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Report: Joran Van Der Sloot to be Represented by Fujimori's Lawyer

El Commercio and Peru 21 are reporting that Joran Van der Sloot is getting a new attorney -- Cesar Nakasaki, attorney for former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori. Nakasaki says he cannot confirm the information.

Joran also has a judge, Carlos Morales Cordova, of the Fourth Circuit Court for Prison Inmates. He has received the complaint against him, charging simple murder and theft. Reportedly, Joran will go to court on Friday for his first appearance. [More...]

Peru 21 reports Joran's former U.S. lawyer, Joe Tacopina, who obtained the dismissal of the Holloway family's civil suit for wrongful death against him on jurisdictional grounds, is presumed to be going to Peru. That sounds like a rumor to me, he's probably just trying to help Joran obtain new counsel. Dutch News is reporting the same.

And, there may be a new witness: Another "friend of Joran's", Erick Cabrera Cabrera, who reportedly was present in the casino the day Joran and Stephany Flores played poker together.

As for the Flores' family contention that the charges should be upped to murder with robbery as a motive, I don't think that will pan out. The casino video shows Stephany cashing out her chips, totaling 676 soles, which is around 300 Euros. If he took her money and credit cards after she died, and didn't kill her for that purpose, I don't think the greater charge applies. Check out the video below at 3 minutes, 15 seconds in:

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    I think Joran knows something very big... (3.00 / 0) (#1)
    by thadjock on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 02:04:40 PM EST
    I also think the Flores murder is definitely directly tied to the Holloway case.  We just need to know a few more of the players, to be able to connect all the characters.  

    I've always felt that somewhere in all the conflicting narratives Joran provided about NH, was the truth.  The one most people felt least convincing was that he and the Keploe bros had sold her for $10k. I don't think they (Joran, et cie) had the connections to make that happen but may have been working for someone who did. (if you're trying to catch 18yo white girls, you need some teenage boys to bait the hook) That person then works his connections in Aruban law enforcement and makes sure nobody goes to jail as long as they (Joran, et cie) keep their mouths shut.  So Joran tells alot of BS to throw the media off the scent, and there's no evidence on the island of any kind because she left the island that night, alive.

    Joran takes the heat for various reasons, (death threats against his family for one) but also knows that he has leverage if things get really bad.  Might explain his calm demeanor while being processed in Jail.

    I think Joran's plea with Aruba could involve him being able to give them someone much higher up the food chain.  And maybe when he says he can tell the Holloway's where Natalee is, he means where SHE is, not her remains, he just needs to cut the right deal before he drops that bomb.

    I'm positive that over the last 5 yrs, and before his death, the one thing Paulus would have given his son, if he were any kind of a lawyer, is the knowledge he would need to save himself when the time came.

    C'mon now... (none / 0) (#2)
    by ks on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 02:08:13 PM EST
    Speculation is fine in general but that's waaaayyyyy out there.

    Parent
    Reminiscent of Elizabeth Smart. (5.00 / 0) (#3)
    by oculus on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 02:18:57 PM EST
    Why (5.00 / 0) (#4)
    by squeaky on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 02:23:29 PM EST
    Because most assume she is dead? Seems to me that, considering there is no evidence, it is just as plausible that she was kidnapped and sold into slavery, as it is that she was killed.

    Parent
    Didn't I read here VDS promised, (none / 0) (#5)
    by oculus on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 02:25:39 PM EST
    in exchange for money, to disclose where the body was?

    Parent
    Yes (5.00 / 0) (#6)
    by squeaky on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 02:32:07 PM EST
    And he said he killed her... but the Aruban authorities determined he was lying.

    So anything is possible, imo, least not abduction.

    Parent

    Really? (none / 0) (#13)
    by ks on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 03:32:16 PM EST
    I suppose anything is possible but whether its reasonable is another matter.

    Ok, I'll play along for the sake of the discussion.  Let's say that JVDS was involved in kidnapping and selling girls/women into slavery. If that's the case and he was picking victims, then NH was almost the worst possible candidate for abduction.

    She was traveling with a large group, she had a family, she was from the US and so on. IOW, she wasn't isolated and her dissapearance would, and did, bring way too much attention to his "activities".

    Parent

    So Murder Is More Viable? (5.00 / 0) (#14)
    by squeaky on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 03:40:04 PM EST
    And I am not suggesting that he was involved in any abduction or murder, but am suggesting that either case is just as viable, imo.

