Joran Van der Sloot Arrives at Lima Police Station

By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 11:48:20 AM EST
Tags: Joran Van der Sloot (all tags)

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Joran Van der Sloot has arrived in Lima where he was taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (Dirincri) of the National Police on Spain Avenue. A press conference was held and he was perp-walked for the media. You can watch a video here. (Update: Here's a better one, they start the perp walk at 3 minutes in.)

Peruvian Minister Octavio Salazar declined to give details of the investigation. Nor did they answer questions asked by journalists. Apparently, he will now be interrogated.

He faces up to three days in the dungeons of the Dirincri and then [he will] be made available to the Peruvian justice. The judge will decide which prison the Dutchman [goes to.]

[More...]

According to Peruvian news sources (using Google translator)

In the casino, Stephany met Joran van der Sloot , who had had previous meetings by an international poker competition. Along with him was the Albanian Elton Garcia, who was staying at the hotel like Joran Tac.

He stayed there until 5 am on Sunday when Joran and Stephany are removed from the casino. A witness saw them leave in the truck. Stephany drove.

It is at 5:15 am when the couple entered the hotel Tac. Three hours later, 8:10 am Sunday, the Dutchman out of the hotel and goes to Wong in front of the hotel to buy bread and two cups of coffee. Then back to the room and out again at 9:30 am to address Stephany van, carrying in his hand a small suitcase and a backpack. In this period would have caused death.

According to a Peruvian lawyer quoted in the article:

The lawyer Luis Lamas Puccio said that the crime of first degree murder of which is being investigated Van der Sloot has a sentence of 15-30 years in prison and will be evaluated as an aggravating the ferocity of the crime (beatings Stephany) and brutality (the alleged murderer had gained the confidence of the victim). He said the trial may last more than two years and extradition is not necessary until the completion of the sentence.

Update: What a circus:

The bullet-proof vest is laughable. Look how exposed his head is. And according to news reports, when he was transferred to a different car about 35 kilometres from Lima, a woman hit him in the head with a backpack.

< John Wooden, R.I.P. | Peru Extends Joran Van der Sloot Detention For 7 Days >

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Joran Van der Sloot Arrives at Lima Police Station | 63 comments (63 topical)

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Creepy creepy perp walk (5.00 / 1) (#28)
by Militarytracy on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 01:19:37 PM EST

I really don't have an opinion on his guilt or innocence. What would I know about that? Whether he is innocent or guilty though, that perp walk was outright yucky. He is either currently an imprisoned/detained innocent person or criminal, but for me that's it and I've never cared for pulling the wings off of flies.

If I read this correctly, Joran took the (none / 0) (#1)
by hairspray on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 11:55:12 AM EST

girl to his hotel room and then a few hours later came out for bread and two cups of coffee. She must have been alive at that point. Then he goes back and kills her? Strange!

She might have been alive (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by rdandrea on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:01:51 PM EST

And then again he might have been trying to create the appearance that she was alive. Who was the second cup for, if anyone? We don't know.

I don't think you can read anything into that.


I think it's obvious he (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:06:32 PM EST

got the coffee for the two of them.


Not obvious to me (none / 0) (#4)
by rdandrea on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:07:39 PM EST

But you wouldn't want me on any jury in a case you try.


: This is the same guy who left hotel (5.00 / 2) (#5)
by oculus on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:09:34 PM EST

room with two suitcases and sd., in response to question from hotel staffperson, no, I'm not checking out.

Or maybe he drinks a lot of coffee (5.00 / 2) (#6)
by ruffian on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:12:07 PM EST

and they only have standard cups there. Absolutely impossible to make an inference from that piece of information.


if he bought the two cups for himself (none / 0) (#8)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:25:21 PM EST

to take back to the room, intending to drink them both, he must have planned to be there for a while so I doubt she was dead at that point.

And if she was dead, I don't think buying coffee to take back to the room makes sense, it just calls more attention to him.

Her father says he gave her $1,000 that day to buy a laptop. Maybe she lost the laptop money at the casino and tried to rob him when he came back with the coffee and he killed her in self defense. stranger things have happened. Apparently, contrary to older news reports, she had a small blow to the back of the head and suffered a hemorrhage and the room wasn't all bloody. Her clothes were on, and there's no sign of sexual abuse. If he had $15,000 from the extortion money, it doesn't seem like he had a motive for robbing her of money.

Also, he had a small suitcase and a backpack when he left, not two suitcases.

In the video stills of them at the hotel, she's wearing a sleeveless dress carrying only a purse. She looks very neat and proper, certainly not drugged. Plus, she drove them in her car to the hotel, so she wasn't drugged.


