Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Hidden camera footage broadcast in the Netherlands on Sunday showed Dutch student Joran Van der Sloot saying he was with Natalee Holloway when she collapsed on a beach in Aruba. He said he believed she was dead and asked a friend to dump her body in the sea.

"She'll never be found," he said.

A series of conversations between Van der Sloot and a man he believed to be his friend were recorded in a Range Rover that had been rigged with three hidden cameras by Peter R. de Vries, a Dutch television crime reporter. They were shown on Dutch television.

Last week, Van der Sloot said he was lying in those conversations and denied that he had anything to do with the Alabama teenager's disappearance.

Holloway, 18, vanished in May 2005 just before she was due to fly home to Alabama, at the end of her high school graduation trip to the Caribbean island. No trace of her has been found. The mystery of her disappearance has frustrated authorities and garnered wide attention on television and in tabloid newspapers in Europe and the United States.

In the recordings, Van der Sloot said Holloway was drunk and that she began shaking and slumped down on the beach as the pair were making out.

"Suddenly she started shaking and then she didn't say anything," Van der Sloot said, adding that he did not kill her.

"I would never murder a girl," he said.

He said he panicked and tried but failed to revive her. He said that Holloway looked dead but that he could not be sure she was not still alive when the friend took her away.

He used a pay phone next to a hotel's swimming pool to call the friend and asked for help in disposing the body. When the friend arrived at the beach, the two put Holloway's body into a boat. The friend then took it out to sea and pushed it into the water, Van der Sloot said.

"The ocean is big," he added.

He said he and his friend agreed that Van der Sloot would go to school the next day to avoid arousing any suspicion.

Van der Sloot said his friend assured him he had taken care of Holloway's body and that the police were not going to locate it. "They will know nothing," Van der Sloot quoted the friend as telling him.

"I've not lost any sleep over this," he added at one point.

Aruban prosecutors said last week they were reopening their investigation into Holloway's disappearance after seeing De Vries' material. But on Sunday, they said a judge on the island had ruled that while the information merited an investigation against Van der Sloot, it did not meet the threshold for an arrest warrant.

"This means that the office is legally not able to have J.v.d.S. arrested in the Netherlands," prosecutors said in a statement, referring to the Dutch student by his initials. The statement did not say when the judge made the ruling.

The prosecutors said they would appeal the judge's ruling and seek to have the Dutch student re-arrested. They also cautioned that the Holloway mystery was far from resolved.

"While video tape may present a strong case in a TV news show, it may be insufficient for a finding of guilt by a judge. It is up to the court to evaluate the materials and the statements, and to find out their significance," prosecutors said.

Van der Sloot was interviewed last week by the respected Dutch television show "Pauw & Witteman" following reports that De Vries had captured him making statements about the case.

"It is true I told someone. Everybody will see it Sunday," Van der Sloot said, referring to De Vries' planned television show.

"That is what he wanted to hear, so I told him what he wanted to hear," Van der Sloot said, adding that he had built up a relationship with the man he spoke to, but had never fully trusted him.

De Vries has said he paid the man Van der Sloot spoke to, Patrick van der Eem, $37,000 for his help, saying it was to cover his expenses.

Phone calls seeking comment from Van der Sloot's Aruban attorneys and his New York-based lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, went unanswered Sunday.

Last week, Tacopina told The Associated Press that "the evidence refutes what Joran supposedly said."

"It doesn't change the truth of this case. And the truth is, Joran had nothing to do with Natalee's death," he said.

Holloway, of Mountain Brook, Ala., was last seen in public leaving a bar with Van der Sloot and two Surinamese brothers — Deepak and Satish Kalpoe — hours before she was due to board a flight home.

The three were re-arrested in November, but released within weeks for lack of evidence. All three have always denied any role in her disappearance.

The Dutch student's father, Paul Van der Sloot, declined to comment when reached in Aruba before the tape aired.

De Vries also aired images of Holloway's mother, Beth Twitty, as he showed her the footage.