    Parent
    Which, given the inconsistent (none / 0) (#15)
    by oculus on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 03:44:32 PM EST
    statements of VDS on the subject of the disappearance of NH, makes it most unlikely, to me, Peru would facilitate VDS's going to Aruba before the latter completes his sentence in Peruvian custody, if he is convicted.

    Parent
    and (none / 0) (#28)
    by ding7777 on Wed Jun 16, 2010 at 07:48:56 AM EST
    with a reward of 250,000, it would be too dangerous to allow multiple people contact with NH...


    Parent
    Basis for Aruba (none / 0) (#12)
    by waldenpond on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 03:30:33 PM EST
    but that doesn't help VDS get to Aruba.  Remember he is the one who claims to have info that will interest Aruba officials.  

    Question for attorneys.... doesn't VDS have to have actual evidence of a crime?  How is there a basis to extradict if Aruba has no legal condition for charges or a trial?

    Just a note.... it's being reported that Aruba officials may not interview VDS for their first visit.  At this time they are particularly seeking access to the computer.

    Parent

    No extradition treaty between (none / 0) (#16)
    by gyrfalcon on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 04:05:55 PM EST
    the two countries, is my understanding.  So any handing over would have to be by some agreement, and I think that's pretty unlikely.  The uproar among the Peruvian public would be immense.

    Parent
    Agree (none / 0) (#17)
    by Zorba on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 04:13:02 PM EST
    I don't see any reason for the Peruvians to turn him over to Aruba, given the high feelings about this in Peru.  It's possible, I guess, that if he is found "not guilty" in Peru, then they might turn him over to Aruba, in hopes that the Arubans might find him guilty in the Holloway case.

    Parent
    Politically insane (none / 0) (#18)
    by Untold Story on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 04:30:09 PM EST
    Political suicide for Peruvian authorities to find him Not Guilty.  

    Parent
    yeah, Peru is on the hotseat to convict, unless... (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by thadjock on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 05:14:55 PM EST
    Joran can testify with substantial information that gives them a much bigger fish (a human traficker/sex trade/drug lord/kingpin) and in the process can make an airtight case that he was framed for the Flores murder, because he was attempting to sell info on the whereabouts of NH.  If you read some of the early Aruban reporting in the Holloway case, (stories that never made it to the MSM), there appears to be more than one party who stood to gain if Joran took the fall for NH's disappearance.

    The timing between the FBI "sting" and the Flores murder would tend to support that. It's possible Joran contacted JQK (holloway atty.) in an attempt to finally expose the person who's really responsible for NH's disappearance and somehow cut a deal to get protection from the FBI/US/Aruba etc. for retribution which he knows would come from whatever crime syndicate has him in their sights. So you ask: why wouldn't they just kill Joran? Maybe because his father put together a little Insurance package of incriminating evidence that would be released if anything should happen to Joran, or the family.

    Joran's fishy confession just sounds to me as if he's buying himself some time to decide which side is going to offer him the best deal. I think Joran just wants to come in from the cold, 5 yrs of never knowing who you can trust, and everybody breathing down your neck, would take its toll. whatever the truth is, I'm sure there's alot more to this story than we even begin to know, and may ever know.

    Parent

    I think so, too (none / 0) (#20)
    by Zorba on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 04:54:23 PM EST
    But who knows what can happen in the Peruvian justice system?  They would probably find him guilty no matter what the evidence shows, but how corruptible are the judges?  Can they be bought off?  I doubt that VDS and his mother have enough money for a "not guilty" to overcome any money that Stephany's father might cough up for a "guilty," but who knows?  And maybe I'm maligning the Peruvian judges.  I'd bet money that they'll find him guilty, though.

    Parent
    We should wait to hear and see (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by mexboy on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 05:02:06 PM EST
    the evidence, before we decide, either way.

    And maybe I'm maligning the Peruvian judges.

    Yes, you are.

    Parent

    Agree. Innocent until proven guilty (none / 0) (#24)
    by oculus on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 05:24:30 PM EST
    etc.

    Parent
    We have crooked judges here (none / 0) (#25)
    by Zorba on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 05:28:35 PM EST
    As well as police who lie on the witness stand, forensic techs who fudge the evidence (or are incompetent), and DA's who withhold evidence.  Certainly not all, or even the majority, but some.  Google "The Innocence Project," among others.  We just had a case in the next town over about a police woman who perjured herself on the witness stand, and all the cases in which she testified are being looked at.  Not to mention the hundreds of DWI cases that are being revisited in Washington, DC because a tech miscalibrated all their Breathalyzer machines.  So, yes, sh!t happens.  I doubt that Peru, or any country, is different.