Jeralyn, have you considered writing (5.00 / 1) (#13)
by oculus on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:34:40 PM EST

a crime novel? I think you could be successful. Lively imagination, good sense of plot. I'm serious.


: Thanks, but I don't think (5.00 / 1) (#15)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:36:47 PM EST

I have the attention span. I know you're serious and I appreciate that.

Could this be an accident? (none / 0) (#18)
by nycstray on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:42:56 PM EST

As in maybe she fell and hit her head? (none / 0) (#21)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:58:44 PM EST

and that's what caused the hemorrhage? Possibly, she was found lying on the floor next to the bed. I guess they will know when they exhume her body to take DNA from under her fingernails. (Kind of odd they didn't do that before burying her but her father says they didn't cremate her because they expect her to be exhumed for DNA sampling.) If there was a struggle, it seems less like an accident, but it still could be self-defense. Being a female doesn't rule that out.


: That is odd about the fingernails (none / 0) (#24)
by nycstray on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 01:07:16 PM EST

I thought that was SOP?
I think it could still be an accident during a struggle. Pushing someone away etc. Guess that would be self defense? A friend of mine lost her mom last summer when she slipped on steps and hit her head . . . I could see something like that happening and if no one found her in time, who's to know?

: They buried her (none / 0) (#25)
by Zorba on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 01:08:35 PM EST

without a full forensic study???? Oh brother- maybe they really have made up their mind about his guilt and didn't feel they needed one, or maybe they don't have the staff and facilities to do good forensic pathology. Then they should bring some experts in from outside the country.

: Makes NO Sense (none / 0) (#59)
by kasey9 on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 01:47:36 PM EST

Hey Jeralyn - does it make any sense to you that they would bury her without taking every bit of dna from her body...example: under her fingernails...why would they exhume the body days, weeks, months later to re-examine and take dna samples...makes no sense..once the body is released it is released for burial etc...not to be "temporarily" buried and then exhume it...later in hopes to gain dna sampling etc...RIDICULOUS...sounds Scandalous!

Jeralyn, where are (none / 0) (#20)
by JamesTX on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:52:26 PM EST

the video stills at the hotel? Have you posted a link to that? I haven't seen those.


Here you go (none / 0) (#22)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 01:02:09 PM EST

via You Tube


Do you know how tall Joran is? (5.00 / 1) (#29)
by ding7777 on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 01:44:10 PM EST

It looks like Stephany only reaches Joran's shoulder.

Do you think the laptop the truck driver saw Joran carrying could be the one Stephany bought that day?


: He's a very big guy (none / 0) (#37)
by gyrfalcon on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 06:19:40 PM EST

I believe it's 6'3", and he's built as solidly as a truck.

Thanks! n/t (none / 0) (#27)
by JamesTX on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 01:13:58 PM EST

Absolutely! (none / 0) (#36)
by kasey9 on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 03:44:50 PM EST

They say the girl/victim was out in the gay community, why would she be going to a hotel/motel at 5 am with a handsome young man she just met????

We need to keep in mind. Joran Van Der Sloot is still innocent until proven Guilty.

Regardless of the stories and nonsense interviews he had in the Aruba accusations, he was not found guilty in the Hollaway case....people need to remember that.

Why did he buy two cups of coffee...?


Correction (5.00 / 1) (#38)
by gyrfalcon on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 06:24:01 PM EST

He was not "found not guilty," he was never even charged, never mind put on trial.


Correction to the correction (none / 0) (#48)
by robrecht on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 09:25:49 AM EST

But kasey9 did not say he was "found not guilty," rather merely that "he was not found guilty."


OK (none / 0) (#49)
by gyrfalcon on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 09:49:03 AM EST

How's this: He was not "not found guilty," he wasn't even charged, never mind put on trial.


Fine (none / 0) (#50)
by robrecht on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 10:40:19 AM EST

I was just correcting the misquote of casey9, not expressing any difficulty with your view.


Innocent until proven guily! (none / 0) (#51)
by kasey9 on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 11:05:15 AM EST

Speculation does not prove guilt...if they had a body, had evidence that he killed the girl, he would have been charged in Aruba...which reflects "Innocent until proven Guilty" everything I read does not confirm he was found guilty of any crime in the Aruba missing girl case.

When watching the video of the Peruvian girl walking with him/behind him in the Lima hotel...it does not look like she is falling down drugged or incoherent to any point...it merely looks like they are "together" and entering the hotel room at 5 am after playing poker all night...which would lead me to ask a question of why would she be going to his room at 5 am? Why would he exit the room a few hours later and return with two cups of coffee and breakfast bread?