Clasping together her hands, she moved her lips silently as she watched the images.

"They could have just dumped her alive in the ocean, unconscious," she said. "They don't even know."

"I hope his living hell is about to begin and that he never gets another night's sleep," she added.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

And here's the video Click on the video on the top left..

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

He did it, I have no doubts. WHY would you say you did that when you didn't????

I really hope they can finally get this Dirtbag arrested and convicted! What a pompous punk, talking about it saying he "did not lose sleep over it".

They really need to get this guy in jail for good.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

That is probably the most disgusting, sick, horrifying video I have ever seen...

What a pig.... I pray that they can finalize this case by putting that little arrogant POS in prison for the rest of his life....

My heart breaks for her family and parents....

REST IN PEACE NATALEE....

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

I have no doubt that he did it

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

I have no doubt that he did it, but he will never be arrested because his father is a big-wig in Aruba.
As written in the article, they will always find reasons NOT to arrest him...this is not the US and he is most likely going to walk away from this.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

That poor mother! My god what a nightmare! That POS kid got away with murder ! So sad! He will get his one day!

Message edited 2/4/2008 7:19:09 AM.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

Sick, sick, sick, sick!!!

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

I just saw the video footage on Good Morning America. I am anxious to see how he will try to wiggle out of it.

Her poor mother was on too. She says she is relieved that she finally has some aswers.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

I thought 2 things reading this article.

1 - Is the "friend" who disposed of the body really his father.

2 - If he really had nothing to do with her death or injury, why go to such length to dispose of her body.

Something's missing.

My heart goes out to mother and family.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

That f-ing b@stard. The death penalty would be perfect for his @ss.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

how sad
and her poor parents are going through such a nightmare.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

this whole case is just awful - poor natalie and her family

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

i saw this last night - i have no doubt that this is finally the truth

i have a feeling that the reason he panicked is probably because he gave her some kind of date rape drug or something that caused a reaction

so sad all around

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

i totally always felt he did it---but really i doubt they will be able to fully prosecute him. they still have no other evidence but him talking to a guy on tape---sadly the family will probably never have full closure

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

Sick B@sta$d!! I just can't believe that after nearly 3 years, the body hasn't washed up if it was dumped in the ocean.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

i am absolutely disgusted. this whole case has been messed up from the beginning.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

Posted by Goobster

He did it, I have no doubts. WHY would you say you did that when you didn't????

I really hope they can finally get this Dirtbag arrested and convicted! What a pompous punk, talking about it saying he "did not lose sleep over it".

They really need to get this guy in jail for good.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

IF he did do this...I dont get WHY? Why would he disspose of the boduy if he did nothing wrong? Why not leave her there? I dont get the out to sea for no reason part? There HAD to be more to it.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

Posted by chmlengr

Sick B@sta$d!! I just can't believe that after nearly 3 years, the body hasn't washed up if it was dumped in the ocean.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

Posted by CathyB

Posted by chmlengr

Sick B@sta$d!! I just can't believe that after nearly 3 years, the body hasn't washed up if it was dumped in the ocean.

I've never been to Aruba, but I've heard from someone who has a time share there that one end of the island has a lot of sharks.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

Sick eff! I love how they say that this doesnt change a thing, that he still had nothing to do with her death. Even if that is actually what happened...which my gut tells me is not the truth...someone has to be truly evil to do something like that. I think often of that poor girl and what it must be like for her family, esp her Mother since I am a mother too. Not that you have to be a parent but I see my 3 1/2 year old daughter (or any of my kids) and I wonder how I'd survive if anything happened to her. Especially with such a void of information. Sick sick sick.

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

Re: Joran Van der Sloot caught on tape about Natalee Holloway

So it takes a journalist to do the investigative work, and not the officials of Aruba. I'm glad for the journalist's work and that we see VdS's admission. I for one, won't be visiting Aruba because of what I've seen here about its criminal system.