by the prosecutor. Can I have more time to think about this?” Sloot plead on Friday.
His request to postpone trial was granted and the presiding magistrate of the three-judge panel has ordered the trial to resume on Jan. 11.
Natalee Holloway was beat and strangled to death in what police consider to be a robbery attempt. Sloot’s lawyer said his client was under extreme emotional distress in the robbery of Stephany Flores and would "seek to reduce the charge from first-degree murder to simple homicide."