Lets keep in mind the fact that for decades there have been thousands of innocent people that have been found guilty and put in jail and then after wasting years of their lives in prison for a crime they didn't commit...they are later exonerated and released as they were INNOCENT from day one...

I am in no way, shape or form suggesting any disrespect to the Peruvian girl, but simply saying regardless of race, gender or past histories...EVERYONE - Every Individual should be afforded and entitled to being INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY!


Who on earth are you (none / 0) (#53)
by gyrfalcon on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 11:14:25 AM EST

arguing with?

Of course he was not found guilty in Aruba. As I keep saying over and over and over again, he wasn't even charged with anything, never mind put on trial.


no. (none / 0) (#60)
by kasey9 on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 01:53:11 PM EST

Arguing no, lol. Arrested in Aruba, yes, charged no. Does that make him guilty, NO! Beacuse 99.9 percent of the media coverage I see keep referring to him as killing the girl in Aruba...as far as I am concerned...how can someone be guilty of a crime or be considered a murderer in Aruba...if they have not been charged or put on trial for the crime...which in SIMPLE Layman terms: Innocent until proven Guilty...NOT guilty until proven innocent!


You're not hearing that in U.S. media (none / 0) (#63)
by gyrfalcon on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 04:44:47 PM EST

Nobody in the media in this country anyway is saying he killed a girl in Aruba. What they are saying, which is true, is that he was and remains the chief suspect. Sheesh, even Nancy "everyody is guilty" Grace is careful to always say he's the suspect.


: I must disagree (none / 0) (#65)
by kasey9 on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 05:17:25 PM EST

Yes, I heard on several USA report.. You better look up the transcripts on Nancy Graces website she states...van der sloot kills again...that would indicate plural, twice...a second time...perhaps, in a round about way to say he killed twice.

I see you thinking like a defense attorney. (none / 0) (#42)
by hairspray on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 08:14:26 PM EST

So many hypotheticals to examine, so as to refute the obvious simple explanations. Mostly things really are simple, occasionally not. I didn't follow the Natalie Holloway stuff so I don't have a point of view, but this situation is really pretty damming. I hope he has a good defense because he is in hot water.


It certainly would not be... (none / 0) (#47)
by kdog on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 08:48:18 AM EST

the first time a guy got rolled during a poker tournament...all that cash flying around draws thieves and hustlers, happens all the time. And considering the victim was a lesbian, that would explain her going to the hotel room...to roll him.

Hmmm? (none / 0) (#55)
by gyrfalcon on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 11:17:56 AM EST

Ya think? He's 6'3 or 6'4' and built like a truck. She's about a foot shorter, and a female.


: Hmmmm... (none / 0) (#58)
by squeaky on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 11:43:00 AM EST

Also, interestingly, they've apparently found containers or "wrappers" for multiple doses of that date rape drug, "roofies," in her SUV.

Great point, well said. (none / 0) (#61)
by kasey9 on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 01:55:09 PM EST

valid point...I was wondering why she went there myself...I also hear conflicting reports to she was fully clothed and then she was in a polo and panties (which was not what she wore in to the hotl room)...Can any one update or clarify?


: They refered to her top (none / 0) (#66)
by nycstray on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 07:50:00 PM EST

in one of the articles as a {something sleeve} polo in the video of her going to the room. I think the translation said zero sleeve?

...drinks a lot of coffee? (none / 0) (#19)
by JamesTX on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:50:25 PM EST

So do I, but I don't buy two cups under such circumstances. I buy what they have. Now, I sometimes buy two ice cream cones and pretend I am taking one back to someone else (and then I eat them both). I'm a porker.

She was alive, and he went back to take the coffee to her. The idea that he bought two cups to make it appear she was alive is like gyrfalcon's piano falling out of an airplane. He would have no motivation to do that. It is too trivial an act.

The question is if he found her dead when he returned, panicked and hightailed it, or if he fought with her and killed her. I have posted elsewhere why robbery is not at all an absurd proposition here. At this point for me, it's a 50/50, and you know where 50/50 odds go in my book. I'm an American. I like reasonable doubt.

The question for me now is where he was going and why. Of course, I don't understand anything about travel in the area. I have never been there and I would never go, simply because of the risk of things like this and because I, like Joran, have enemies. That area of the world is very dangerous both from organized crime and from authorities (who are often one in the same).