    Parent
    To be fair (none / 0) (#31)
    by jbindc on Wed Jun 16, 2010 at 10:06:03 AM EST
    Not all "crooked judges" we have here are necessarily in cahoots with the police and prosecution. The other side can (and has) bought judges and cops too - see. for example, the mafia and their consigliere.

    Going in with the assumption that he is not going to get a fair shake and a "poor innocent boy" is going to be railroaded is wrong and is just as bad as assuming everyone charged is guilty.  Let the facts dictate what happens - and since we don't know all the facts, let's wait for them to come out.  Of course, if someone is inclined to believe he's being railroaded, I guess nothing will change their mind, but let's wait for the dust to settle.

    Parent

    Assumption (none / 0) (#32)
    by Untold Story on Wed Jun 16, 2010 at 11:13:38 AM EST
    of his guilt based on unsubstantiated theories from the Holloway family is exactly the reason he is in prison today.

    Parent
    No (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by jbindc on Wed Jun 16, 2010 at 12:00:45 PM EST
    He is in prison today because he initially confessed to the crime, and the evidence to this point, shows that he committed the crime.  Being a Dutch citizen, he also has a good chance of being a flight risk. And, it is my understanding, that this is standard procedure in the Peruvian system when someone is accused of this type of crime.

    Parent
    I read a report in a Peru newspaper (none / 0) (#7)
    by mexboy on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 02:53:40 PM EST
    that said Joran was charged with "pimping" girls in Thailand. They claim he sold the women into sex slavery for $13,000 dollars. So Thadjock's post is at least plausible. Granted, I think it is far fetched, but things on TL have gone into the imagination stratosphere regarding this case.

    not by me or TalkLeft (none / 0) (#9)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 03:13:17 PM EST
    only by some commenters here. Commenters don't speak for TalkLeft. I have been reporting the details coming from Peru and commenting on the legal system and what I believe to be evidentiary inconsistencies and systemic shortcomings.

    My goal, as I've said before, is that since I don't think the system will be fair to Joran, I'd like to at least make it transparent, particularly as media interest declines, which is inevitable.

    Parent

    No matter what may be fact (none / 0) (#19)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 04:50:37 PM EST
    He is essentially doomed isn't he?  And he is in a position where the masses really don't care what he may or may not be guilty of.  Not a good place to be.

    Parent
    Mexboy, please don't post (none / 0) (#10)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 03:15:18 PM EST
    unsubstantiated and inflammatory allegations of misconduct against Joran or anyone on this site. I do not believe he has been charged with any crime in Thailand. Those are internet rumors and have no place here.

    Parent
    I'm quoting El Comercio newspaper, (none / 0) (#21)
    by mexboy on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 04:58:04 PM EST
    which you quote on your story. I read the report a while back and did not post it because, as i said, I thought it was far fetched.

    And with all due respect I do think you wrote very imaginative possibilities as to why he didn't do it, that in my opinion,  were pure speculation on your part.

    Mexboy, please don't post unsubstantiated and inflammatory allegations of misconduct against Joran or anyone on this site.

    I've never poster unsubstantiated and inflammatory information about anyone on this site, so I resent that scolding.

    You are correct that he has not been charged with any crime in Thailand and if not being charged with a crime makes something speculative  then feel free to delete my posts.

    Here are a couple of links as to why I posted the info. I did it only because you use El Comercio as your source and if the comercio is legit in your eyes then it at least deserves a mention, IMO.

    El Comercio Newspaper

    El mismo, señala que el sospechoso de la muerte de Stephany Flores ganaba 13 mil dólares por cada mujer vendida y además captaba a las mujeres tailandesas y a niñas para llevarlas a Holanda, supuestamente para trabajar como bailarinas, según informa DutchNews.nl, citado por Fox News.

    Translated:

    Talking about Peter De Vries, a reporter, who passed himself as a friend of VDS in a report for a Dutch TV program. Video is online, I won't link it here...

    "He (De Vries) says, the suspect of Stepahany Flores' death earned 13 thousand dollars for each woman sold and he kidnapped the Thai women and girls to take them to Holland, supposedly to work as dancers, according to DutchNews.nl, quoted by Fox News.

    Yahoo news in Spanish

    Además, los padres de Natalee Holloway, otra de sus víctimas, lo han denunciado por extorsión y se ha visto también involucrado en casos de proxenetismo en Tailandia.

    Translated:
    The parents of Natalee Holloway, another of his victims, as well, have denounced him for extortion and he has seen himself involved in cases of pimping in Thailand.

