Suspect admits he killed Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005, pleads guilty to extorting her mother
By KIM CHANDLER and SUDHIN THANAWALA
Associated Press
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The chief suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway has admitted he beat the young Alabama woman to death on a beach in Aruba after she refused his advances, then dumped her body into the sea. New details in the killing emerged Wednesday as Joran van der Sloot pleaded guilty to extorting Holloway’s mother. He sought a quarter of a million dollars to tell the family the location of their daughter’s remains. His confession appears to resolve a case that has captivated the public’s attention for nearly 20 years. Van der Sloot’s 20-year sentence for extortion will run concurrently with prison time he’s serving for another murder in Peru.