That Vander Sloot guy

[GatorFarmer]

Lets see: Besides the holloway case, we have tapes of him recruiteing girls for prositution in denmark for $13,000s a head. We have evidence of him extorting holloways mother for $15,000s down payment on $250,000s for info. We have undercover tapes of him telling a UC snitch about how she died. That, and I havent even tried watching the other rumors. Yup, its possible I can be hit with a metorite by tomorrow morning too. My client is innocent!

Thoses tapes weren't held to be admissable evidence of wrong doing, and there is a reason for that. What actually is shown on the tapes in a kid with a big mouth trying to talk tough for a TV producer. (See Mark Fuhrman for similar events.) This was then taped and edited ambush style. Again, don't trust media reports for the full story unless looked at very critically. Rumors are just that, rumors. They're far different from compelling evidence. All I've seen is a spoiled kid with a big mouth that likes to act the role of notorious big shot. That might because he's guilty and likes to run his mouth, but just as likely, he's just stupid.

Catch me when I'm bored, and you could get me on tape telling far more convincing stories, doesn't make them true.

 

[Stainz]

I am a fair man. He needs to be fish food. That smerk... no more Papa to bail him out now.

Stainz

 

[ladder13]

Maybe he studied under OJ.

 

[feralmerril]

Gaiter, I know you are right from a legal standpoint with our system in this country. I dont know anything about arubas or peru,s though. Might be they dont have the "We would rather see 1000 guilty go free than one innocent jailed" like we do. If they use more common sense than we do, he,s history!

 

[beaverislander]

I've been waiting 5 years for something to happen to this scumbag and he ends up doing himself in.

So sorry another young woman had to lose her life though.

 

[kennyb]

He wasn't the only person going into and out of that room. He likes his booze, his women, and possibly his drugs. "Party people" it is sometimes called.

Again it can't be both ways, he's somehow a genius criminal that disposed of another body and walked away without a trace, yet now he just leaves corpses laying around? Strange, you'd think he'd get better and not worse at murder.

And yes, if you have certain lifestyle patterns, you do end up with people turning up dead around you sometimes - OD, suffocate on their vomit from drinking too much, suicides, other people killing them, etc - without killing them yourself. In third world locales, this happens with greater frequency since the locals aren't necessarily healthy and robust to begin with and the drugs are often more potent than what we see stateside.

He's also the perfect patsy if you did want to pin something on him. He's already as good as convicted in media reports and the world's imagination. Actually investigating what happened in Peru may well fall by the way side. It's quite plausible that other people had a motive to kill the deceased.

What bothers me in cases like this is that no one trusts the media when it comes to reporting on guns, the war, this that or the other thing, yet folks are ready to jump on the band wagon - or lynch wagon if you will - over what amounts to mere media reports when it comes to someone's apparent guilt.

gator...totally agree with you as to media observations....as to him getting "better"at murder..not so much so...what i have found is they neither get better or worse so much as they get more confident and careless...that leads to their downfall

 

[cmort666]

GF, it's true most criminals get better as they go along. There are also two other true axiums; having got away with it before they get sloppy thinking they can't be caught.

This is absolutely the case.

My predecessor in my last job got so used to stealing that he practically stopped trying to hide it. When he got fired for it, he sued for "wrongful termination" and tried to have the company put into receivership on the basis of an imaginary "partnership" for which there was NO documentation. Then when he caved and settled with the owner, his only payments toward that settlement were STOLEN from his next victim!

Rather than an Ernst Stavro Blofeld or even a Ted Bundy, van der Sloot is just a slimy little ALMOST rich kid who had a judge for a daddy who could get him out of trouble as a medium sized fish in a TINY pond. I'm betting NOBODY in Peru is going to be impressed with him or who his daddy WAS in another country.

 

[calmex]

If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

THIS duck just happens to leave poop wherever he walks.

He's been indicted, so he'll, as they say "have his day in court"

Thinking about it, I believe that Ladder13 has hit the legal principle that the Peruvians will turn to squarely and precisely on the head -- probably rather quickly (unless some overwhelming reason presents itself for them to reconsider this legal principle). 3rd World Justice is often inept and corrupt. Sometimes, though, it's really just the damned duck. Simple as that. They are only a couple generations removed from "we don't need no stinkin' badges."

 

[ladder13]

They got him now


Police: Joran van der Sloot confesses to killing Lima woman - USATODAY.com

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

......"Van der Sloot's confession came on his third full day in Peruvian police custody, on the eve of a planned trip to the hotel in which he was to participate in a reconstruction of the events leading to Flores' slaying, Gamarra said."
3 days!!!! tough little ******** wasn't he? Saw the picture-they didn't leave any marks

 

[feralmerril]

You dont need to leave marks when you discreetly strap him down in a chair in the station basement, put on a pair of rubber gloves, gently grab him by the canjoles, and said sir, what happened? I know I would tell them anything I thought they want to hear!

 

[35Rem]

May not have laid a hand on him, yet. Probably 3 days of sleep deprivation, no food or water, did it.

 

[calmex]

The Mexican prosecutor that interrogated me was an excellent chess player. As I stated earlier, since I had been out of the country and could prove it at the time I was supposed to have punched out a local medium-wig (because he wasn't a big-wig, but thought he was), I stuck to my story.

But they come at you from every angle. I was never "sleep deprived", but boy, any slight change in your story and they are onto you PDQ. I stuck to the truth, and when I didn't know something, I said so. That way, when I later couldn't remember for SURE what I might have said, I went with what I thought I should have said.