    I understand and respect TL's high standard for facts and do not believe I am in violation of them.

    Parent

    de Vries (none / 0) (#30)
    by Nemi on Wed Jun 16, 2010 at 09:40:11 AM EST
    Absolutely agree with your last paragraph!

    I also want to say about Peter de Vries that he seems more like a sensationalist than a journalist. I watched the aftermath of the TV-debate where Joran threw the contents of his wineglass in de Vries's face. (Actually didn't know tv companies served wine to guests!)

    If I had been exposed on (inter?)national tv as giving a confession on hidden camera, I too would have thrown ... something at de Vries.

    I have actually seen de Vries being mentioned as "the victim" of Joran's wine-throwing.

    Parent

    The wine tossing (none / 0) (#33)
    by ding7777 on Wed Jun 16, 2010 at 11:51:15 AM EST
    was not a spur of the moment reaction to knowledge of a secret taped "confession"

    Joran knew before the Pauw & Witteman show that de Vries had a tape and planned to broadcast the tape the following Sunday (it was publicly announced)- so the Pauw & Witteman show actually gave Joran a way to deny the contents of the tape before the tape was broadcast.

     

    Parent

    Couple years ago (none / 0) (#11)
    by gyrfalcon on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 03:16:17 PM EST
    there was another one of those Dutch TV "hidden camera" deals that caught him in Thailand apparently trying to persuade several Thai girls to go into the business-- or else just joking around.  There's no evidence he succeeded, and he was certainly never charged with anything.

    Parent
    Stephany seems to signal (none / 0) (#8)
    by Untold Story on Tue Jun 15, 2010 at 03:06:41 PM EST
    In one of the latest videos, as soon as Joran steps away from the poker table, Stephany seems to signal someone (over her left shoulder). Perhaps Gracia?  But why?

    confusion (none / 0) (#26)
    by pac on Wed Jun 16, 2010 at 02:01:55 AM EST
    The time frame involving Natalee's disappearance and Joran's reported returning home time, if so, isn't enough to explain how three boys could leave a bar with a girl who ends up dead, accidentally or not, hide her and not leave any evidence.

    According to earlier reading, Mrs. Van Der Sloot supposedly said that she didn't know the Kalpoe brothers well. They were new friends which possibly indicated that Joran started hanging with people other than the typical school friends and possibly picked up new habits which possibly brought about some kind of disaster.  Possibly, possibly, possibly. This notice is not to indicte fault with the Kalpoe brothers but to point out an period of time opportunity for Joran to pick up new habits which the parents were unaware. At that time Mrs. Van Der Sloot appeared to believe Joran left Natalee on the beach. I doubt that she ever thought Joran murdered anyone intentionally. If she ever considererd that more happened resulting in a cover up? By the time Joran was telling various stories I assume Mrs. Van Der Sloot must have been as confused and concerned as others. The telling of various stories appeared an abnormal behavior indicator. People closer to Joran would have a better idea if his behavior was a pre existing condition or a result of trauma. That is really too difficult of a call for the public, especially considering the many false reportings early in the case.

    The fact that Natalee has not been proven dead allows for speculation. Early on there were reports that Joran initially didn't intend to meet Natalee that night due to preparing for a test the following day. The night appeared to fall into place without much of a plan so? Could it be that Natalee passed out due to drugs or drink and Joran did put her on a boat with someone in a panic and doesn't firmly know if she lived or died? Hopefully there will finally be some answers about Natalee.  

    Joran just looked like a typical young boy. What happened or went wrong in Aruba remains a mystery. Without explanation the people involved remained in a nightmare kind of limbo. The Holloways child, Natalee, suddenly vanished. Imagine that? Maybe there was a better solution than the typical lawyer up and don't talk but without specifics who knows?

    My initial thought was how awful that a daughter disappeared and a boy made a mistake in some kind of way leading to an inability to overcome..  Stephany's death leaves me more confused about the circumstances involving Natalee's disappearance. The most telling notice in Joran's favor are the many girls with no serious complaints of mentions. How do you figure?

    Ted Bundy also had (none / 0) (#27)
    by ding7777 on Wed Jun 16, 2010 at 07:38:53 AM EST
    female companions with no complaints so I don't think that's really a positive indicator...

    Parent
    Fascinating and puzzling (none / 0) (#29)
    by Nemi on Wed Jun 16, 2010 at 09:20:44 AM EST
    Like other new commenters here I've been both fascinated and puzzled following Jeralyn's posts on this case.

    I'm sure most of the puzzlements can be explained logically while others may be sheer coincidence - e.g. the date of the crime.

