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Joran van der Sloot has always been the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance and presumed death of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway. And he has finally admitted his guilt.

He confessed to murdering Holloway on a beach in the Caribbean Island of Aruba. He made the disclosures while pleading guilty to charges of extorting the victim's mother.

The 36-year-old van der Sloot had been serving a 28-year sentence in a Peruvian prison for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores, a 21-year-old Peruvian business student. After the murder, he confessed to beating, strangling, and suffocating her.

Van der Sloot was temporarily extradited to Alabama in June to face two U.S. charges of extortion and wire fraud.

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Initially, he entered a plea of not guilty in a federal court in Birmingham, Alabama, contesting allegations that he had conspired to extort $250,000 from Beth Holloway, Natalee's mother, in exchange for revealing the location of her daughter's remains. 

There was a powerful moment in the courtroom after van der Sloot’s sentencing. Beth Holloway addressed van der Sloot following his guilty plea, declaring, "You are a killer, and I want you to remember that every time that jail cell door slams," as reported by NBC News.

Confession to Natalee Holloway Murder

In his confession and upon waiving his right to appeal, Joran van der Sloot expressed remorse for his actions and stated that he had embraced Christianity since the time of the murder.

U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco subsequently handed down a 20-year prison sentence to be served concurrently with his existing term in Peru, followed by three years of supervised release. The expectation now is that he will be returned to Peru to fulfill his ongoing sentence there, with a provision for his return to the U.S. in the event of parole or release.

The case of Natalee Holloway, an 18-year-old from a Birmingham suburb, has long captivated the public.

 She went missing during a high school graduation trip to Aruba in 2005, and eyewitnesses reported her last seen leaving a bar in a car with Joran van der Sloot on the night of her disappearance.

 Her remains were never recovered. And she was declared legally dead by an Alabama judge in 2012.

Chilling details of the confession

Recent developments include van der Sloot's confession to U.S. investigators, as part of a plea deal regarding extortion and wire fraud charges. 

He admitted to killing Holloway after she resisted his advances on a beach near her hotel. According to a transcript filed with the court, he described kicking her in the face after she kneed him in the groin, causing her to lose consciousness. 

He then used a "huge cinder block" to strike her head, subsequently disposing of her body in the ocean before returning home.

Case Finally Closed

U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona announced, "Today marks the end of 18 years of wondering what happened to Natalee Holloway," during a post-hearing statement. It's important to note that Dutch authorities in Aruba had previously arrested van der Sloot on murder suspicions but had to release him due to insufficient evidence.

As a crucial part of the legal proceedings, Natalee Holloway's family cooperated with the FBI in a sting operation, transferring a portion of the requested money ($25,100) to van der Sloot in 2010.

 However, he provided false information about the location of Holloway's remains. As part of his sentencing, Judge Manasco ordered him to pay $25,100 in restitution to Beth Holloway.

Beth Holloway expressed her satisfaction with the outcome, stating, "Van der Sloot's confession means we've finally reached the end of our never-ending nightmare. Natalee's case is closed, as far as I'm concerned. It's over."