. On 30 May 2010 — the fifth anniversary of Holloway's disappearance — Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramírez, 21, died at the Hotel TAC, in the
Miraflores District of
Lima,
Peru. On 2 June, a hotel employee found her beaten body in room 309, which had been registered in Van der Sloot's name. He had departed from the hotel without returning the room key and left the television turned on. A tennis racquet, identified by the coroner as a possible homicide weapon, was recovered from the room. A hotel guest and an employee came forward to say they saw Van der Sloot and the victim entering the hotel room together, and the police obtained video of the two playing cards at the same table the night before at the Atlantic City Casino in Lima. Van der Sloot had entered Peru via Colombia on 14 May 2010 to attend the
Latin American Poker Tour. Flores was a business student who was less than a year from graduation at the
University of Lima. She was the daughter of Ricardo Flores, a former president of the
Peruvian Automobile Club and winner of the "
Caminos del Inca" rally in 1991. A prominent businessman and entertainment organizer, he ran for
vice president in 2001 and for
president five years later on fringe tickets. Ricardo Flores said that police found
date rape drugs in his daughter's car, parked about 50 blocks from the hotel where she died. Her jewelry, money, identification, and credit cards were missing, including about $1,000 her father had given her to purchase a laptop computer, and over $10,000 she had won earlier at the casino. Flores reportedly kept this money in her car, but a police search found no money in it. After Flores's family reported her missing, police retrieved the hotel security surveillance tape and obtained Van der Sloot's name and
national identification number. Her brother's wife discovered Van der Sloot's background in a
Google search about an hour before her body was found.
2010 arrest Peruvian officials named Van der Sloot as the lone suspect in the homicide investigation. An
Interpol notice was issued regarding Van der Sloot and it was believed that he had fled to Chile, possibly intending to return to Aruba through Argentina. Van der Sloot was sighted entering Chile via the Chacalluta border crossing, north of
Arica, on 31 May 2010. His ex-girlfriend, Melody Granadillo, said that Van der Sloot sent her a text message asking for money to buy a ticket back to Aruba. On 3 June, Van der Sloot was arrested near
Curacaví by the
Investigations Police of Chile while traveling in a rented taxi on highway 68 between the coastal city of
Viña del Mar and the capital of
Santiago. He was found with a laptop, foreign currency, a business card case, detailed charts of ocean currents around Lima, and bloody clothes. Police found that his phone's
SIM card was missing, which at the time would have made tracking Van der Sloot's location
through his phone impossible. He told Chilean police that unidentified armed robbers hid in the hotel room and killed Flores when she disobeyed their order to be quiet. Van der Sloot's Dutch attorney claimed that his client was on his way to Santiago to turn himself in. He was subsequently expelled and transported by Chilean police in a
Cessna 310 back to Arica to be handed over to Peruvian authorities at the Chacalluta border crossing on 4 June. Van der Sloot arrived at Lima police headquarters on 5 June, where he was interrogated about the Flores murder while represented by attorney Luz Maria Romero Chinchay. The Dutch embassy provided a translator for his defense. He was held in a seventh-floor cell and permitted to contact his mother. Van der Sloot was placed on
suicide watch by guards after it was reported that he deliberately hit his head against a wall. On 10 June, he was moved to a cell at the prosecutor's office in central Lima.
Forensic investigation Surveillance video from the Atlantic City Casino recorded Flores winning $10,000 at a
baccarat table area on 25 May 2010, while accompanied by a male friend who was not van der Sloot. According to casino spokesperson Luis Laos, she also won $237 playing poker on 29 May and it was common for people to know the identities of big winners. Laos stated that van der Sloot did not win any money that night. At 3:00 a.m. on 30 May Flores was recorded entering the casino alone and walking to a poker table where Van der Sloot was sitting. Van der Sloot had not registered for the Latin American Poker Tour. The deadline to pay the $2,700 entry fee for the June 2 event at the casino was May 30. Police released hotel security video showing van der Sloot and Flores entering the Hotel TAC together at about 5:00 a.m. on May 30. At about 8:10 a.m., he is shown walking across the street to a supermarket and returning with bread and two cups of coffee. Around 8:45 a.m., he is seen leaving the hotel alone with his bags. An autopsy ruled that Flores did not have sexual intercourse before her death, and that she was not under the influence of enough alcohol to prevent her from resisting an attack. She suffered
blunt-force trauma to her head, which caused a
brain hemorrhage, cranial fracture, and broken neck. She also suffered significant injuries to her face and showed signs of
asphyxiation, according to court documents. Flores tested positive for the presence of
amphetamines. The lab report does not indicate whether the victim took the drugs willingly or unknowingly. The stains on van der Sloot's clothes matched Flores's blood type. Blood was also found on the floor, hallway, and mattress in the hotel room. Police stated that
DNA tests would be conducted on the clothes, skin found under the victim's fingernails, and the previously recovered tennis racquet. Ricardo Flores stated in interviews that his daughter's body needed to be
exhumed to gather the fingernail DNA evidence, and that her body had not been cremated for this reason. On 14 March 2011, the
National Police of Peru provided a copy of the hard disk drive from van der Sloot's laptop computer to the FBI. Colonel Oscar González, of the technical division of the Peruvian police, stated that the U.S. federal investigation was interested in information related to Holloway's disappearance and the alleged extortion of her family. Peruvian detectives determined that the laptop accessed information about the Holloway case before Flores arrived in van der Sloot's hotel room; it was then used to visit two poker Web sites at around the time Flores was present in the room. According to a police dossier, the laptop was later used to search Google for the subjects "Relationship between the Peruvian and Chilean police", "Chilean
border pass", "buses in Chile", and "countries that do not extradite in Latin America".