It has been suggested he would go back to Aruba where he would have some legal power and could fight extradition (if they even have an extradition treaty). If so, why did he head south? If he was thinking he had some 2-5 days before they found the body, then wouldn't that be enough time to get a flight back to Aruba? Or would that take him somewhere more dangerous? He likely had very little time to make the decision about what to do, and he chose taking a very long taxi ride to an area more remote from home. Did he think he was avoiding a search which would likely concentrate in the other direction? Was he thinking he would disappear and change his identity -- go somewhere new in the world? Are there direct flights from Santiago to Aruba that were a less dangerous option? I am willing to accept there is a preponderance of evidence he was trying to escape, but I am curious about where he was going and what he was thinking. That may have something to say about his guilt and the truth.


: Agree! (5.00 / 1) (#52)
by kasey9 on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 11:10:30 AM EST

I agree with the entirety of your post. I am anxious to see the actual facts to the case as opposed to the sensationalism of the medias reporting. After watching the initial video and seeing that the girl was walking by herself with no assistance that she went willingly...I too, am a reasonable doubt supporter as well as believing that Joran is Innocent until the facts and evidence states otherwise.
Great post JamesTX, I enjoyed it!

: FWIW (5.00 / 1) (#57)
by gyrfalcon on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 11:19:30 AM EST

I'm old enough to remember the days in this country when large-size cups were not available most places you could get take-out coffee. In those days, I almsot always bought two cups at a time.

: All interesting theories (none / 0) (#31)
by ruffian on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 02:28:45 PM EST

Maybe we'll find out what really happened some day.

Such a shame the Aruban authorities (none / 0) (#7)
by magster on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:25:07 PM EST

couldn't find the evidence necessary to arrest him for Holloway in time to save this girl. Wonder if his deeds are confined to just these two women....

Yes (5.00 / 1) (#12)
by squeaky on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:33:28 PM EST

And your "friends" would be saying the same thing about you, if you were arrested for rape, murder, or some sort of violent and gruesome crime.

Even when you were found out to be innocent, your "friends" would never really believe you never did it.

And those who thing that you are a contemptible human being, for whatever reason, well they would be on a campaign to ruin your life, ride you out of town, and then follow you to the ends of the earth trying to make you pay for something you never did.

But, be my guest, join that bandwagon, as ugly and reactionary as it is. It's a free country.


Yes, just unlucky at love. (5.00 / 1) (#32)
by coast on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 02:45:10 PM EST

Nothing more, nothing less.


: Wrong place. Wrong time. (none / 0) (#33)
by oculus on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 02:48:35 PM EST

or maybe neither of them (none / 0) (#9)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:25:56 PM EST

He hasn't been convicted of either yet.


: Thats Right! (none / 0) (#62)
by kasey9 on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 01:56:23 PM EST

Innocent, Innocent, Innocent...until proven guilty...

Do we know (none / 0) (#10)
by jbindc on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:26:46 PM EST

Anything about the rules of evidence in Peruvian trials? Will the judges see photos of the murder scene (which were truly horrific I hear - Stephany's brother was interviewed on TV last night, and since he identified the body - I won't tell you what he said in case you're eating, but it was disgusting)

I'm not sure how his defense is even going to attempt to make a case that it was someone else...

there you go again (none / 0) (#11)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:31:30 PM EST

spouting misinformation. The room was not all bloody, according to the medical examiner. "The room was not covered in blood. She was bleeding from the left ear and the nose."


I'm not spouting anything (none / 0) (#16)
by jbindc on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:39:26 PM EST

It's what her brother said he saw - and since he was, you know, actually there, as opposed to Great Van Sustren, I think you need to step back and actually consider it.


Her brother is understandably (5.00 / 2) (#39)
by gyrfalcon on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 06:28:51 PM EST

extremely emotional and is not what we would call a "trained observer," nor obviously anybody who's ever seen a crime scene before, or a dead body, particularly of someone he loved who died violently.

He also said she was missing an eye, which as far as we know isn't true.

He had the terrible, awful duty of being the one to identify her body. I totally respect and honor his emotions, but he's not reliable as a source of information on either the crime scene or the condition of her boy.


: and comments repeating his (none / 0) (#40)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 06:31:57 PM EST

false information will be deleted.

very easy to make a case (none / 0) (#14)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:34:51 PM EST

it was someone else when he left Monday morning and she wasn't found till late Tues or early Weds (depending on which news source you believe) and there was a third person with them at the casino until 5 am when they left, who just happened to be staying at the same hotel (another poker player, Elton Garcia, read the news article I linked to.)


