Extortion trial against Joran van der Sloot, suspect in Natalee Holloway disappearance, is delayed
A federal judge has agreed to delay Joran van der Sloot’s trial on extortion charges until later this year in order to give his defense more time to prepare
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A federal judge agreed to delay Joran van der Sloot's trial on extortion charges until later this year in order to give his defense more time to prepare.
Van der Sloot, the chief suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, is charged with trying to extort money from the missing teen’s mother in exchange for revealing where to find her daughter’s remains.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Gray Borden on Tuesday granted van der Sloot's request to postpone the trial, which will now occur sometime after Dec. 4.
Van der Sloot’s attorney Kevin Butler had asked for the continuance from the October trial docket to give more time to “review the discovery, investigate this case, and prepare for trial.” Federal prosecutors did not oppose the request. The trial date will be set by a separate order by a district judge.
“Given the defendant’s need to adequately prepare his defense and to make an informed decision on whether to enter a guilty plea or proceed to trial, the court finds that the ends of justice served by extending the pretrial deadlines and granting a continuance,” Borden wrote.
Although he’s not on trial for harming Holloway, the extortion and wire fraud charges are the only alleged crimes that link the Dutch citizen to Holloway’s unsolved disappearance on the Caribbean island of Aruba. The 18-year-old went missing during a high school graduation trip with classmates and was last seen leaving a bar with van der Sloot, a student at an international school on the island where he grew up.
Van der Sloot was extradited to the United States from Peru, where he’s serving a 28-year sentence after confessing to killing a Peruvian woman in 2010.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.