Joran van der Sloot Update: Lawyer Demands Release Of Accused Murderer

By: Edecio Martinez
Topics: Daily Blotter

Joran van der Sloot (CBS/AP)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (CBS/WIAT/AP) Joran van der Sloot's Peruvian lawyer says authorities there should formally interrogate his client or set him free.

PICTURES: Joran van der Sloot: Natalee Holloway and Peru

The Dutchman has been imprisoned In Peru's Castro Castro prison for nine months on charges he killed 21-year-old student Stephany Flores.

Her body was found in van der Sloot's Lima hotel room. He allegedly told Peruvian authorities he killed Flores when she found material relating to Natalee Holloway on his laptop computer.

Holloway disappeared on a 2005 trip to Aruba with classmates from Mountain Brook High School in Alabama. She was last seen leaving a nightclub with van der Sloot. He was questioned several times by Aruban authorities, but never charged in her disappearance.

Flores' body was found in van der Sloot's hotel room five years to the day of Natalee's disappearance.

Van der Sloot has since appealed to have his confession thrown out claiming police irregularities, coercion and the lack of a qualified Dutch language translator.

A ruling on that appeal is still pending. Under Peruvian law, van der Sloot can be held 18 months, but according to Radio Netherlands Worldwide, lawyer Max Altez is not confident that his client will be questioned within the statutory period of custody, which is limited to 18 months.

According to CBS affiliate WIAT, van der Sloot's lawyer is blaming Peru's legal authorities for not providing a Dutch-Spanish interpreter, saying it is not up to him to arrange one. The Dutch embassy told Altez that they are not entitled to assign an interpreter to the case either.

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF JORAN VAN DER SLOOT ON CRIMESIDER

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Joran van der Sloot pleads guilty to Peru murder

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by SouthernNOpinionated February 19, 2011 1:46 AM EST: I think he was totally guilty of Natalie's disappearance and at least he could tell where her body is so that her parents can give her the proper respect of burial and a little closure and "knowing" and not a false hope that maybe just maybe she is still out there somewhere. HOWEVER I do think he was totally framed in the peru incident. I am not a fan of his at all, its just the facts do not add up and there are wayyyyyyyy too many places that the story doesnt make sense. Say what you want, he deserves to pay for what he did, however that happens to come, but as far as peru, yeah that was a total set up/frame job. Totally.; Reply to this comment


by dockie123 February 16, 2011 8:31 AM EST: Peru needs to release Joran and drop all charges. Joran didnt kill this Peru woman. The hotel he was staying in is owned by a chinese mafia.They have connections with all the right people in Peru.One of the employees admitted to someone giving them 40,000 to put video cameras in the hotel, and to keep their mouth shut. But the keeping mouth shut part didnt work,and something else is strange about this case to; the father of the Peru woman had his daughter buried the next day. The law in Peru is that the body of a murder victim is to be investigated for seven days.They need to dig her up and get dna from the body to make sure it is the Peru woman.Some are saying Joran did in fact go get coffee and bread that morning for both he and the Peru woman. When he got back to his room he found a dead girl that he thought was the Peru woman. She was beat so bad in face that he couldnt tell if it was the Peru woman, thats when he throw his shirt over her face ,because he couldnt stomache looking at her.If you look at the camera from down stairs and than look at the one up sairs there is a 15 min difference in time.With money, the mafia, and Mr. Flores you can just about stage anything. I truly believe Joran is being locked up for the American girl. To this day no one can prove 100% Joran killed the American girl. He may have in fact left her 0n the beach,teenagers are like that. Teenagers dont fear anything or think about anything bad happening to them,so Joran may just be telling the truth; and someone else got away with selling her into slavery. so let Joran free.; Reply to this comment


by Broseidon February 8, 2011 1:54 AM EST: Oh boo-*******-hoo.; Reply to this comment

by BryanFitz January 25, 2011 2:04 PM EST

Perhaps the Lawyer is right and Joran should be questioned get a translator fire up the cattle prods and ask him why he has Murdered 2 Girls that we know of and exactly how many others has he killed, raped, sold into slavery. Since the local law stipulates he can only be held for 18 months the Peruvian Law enforcement should get on this right away. Once he has confessed he should be tried and released into the general population so that other's can teach him what it is like too be hunted by a predator. Oh yeah the Lawyer should be present for all of it too keep it all ice and legal.

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by Broseidon January 26, 2011 3:27 AM EST: Ooh, internet tough guy. So scary.


by Arviebird January 28, 2011 1:14 PM EST: I think he already confessed. But somehow that was deemed illegal. The system sucks.

by Broseidon January 25, 2011 8:00 AM EST

People need to get over the whole Natalee Holloway thing. She was a dumpster **** and no one would even care about her in the first place if she weren't a blond white girl.

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by Arviebird January 28, 2011 1:17 PM EST: Broseidon,
What could you possibly know about this seventeen-year-old gal for a southern state? Who in your opinion would be considered human enough to care about? Your comment sounds like there is a heart of stone in the chest.

by blufx1963 January 24, 2011 8:53 AM EST

He is right where he needs to be....

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by Arviebird January 28, 2011 1:18 PM EST: Amen to that!


by LibbyB1963 January 18, 2011 5:07 PM EST: Yea, turn him loose so he can torture and kill another innocent girl; Reply to this comment

by lilbear925 January 18, 2011 1:20 PM EST

The lawyer might try to understand that his client was caught red handed in his latest murder, so trying to badger the Peruvian authorities into freeing this guy, who is a flight risk, not to mention a mur der er, might just gain him a cell next to Joran's in the clink.

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by Arviebird January 28, 2011 1:19 PM EST: One could only wish. Seems like there are so many out there who think making waves for the bad guys is a plus. (Even his own mother has disowned him).