Watch CBS News

Joran van der Sloot Update: Murder Charges Expected Today in Stephany Flores Case

Joran Van der Sloot looks down before boarding an airplane to be flown back to the Peruvian border in Santiago, Chile, Friday, June 4, 2010.
Joran van der Sloot (AP Photo/Roberto Candia) AP Photo/Roberto Candia

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) Prosecutors are expected to file formal charges today against Joran van der Sloot, who allegedly offered up a complete confession to police on the murder of Stephany Flores.

PICTURES: Joran van der Sloot
PICTURES: Stephany Flores

Peruvian police are confident. They believe they have "practically closed the case," says criminal police chief Gen. Cesar Guardia.

But van der Sloot, who remains the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, has eluded police in the past. He was arrested twice by Aruban authorities in the disappearance of Holloway, but never tried.

Peruvian police say Van der Sloot killed Flores because she used his laptop without his permission and saw information related to his alleged involvement in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.

Days before van der Sloot left Aruba for Peru, the murder suspect was the target of an FBI sting related to the Holloway case.

He allegedly contacted the Holloway family and asked for $250,000 in exchange for information pertaining to the remains of their 18-year-old daughter.

Investigators say they later realized that the information he provided to the Holloway family was false.

Bo Dietl, a private investigator hired by the Holloway family, appeared on CBS News' The Early Show and said that the alleged sting operation did in fact happen in Aruba. He said after the FBI gave van der Sloot the money, officials were supposed to arrest the Dutchman on extortion charges. The FBI has claimed that its case was not "sufficiently developed" to arrest him, and so inadvertently funded the trip to Peru where van der Sloot allegedly murdered Stephany Flores.

The private investigator, who says he was inside the alleged FBI sting, looked into the eyes of the 22-year-old Dutchman and says he saw a "homicidal maniac."

If van der Sloot is convicted of murdering the 21-year-old business student, he will face anywhere from 15 to 35 years in prison.

Complete Coverage of Joran van der Sloot on Crimesider

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.