Confession and retraction On 8 June 2010, Van der Sloot reportedly confessed to killing Flores, following hours of interrogation. He had initially proclaimed his innocence. According to an expert in Peruvian law, the confession fit a defense strategy of trying to get the charge reduced to
manslaughter, which is punishable by six to twenty years in prison, while a conviction for murder could result in up to 35 years' imprisonment. The prosecution was seeking a sentence of 30 years. Peru does not issue life sentences in standard cases of murder and has abolished
capital punishment in all but exceptional circumstances, such as crimes committed under military law. A life sentence can be issued for a murder committed during the commission of a robbery. Peruvian president
Alan García Pérez used the case to seek the reinstatement of the
death penalty for murder. In his written confession released by Peruvian police, Van der Sloot recounted that he briefly left the hotel to get some coffee and bread and returned to find Flores using his laptop computer without his permission. A police source stated that she might have found information linking him to the disappearance of Holloway. An altercation allegedly began, and she attempted to escape. According to the aforementioned written confession released by Peruvian authorities, Van der Sloot stated: Van der Sloot reportedly stated that he was high on
marijuana at the time. A detective linked to the case said that Van der Sloot considered getting rid of the body in a suitcase, but decided against it because he would have been stopped at the front desk. He then reportedly drank espresso and took
amphetamines to counter fatigue before fleeing the hotel. Criminal police chief Cesar Guardia said Van der Sloot "let slip that he knew the place" where Holloway's body is buried. Guardia stated that the interrogation was limited to their case in Peru, which he considered "practically closed", and that questions about Holloway's disappearance were avoided. Guardia said that the confession contains lies because Van der Sloot's "
toxicological report shows no signs that he had ingested any kind of drug." Felonies committed under the influence of drugs can gain leniency in Peruvian courts. Guardia said that the motive for the crime was robbery. Van der Sloot reportedly offered a different motive for killing Flores, stating that he "feared that she would go to the police". On 14 June, Peruvian authorities released written transcripts of Van der Sloot's alleged confession. His mother Anita expressed concern that her son's confession might have been coerced. According to Van der Sloot's former attorney, his mother advised him not to make any statements or sign anything, but it was too late. Van der Sloot later retracted this confession in a prison cell interview with
De Telegraaf, claiming that he had been coerced and "tricked" by police with a promise to be transferred to the Netherlands. He stated that at the time he signed the confession documents, he did not understand the content as it was in Spanish. He was quoted: "In my blind panic, I signed everything, but didn't even know what it said." Van der Sloot said that he was lured to Peru and framed by another gambler named Elton Garcia, whom he claimed was working undercover for the FBI. Van der Sloot's attorney, Maximo Alonso Altez Navarro, stated his intention to resign from the case because representing Van der Sloot "created many problems" for him. He had been threatened and harassed for taking the case, and Van der Sloot's family was unable to afford his legal fees. Navarro stayed on to file a motion to void the confession, on the grounds that his client was not properly represented during his interrogation. On 25 June, Superior Court Judge Wilder Casique Alvizuri rejected the motion, noting that Van der Sloot had been represented by a
state-appointed lawyer and provided a translator by the Dutch embassy prior to his confession. Navarro commented that Van der Sloot was as "depressed" as anyone in prison would be.
