Joran van der Sloot awaits sentence for the murder of Stephany Flores

(CBS/AP) - Joran van der Sloot faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced today for the murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores in Peru, reports CNN.

Pictures: Joran van der Sloot, Natalee Holloway and Stephany Flores 

On Wednesday, Van der Sloot pleaded "anticipated conclusion of the process," admitting he strangled Flores in a Lima hotel room five years to the day after American student Natalee Holloway went missing in Aruba. Van der Sloot has long been a suspect in her disappearance.

On Thursday, an Alabama judge officially declared Holloway - who went missing in May 2005 - dead.

According to van der Sloot, he killed Flores in a fit of rage after she discovered information on his laptop about his involvement in the Holloway case.

Van der Sloot's attorney has argued that his client should receive a lighter sentence because he was suffering from post-traumatic stress relating to the anniversary of Holloway's disappearance at the time of Flores' murder.

The attorney for Holloway's mother told the New York Daily News Thursday that his client was especially offended by van der Sloot's claim of post-traumatic stress.

"It's just outrageous and unfathomable that he's using his torment of the Holloway family, his refusal to cooperate and his extortion and fraudulent behavior as a reason why he deserves sympathy," said John Q. Kelly.

Complete coverage of Joran van der Sloot on Crimesider