The case that had captivated the American public since the girl disappeared in 2005 came to an end when Joran van der Sloot acknowledged that he had viciously attacked the American adolescent on an Aruba beach.
Natalee Holloway, an American adolescent, vanished in 2005 while traveling to Aruba with her senior high school class. Numerous hours of cable TV content, over six nonfiction books, several "Law & Order" episodes, and at least one stage play were all influenced by her case. The incessant focus fueled a backlash of criticism from the media.
In a statement made on Wednesday to a federal judge in Birmingham, Alabama, Joran van der Sloot, the man long suspected of killing her, finally acknowledged his heinous crime. It had taken eighteen years, the duration of her brief life.
Mr. van der Sloot, a Dutch student, was one of three persons spotted leaving a nightclub with her early on May 30, 2005, and suspicion had already been raised about him.
He was detained twice, but he was never charged in relation to Ms. Holloway's death or disappearance, and her remains have never been located in spite of a thorough search. In 2012, she was formally pronounced deceased. Nobody has ever been prosecuted for killing her.
For killing a student in 2010, Mr. van der Sloot, 36, is presently serving a 28-year prison term in Peru. He was admitting in the Holloway case that he had attempted to extort money from Beth Holloway, her mother, at the time of his guilty plea.
His confession, according to Beth Holloway, put an end to her family's protracted ordeal, during a press conference held following the hearing. From my perspective, it's concluded. I'm happy knowing that he did it, that he did it alone, and that he got rid of her by himself. It's over," she continued.
He told me when and how he killed her, so I know he is the murderer, she declared.
According to the prosecution, Mr. Van der Sloot attempted to demand $250,000 from Beth Holloway in 2010 and claimed to know where her daughter's remains were located. This led to the charges. Prosecutors claim that despite giving false information, he only received $25,100 from her.
For charges of wire fraud and extortion, Mr. van der Sloot had promised to give "full, complete, accurate, and truthful information" regarding Natalee Holloway's disappearance in exchange for a 20-year sentence.
As part of the plea deal, the U.S. District for the Northern District of Alabama released documents on Wednesday that included Mr. van der Sloot's first-ever account of what transpired that evening in Aruba, the former Dutch colony and Caribbean island where he was residing at the time.
Excerpts from a statement provided by Mr. van der Sloot to his attorney, Kevin Butler, on October 3rd, detailed his vicious attack on Ms. Holloway on the beach following her rejection of his advances.
He then claimed to have taken up a big cinder block and "smacked her head in with it completely."
Wading in up to his knees, he brought her to the brink of the ocean in a "half pull and half walk." He said he shoved her into the water and walked home.
According to The Associated Press, Judge Anna M. Manasco told Mr. van der Sloot during the sentencing process, "You have brutally murdered, in separate instances years apart, two young women who refused your sexual advances."
In June, Mr. van der Sloot was extradited from Peru. He must go back there to serve out the remainder of his sentence for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores, the student, and another for drug trafficking. Alongside his sentence in Peru, he will serve his time for the federal extortion and wire fraud charges.
Cable news networks faced criticism when word of Ms. Holloway's disappearance first surfaced in 2005. The networks had spent hours airing the case of an attractive young white woman from an affluent Birmingham suburb, while other cases involving women from other backgrounds and ethnic groups went unsolved.
The Holloway coverage was criticized at the time for amounting to "emotional pornography," according to Matthew Felling of the Center for Media and Public Affairs.
However, the public's fascination persisted. In 2009, the Lifetime film simply titled "Natalee Holloway" broke the network's record for viewership. Following were more true-crime television shows and films, such as "Vanished with Beth Holloway," which was anchored by Ms. Holloway's mother.
In an attempt to solve the case using an informant and covert cameras, Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries conducted a sting operation for his television program in 2008. Mr. van der Sloot informed the informant that Ms. Holloway was "never to be found," stopping just short of making a full confession on the program.
The daughter of Beth Holloway, who disappeared days after graduating from high school, would be 36 years old, the mother said in an interview with reporters following the hearing on Wednesday.
We finally found the answers we had been looking for for all these years, she said, adding that it had been a very difficult and drawn-out journey. For Natalee, we achieved justice.
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