Criminal proceedings in Lima, where Van der Sloot was charged with murder On 11 June 2010, Lima Superior Court Judge Juan Buendia ordered Van der Sloot held on charges of
first-degree murder and
robbery, determining that he acted with "ferocity and great cruelty". Under Peruvian law, Van der Sloot was not eligible to be released on
bail, and would be tried by a panel of three judges rather than a jury. A simple majority of the three was required for conviction. Police transported Van der Sloot on the same day from Lima's
Palace of Justice in an armored truck, while angry onlookers yelled and threw rotten lettuce. He was taken to the
Miguel Castro Castro maximum security prison and placed in a cell near the prison director's office for his own safety. He was registered as inmate 326390 and separated from the general prison population, under guard, in a high-security cell block housing only one other inmate. Van der Sloot reportedly offered to disclose the location of Holloway's body in exchange for transfer to an Aruban prison, because he feared for his life. Peruvian president Garcia Pérez declared that Van der Sloot would have to stand trial for the homicide before any extradition request would be considered. He stated that Van der Sloot would serve his prison sentence in Peru. No treaty exists for the transfer of prisoners between Peru and the Netherlands. On 15 June, Aruban and Peruvian authorities announced that they would cooperate in their respective cases involving Van der Sloot. Aruban investigators expected to be able to interview Van der Sloot in Peru in August, once Peruvian authorities had completed their investigation. At his first formal hearing within the on-site courtroom of Miguel Castro Castro prison on 21 June, Van der Sloot refused to discuss the case with Judge Carlos Morales Cordova, claiming that his right to
due process had been violated. Van der Sloot filed a complaint with the National Police of Peru, accusing chief detective Miguel Angel Canlla Ore of misconduct. He also claimed that his laptop had been improperly searched. Van der Sloot's defense counsel filed a motion of
habeas corpus, disputing the legality of his detention, and to nullify statements he gave to police. The motion was declared baseless by Superior Court Judge Wilder Casique Alvizuri on 25 June. Casique Alvizuri upheld all three depositions given by Van der Sloot to police, and stated that the defendant's laptop was sealed by the court. Navarro vowed to appeal all the way to the
Supreme Court of Peru and the
Inter-American Court of Human Rights, with a legal strategy to "paralyze the process". The Peruvian court replied that this approach would not succeed in delaying the case against Van der Sloot. Navarro stated that he filed suit against Chinchay, who initially represented Van der Sloot during his interrogation, charging her with abuse of authority, conspiracy to commit a crime, and misrepresentation, as he did not find her name on the list of
public defenders from Peru's Ministry of Justice. Navarro also filed a complaint against Van der Sloot's translator, insisting that he misrepresented himself as an official translator of the Dutch embassy. Chinchay rejected the claims against her, stating that Van der Sloot had selected her as a private attorney after declining another defense attorney, appointed by the state. She contradicted his claims that Van der Sloot did not understand what he was signing, stating that she was able to speak with him in perfect Spanish. She said that Van der Sloot expressed interest in talking about the Holloway case, thinking that it might get him extradited to Aruba. Chinchay also said that, when she told Van der Sloot that she noticed he was signing various documents with very different signatures, he signaled for her to be quiet. Navarro stated on 21 August 2010 that the case was stagnating due to an official interpreter being unable to be found for the case in Peru. The Peruvian association of translators and interpreters and the Dutch embassy both separately stated at the time that they had been unable to locate anyone to officially translate Spanish into Dutch. Unlike Aruba and the United States, Peru does not guarantee the right to a
speedy trial. On September 6, a Peruvian appeals court voted 2 to 1 to reject Van der Sloot's motion that he was being unlawfully held. Peruvian statutes permit a suspect to be detained for up to 18 months for interrogation, though Navarro expressed skepticism that law enforcement would do so with his client. In February 2011, Navarro filed a "violent emotion" defense with the court, arguing that Van der Sloot had entered into a state of
temporary insanity because Flores found out about his connection to Holloway from his laptop computer. Under Peruvian law, if the judge accepts this
crime of passion argument, the sentence for such a plea could be reduced to only 3 to 5 years; Navarro noted that this could allow Van der Sloot to be eligible for
parole in as soon as 20 months. Oscar González of the Peruvian police stated that an examination of Van der Sloot's laptop determined that Flores could not have accessed any such information while she was staying in the hotel room with him. During the trial, the prosecution prepared a psychological investigation of Van der Sloot, saying that he "presents traits of an
antisocial personality" and is "indifferent toward others' well-being".