    One of the things that puzzles me is Joran Van der Sloot's demeanor all through. He looks so ... unfazed. Someone here mentioned his "smirk" entering the hotel with Stephany. I didn't see it that way. To me, that's just how he looks. He seems to have a surprising lack of facial expressions, and looks pretty much the same whether entering the hotel, leaving the room with the two coffee cups (having just strangled Stephany!), giving himself up to the police in Chile, doing the perp walk, entering the prison, and entering the prison cell [shiver]. (Actually the police handling him throughout looks equally unfazed. And also seem to handle him well.) I don't see either fright, or uncertainty, or remorse. Only when he leaves the temporary prison and is met with rage from the crowd does he keep his head down. In the testimonial he also comes off as polite, forthcoming, as if the seriousness of his situation hasn't sunk in?

    It's almost as if he, too, is observing himself; and finds his own actions unexplicable. Take the video where he leaves the room, two coffee cups in hand. He pauses as if he contemplates whether to close the door shut or not; then does. Then he seems to contemplate whether to knock on the door or not; maybe he does, maybe not. Then he pauses; and finally walks out of the picture. My guess is, that he sort of tries out a scenario in his head to use later as an alibi: "I'll tell them that I knocked on the door ..." but doesn't have to do it for real because no-one is watching. Maybe he planned to then make the hotel clerk walk in first and find Stephany's body? But two minutes later he's back and for the first time he looks directly into the camera, as if he has realized that maybe someone was watching after all? So seeing the camera he now knows that this explanation is no good, so he testifies to not knowing his own motives for buying the coffee etc?

    I also wonder why the camera in the hotel is focused, as in zooming in, directly at his door? Probably just a coincidence, but in a picture showing the door it looks like there is space (a corridor?) to the left of the door, so how close is the camera actually?

    And is it standard procedure to film prisoners entering a prison? And who is filming? "We" are even allowed to follow him all the way into the (disgusting and scary) cell and while undergoing the medical examination. Is it the Peruvian authorities taking precautions as not to be accused of mistreating the prisoner?

    Disclaimer: Yes, I'm new commenting (but a longtime reader). And no, I'm not someone else. ;)

    tampering (none / 0) (#35)
    by pac on Sat Jun 19, 2010 at 09:54:49 PM EST
    A recent article states that Joran's mother felt he was mentally ill and could have possibly killed Stephany. She continues to believe that Joran did not kill Natalee. Joran supposedly hung over his dad's coffin sobbing that he caused the death. There appears guilt and remorse involved so??

    Joran was young when Natalee disappeared. Overcoming appeared impossible. What happened? None of us are sure.

    Recently the undercover investigative reporter and Mr. Kelly, lawyer?, began taking matters into their own hands. With all due respect, they appear unqualified to tamper with the mind of someone who appears mentally unstable. Obviously Joran appeared mentally unstable by the time he was telling the various stories, etc. So far, I have not seen any substantial evidence that Joran was mentally unstable before the disappearance of Natalee. Whether or not a pre exist or as a result of Natalee's disappearance Joran was considered a prime suspect in a disappearance and showed obvious signs of being mentally unstable when people lacking professionally regarding psychological knowledge took matters into their own hands. Do you suspect that the lawyer, Kelly, or the under cover investigative reporter had self interest, such as money or making a name for self?

    In Joran's state of mind, what the investigative reporter did was what therapy would have hoped for, a connection. At that point the goal would have been to help Joran or possibly help him do something to bring closure to the Holloway case? Of course that was not the goal of the investigative reporter yet regardless he connected privately and showed the information to the world basically. Psychologically the investigative reporter could have damaged an opportunity for a sincere person wanting to deal with the psychological issue. Joran was unlikely to warm up again anytime soon, a guess, and then appeared to tell various stories to either make the one he told the reporter less significant or other reasons.

    Possibly something would happen anyway but I think the tampering of unqualified people may have played a role in a meltdown. People ventured out of their professional territory knowing they were dealing with someone suspected of possible murder with obvious signs of mental instability and maybe got what they wanted. Maybe they proved Joran is dangerous and could have murdered Natalee but the fact is we still don't know so? what a waste for Stephany's loved ones in some kind of way.

    Just imagine the beating that Joran's father took , media.  If he was innocent of any wrongdoing can you imagine?

    Attacking with lack of proof that can be as dangerous as a criminal.

    In defense of Joran's mother, who has also taken quite a beating, she claims to have been in process of trying to get him help when others were giving him money possibly providing his escape.  

    The ins and outs of it all are hard to sort.