Joran van der Sloot Killed Natalee Holloway For Refusing His Sexual Advances

For years, Joran van der Sloot was the suspect in the murder of Natalee Holloway. The details behind the 2005

Ivy Griffith

Oct 19, 2023

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For years, Joran van der Sloot was the suspect in the murder of Natalee Holloway. The details behind the 2005 crime have always been somewhat of a mystery because her body was never found. But now, Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway, says, “Joran van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in my daughter’s murder. He is the killer.” Van der Sloot has confessed to Holloway’s murder as part of a plea deal. The details he shared during his confession are shocking. Perhaps equally shocking is the fact that he probably won’t face prosecution for the murder due to a 12-year statute of limitations in Aruba, where the murder occurred. Here’s what to know about van der Sloot’s confession and why he’ll “get away with” murder.

Warning: graphic language

Joran van der Sloot Confessed To Killing Natalee Holloway For Saying ‘No’ To Sex

As part of a plea deal with prosecutors, 36-year-old Joran van der Sloot confessed to the murder of Natalee Holloway in 2005. Holloway’s body was never found after she went missing. but she was declared dead in 2012. Prosecutors long sought a way to connect van der Sloot to her disappearance. However, without a body, it’s been difficult to pin him to the crime. Van der Sloot has been in and out of prison over the years for various crimes, including the murder of Stephany Flores which he previously confessed to. But there was still a giant question mark over Holloway’s death.

Now, unfortunately, those questions have been answered. In an emotionless voice, van der Sloot told his lawyer that he killed Holloway with a cinder block. And he did so because she refused to have sex with him. Van der Sloot told his lawyer, “I lay her down – we lay down together – in the sand and, uh, we start kissing each other.” He tried to take their interaction further, explaining, “she tells me ‘no.’ She tells me she doesn’t want me to — to feel her up. Uh, I insist. I keep feeling her up either way.”

In an attempt to get van der Sloot off of her, Holloway kneed him in the crotch. He then kicked her in the head and recounted that it was a very hard kick – and the kick alone may have killed her. Whether or not she was dead at that point, he explained, she was “definitely unconscious.”

Van der sloot continued, “I take this and uh, yeah, I– I– I smash her head in with it completely. Uh, yeah, her face basically, you know, uh collapses in.” From there, van der Sloot dragged Holloway’s body out to sea and let it go.

Here’s Why van der Sloot Likely Won’t Be Prosecuted

While it’s a horrifying scenario for Holloway to have experienced in her last moments, Joran van der Sloot’s confession can give her family some closure. Unfortunately, closure is all they’ll get since justice likely won’t be done.

The statute of limitations for murder in Aruba, where Holloway was killed, is 12 years. Since the murder occurred in 2005, van der Sloot is well beyond the time period for prosecution. Associated Press reports that what happens next is unclear, writing, “The investigation into Holloway’s disappearance is still open, and authorities ‘will follow up on any serious leads.’”

Van der Sloot has pled guilty to extorting Beth Holloway and wire fraud, for which he will serve 20 years in prison. Additionally, he has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for the murder of Flores. The prison sentences will be served concurrently. When sentencing van der Sloot to 20 years for fraud and extortion, US Judge Anna Manasco said that his confession to Holloway’s murder was a factor in her sentencing decision. “You have brutally murdered — in separate instances years apart — two young women who refused your sexual advances,” she said in court.

While questions remain unanswered about the future of van der Sloot, Beth Holloway said of the long wait for answers, “It’s over.”