A three-panel group of judges sentenced Joran Van der Sloot to 28 years in prison for the murder of Stephany Flores after Van der Sloot pled guilty to the 21-year-old Peruvian woman’s murder.
The panel also fined Van der Sloot $75,000 in Lima for the murder which occurred five years to the day after American teen Natalee Holloway went missing in Aruba.
Under the Peruvian penal code the murderer could be eligible for parole after 14 years if he serves his time with good behavior and participates in work and study programs.
Van der Sloot was said to be sweating profusely when he entered the courtroom in a green T-shirt as he constantly wiped tears from his eyes before saying he was “truly sorry” for the killing of Stephany Flores. He then said he had “wanted from the first moment to confess sincerely” to the killing.
In one of the most despicable moments of the case his lawyer then claimed he had only killed Flores as a result of an “extreme psychological trauma” felt after the fallout from the Holloway disappearance case for which he is still the prime suspect.
In the meantime the Holloway family is still attempting to have Van der Sloot extradited to the United States where he would face charges in Natalee Holloway’s disappearance. Van der Sloot has already been indicted on extortion charges after he offered to lead the family to the girls body in exchange for a cash payout.
After the verdict Ricardo Flores, father to the murder victim complained to the court that Van der Sloot has been receiving special accommodations in prison.
“A jail isn’t a 5-star hotel,” Ricardo told reporters. “Let’s hope the authorities take that into account and not just in our case.”
“Since the first day we’ve been complaining about the excessive privileges”
Flores said he would provide proof of the prisoners favorable living conditions on Monday. While unconfirmed it has long been thought that Van der Sloot has his own television and gaming console in his cell.
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