Everyone can go back and forth on this (none / 0) (#23)
by Zorba on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 01:03:56 PM EST

endlessly (and we do- part of the reason many of us regularly read a law-oriented blog!). I think we're missing the most vital piece of information here- the time of death. Until the autopsy results are in, we won't know if Joran was still around, or already gone when she was killed. (Of course, much depends on the competence and honesty of their medical examiner, too. If I were Joran's parents, I'd want to hire a couple experts of my own, if the results come back with a time-of-death unfavorable to Joran.)


Joran's father is dead (none / 0) (#26)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 01:12:52 PM EST

And his mother says she hasn't spoken to him since his dad died. I don't think there is any money for a lawyer. Tacopina represented him pro bono. I think he's on his own.


: Oh, yes, I remember now (none / 0) (#30)
by Zorba on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 02:07:09 PM EST

In which case, Joran may be scr*w*d. Whether he's innocent or guilty, he may well not get a fair trial, and we may never know the truth about Stephany's death. I don't like the way she was buried so quickly, without a complete autopsy.

I ran across this video (none / 0) (#41)
by JamesTX on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 08:06:33 PM EST

which includes good footage of Stephany and Joran entering the room, and of Joran leaving with the backpack and suitcase. Based on the info so far, this would be the footage of him leaving for good. So much for the report of the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door (which heavily influenced my assessment so far). It ain't so.

I'm no longer 50/50 on her being dead at the time he emerged. A lot doesn't look right. I do a lot of reading body language, but I am first to admit there is absolutely nothing valid about inferences made from that -- other than the fact that I am often right. So I still tend to do it, though. My assessment is mixed. He doesn't look like he's leaving a murder scene. His expression isn't right. On the other hand, his gait and mannerisms, particularly when he switched the suitcase from one hand to another when leaving the lobby looks like maybe he was trying too hard to look inconspicuous.

Other potentially trivial details sort of interested me. He automatically or habitually switched the light on when they entered the room. It looks to be on when he emerged, and he didn't switch it off.

I can't tell the extent to which he freshened up and changed clothing, but he looks more "refreshed" when leaving. The shirt he was wearing when he left may have been under the long sleeve shirt visible when they arrived.

Where was he going and why? Obviously, there is still the issue of his hair and sideburns. It was not buzzed and red when he left the room. Where and why did he do that? Did he get it done in a shop or rent another room? Come to think of it, this is a very rapid fire sequence of events.

I am having real trouble reading the time stamps on the video. Something doesn't look right there.

http://elcomercio.pe/player/490238

It appears the video (none / 0) (#43)
by JamesTX on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 08:14:50 PM EST

stopped working just after I made this post. I hope it comes back.


Here's another one (none / 0) (#44)
by Jeralyn on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 09:25:13 PM EST

with clear views of the times.


: That's it -- and clearer. Thanks. n/t (none / 0) (#45)
by JamesTX on Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 09:37:48 PM EST

ABC reported on Friday that it wasn't a (none / 0) (#46)
by puppylove17 on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 02:49:41 AM EST

Do Not Disturb sign that kept the staff out of the room. They report that the room was prepaid for 14 days and that before he left that day, Joran gave instructions for no one to enter the room -- including cleaning staff.

They also reported that a hotel staff member heard the two of them arguing.

But then again, ABC also reported earlier that the room was bloody.


: Video of leaving the room (none / 0) (#54)
by kasey9 on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 11:15:55 AM EST

If you watch the entire video of Joran leaving the room (You Tube), he walks out, there is no disturb sign on the door and as he walks past the front t desk he speaks to no one which conflicts the media reports of one there was not a do not disturb sign and two he did not tell any staff not to enter the room...There are to many inconsistencies...and the time stamps...have they been altered?

Time stamps - JamesTX (none / 0) (#56)
by kasey9 on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 11:19:24 AM EST

There is something definitely wrong with the time stamps, great observation. Also, reports state that Joran told the hotel staff not to enter the room, If you watch the video on You tube you can see him exit, walk past the front desk where there is someone and he says nothing? Any in site?


: That is just (none / 0) (#64)
by JamesTX on Sun Jun 06, 2010 at 04:50:38 PM EST

it. We don't have access to all video and all reported events. There are three to four hours of video between ingress and egress. I don't think we are being asked to believe this is the sum of the evidence. Clearly, there are hours of video, and it is probably still being analyzed. Still, there is no "Do Not Disturb" sign which was reported somewhere on this site earlier and which I accepted as truth and based some of my conclusions on. The bad thing here is I am not sure how much of the evidence will ever get out of the Peruvian justice system. Like I say, I think the most common outcome in these cases is we will hear about his sentence several months from now, and everything will be as sketchy then as it is now.