Guilty plea and conviction On 11 January 2012, Van der Sloot pleaded guilty to the "qualified murder" and simple robbery of Flores. He was convicted and sentenced to 28 years' imprisonment for the murder on 13 January and he must pay $75,000 to the Flores family. Hours after learning of the sentence, Van der Sloot was transferred to a maximum security prison, Piedras Gordas, located north of Lima. He was expected to be released on 10 June 2038 until his later drug trafficking conviction earned him additional time in prison. In August 2014, Van der Sloot was transferred to Challapalca prison. Two months later, a Dutch online news service claimed that Van der Sloot was stabbed and critically injured by fellow prisoners in Peru. Van der Sloot's wife's claim of a stabbing is contested by Peruvian authorities.
Public reaction Public outcry in Peru has been fueled by local media, which labeled Van der Sloot a "monster", "
serial killer", and "
psychopath". The coverage of this controversy highlighted cases of other women dying at the hands of foreigners. Peruvian and Colombian newspapers published articles about the investigation of the disappearance of two young women who frequented casinos during Van der Sloot's stay in at least two Bogotá hotels from 6 to 14 May 2010, prior to entering Peru. The
Administrative Department of Security of Colombia does not consider Van der Sloot a suspect, as they believe his presence in Bogotá was merely in transit to Peru. Dutch daily newspaper
Trouw warned that the overwhelming pressure on authorities of Van der Sloot's presumed guilt risked turning the case into a
show trial. The Dutch consulate told Peruvian authorities that it was concerned how Van der Sloot was being treated and presented to the media. In December 2010,
Time magazine named Van der Sloot's arrest the most notable criminal event of the year, ahead of the
Belgian love triangle skydiving-murder case, the
2010 Chinese school attacks and the
Elizabeth Smart kidnapping trial.
ABC News listed the coverage of Van der Sloot's murder confession by
Good Morning America among the most read stories from its website in 2010. The
CBS affiliate near Holloway's hometown named the criminal charges filed against Van der Sloot in 2010 among the top ten stories of the year.
Radio Netherlands Worldwide identified him as one of the most talked about Dutch people of the year.
Media coverage at Miguel Castro prison Van der Sloot's cell became the target of a
media circus, with reporters vying to gain exclusive access and report about his prison surroundings. Since his incarceration, he has consented to interviews only with
De Telegraaf, in which he admitted to extorting the Holloway family and said that he received a number of marriage proposals in his cell, including one from a woman who wanted to have his child. Van der Sloot reportedly receives
fan mail from around the world, though mostly from women residing in the United States and the Netherlands. According to sources within the prison, Van der Sloot sought $1 million in exchange for an on-camera interview. The Office of Internal Affairs of the
National Penitentiary Institute of Peru began administrative and disciplinary action on 23 August 2010, when Peruvian network
América Televisión aired a picture of Van der Sloot with three other inmates that had been taken with official photographic equipment at Miguel Castro Castro prison. The photo included Van der Sloot casually posing with Colombian
hitman Hugo Trujillo Ospina, and American murderer
William Trickett Smith II. Van der Sloot and Smith have been referred to by local media as "the foreigners accused of the most talked-about assassinations in our country". On 11 September 2010, Beth Holloway and De Vries traveled to Peru with a Dutch television crew to visit the prison. According to Navarro, his client was taken to meet them "practically by force". Navarro stated that the meeting with Holloway took "less than one minute". Holloway said that she told Van der Sloot that she had "no hate in her soul" for him and asked about her daughter's disappearance, to which Van der Sloot responded he could not speak to her without his lawyer present and handed her Navarro's business card. However, Holloway also stated in interviews about the encounter: According to Navarro, Holloway was sneaked into the prison without identifying to the Dutch television crew who she was. A prison spokesperson stated that Holloway's name was not found in the visitor registry. Holloway and the crew were removed from the prison, reportedly after a hidden camera was discovered by the guards. Representatives for Holloway and De Vries denied that a hidden camera was involved, or that anything was seized. Miguel Castro Castro prison warden, Alex Samamé Peña, was suspended after video segments of the confrontation between Holloway's mother and Van der Sloot later began airing on the Dutch network
SBS6. In October 2010, América Televisión broadcast video of a transaction for marijuana within the prison that was conducted by a shirtless man addressed as "
gringo Van der Sloot". Navarro said that the situation was "staged" and asked the National Penitentiary Institute to investigate how it was leaked. Prison spokesperson Bruno Guzman said that Van der Sloot had been painting his cell "to improve his conditions" and the incident was being investigated. Van der Sloot's mother, Anita, stated in a Dutch interview that her son could have killed Flores, and that she will not visit him at the prison. She said in another interview that she hopes to talk to the family of the victim and apologize to them. In February 2011, Navarro protested a decision by prison officials to deny
Radio Netherlands Worldwide permission for a subsequent interview with Van der Sloot. Navarro claimed that the ruling was influenced by upcoming general elections. == Drug trafficking in Peru ==