Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba 18 years ago during a vacation with classmates, in a case that transfixed the nation.
A suspect, Joran van der Sloot, had been arrested and then released two times as prosecutors failed to link him to the 2005 death of American Natalee Holloway.
Today, Sloot admitted to the fatal bludgeoning of Natalee Holloway as part of a guilty plea in a wire fraud case.
In a stunning turnaround, he gave up details in court, which convinced the Judge who sentenced him as a murderer, giving closure to Natalee’s Mom:
“I would like to apologize to the Holloway family,” said Van der Sloot, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit over a white T-shirt. “I am no longer that person back then than I am today. I gave my heart to Jesus Christ, he helped me through all of this.”
The apology didn’t move Beth Holloway.
“You are a killer and I want you to remember that every time that jail cell door slams,” Holloway said from the courtroom lectern.