I saw how the guy next to me (the medium-wig) through the window glass seemed to be having problems with his version, though. After it was all over, the Prosecutor told me that one of the BIG deciding factors -- aside from the passport stamps -- was when they asked me if I would take a lie-detector test, and I said; "Hell, yes, bring it on!"

Apparently, the medium-wig replied something like, "you legally can't make me, can you?" The Proscecutor smiled and said, "of course, we don't actually HAVE a Polygraph machine...but the question alone can bring forth all the desired reactions at a much cheaper price."

I don't think they would have had to hit him. Or shock him (except for the shock to his sense of reality that THESE people were not treating him with kid gloves). However, they would not have balked at all at threatening him, lying to him, making false promises, good-cop/bad cop ("I visited Aruba once and I know how beautiful it is...") and all Joran would have had to do is just change his story in some small detail ONCE and they'd have been all over him.

It is amazing what investigators can come up with when they are not stuck with the "reasonable doubt" obstacle to overcome. And don't get me wrong, here, I think the "reasonable doubt" obstacle is a worthy one, it has undoubtedly kept a lot of innocent people out of bad situations. In countries just coming out of the age of Napoleanic Law (guilty until proven innocent) however, the burden of proof is more like the duck analogy. "Does he LOOK guilty?"

Joran looked guilty, and I am sure it was at least a shock to his senses -- if not the gonads -- to find out that THESE Police Officials were NOT treating him with kid gloves, and did not seem too overly concerned with his "civil rights". But personally I feel they probably didn't get physical with him. Mind games were probably enough. But what do I know?

 

[Hermann]

That "dumb Southern kid" was the pride and joy of two parents. She obviously had a very bright future snuffed out by a deranged monster. How she got into that situation has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Even if you do something without thinking you don't deserve to be killed for bad judgement. How someone could be indifferent to something like this is beyond me. I don't know how old you are, but if your kid had been the victim you would feel very different. I have had a love one murdered. It tears your family to pieces. It sounds like you and Joran may think alike. You need to go play someplace else. You're certainly not impressing anyone here.

THANK YOU - I agree 100%!!

 

[M28]

What a surprise......it really is a duck......

Brian~

 

[ladder13]

More like a dead duck

 

[calmex]

In the last day or so, I have seen and read a bit of crap "hinting" that Joran might not go to the wall for the full stretch.

Personally, as I just said, I think that's crap. A lot of what I see and hear is always based on the particular talking head's understanding of the American justice system. And that's fine, I'm sure they know a lot more than I do about the American justice system.

However, Joran isn't under the U.S. justice system. I don't know anything about Peru's justice system, but I'm sure it's going to be closer to my reality than the U.S. reality.

And here, the Justice Officials would make ANY claim they felt like making (hell, they'd even PROMISE) to get Joran to tell them what they wanted to know. However, if it's anything like here, a PROMISE means nothing. A PROMISE in writing means nothing. A claim means nothing. Reality is what it is. And this is something that probably everyone living in Peru understands and many of the talking heads do not; a "promise" is a way to get at the facts. Nothing more.

Joran's in serious trouble here, and probably going to go for the full run in a bad house. Money probably won't help him here (except to buy more "promises"). The only thing I can think of is if Peru needs something from Aruba, or Belgium, that might help him. For example, if Peru felt that it might be nice to have a big memorial to all the troops they lost in the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 right there beside the Canadian Memorial (and I don't think they lost any), this could work out in Joran's favor for better living conditions.

Roughly, here's how I've seen things work out here in the last 20 years.

1. Foreigner in legal trouble AGAINST Mexican with rock-solid evidence in favor of foreigner. Result: Foreigner walks, not much happens to Mexican.

2. Foreigner in legal trouble AGAINST Mexican with iffy evidence in his favor. Result: Foreinger gets deported. Mexican wins.

2 (A). RICH Foreigner in legal trouble AGAINST Mexican with iffy evidence in his favor. Result: Foreigner gets cleaned out financially and gets deported. If Foreigner is "connected", then is just highly advised to leave on own free accord.

3. Foreigner in legal trouble AGAISNT Mexican with evidence NOT in his favor. Foreigner probably does jail time. Then gets deported. If Foreigner was rich, is cleaned out first BEFORE jail time and deportation.

Colonel Phil Maher, the former U.S. Consul here, once told me that Canadians or Americans "Who are sure they are right and can absolutely prove it, are probably okay. Otherwise, avoid the Mexican Justice system and settle it yourself if you can, or accept the loss if you can't."

I consider Joran to be in category 3. He is in legal trouble, and the dead girl's father is not just a Peruvian, but a Peruvian of some stature. Don't be too fooled by smoke, that's just there to get you to tune in or buy the paper. Joran is in BIG trouble, and all the rest of it (promises, claims, speculations) are probably, IMNSHO, just a means to the end to get the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (with maybe a little Latin Embellishment thrown in) as quickly and efficiently as is possible in the 3rd World so they can get onto making Joran's continued existence as miserable as possible.

I'd say he's going to end up being one sorry duck. If he lives and doesn't kill himself. I really don't think the Peruvians will do him -- although, I could always be wrong. I often am.

 

[jag312]

I heard that Vander Snot is on suicide watch. I would be more than happy to send him a straight razor with instructions on how to use it.

 

[canoeguy]

I don't think they heat Peruvian Prisons, and they have a notorious one at 12,000 feet elevation.....

They just released an American woman, Lori Berenson who spent 14 years there for helping anti-government revolutionaries, I've read accounts from her family that prison is miserably cold!

Joran better break out his long johns.

 

[5Wire]

Peru has no death penalty or life without parole. Expected sentence ≤ 35 years, from what I understand.