An attorney for the mother of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway, who disappeared in Aruba, said a possible plea deal with a suspect in an extortion case is contingent upon his disclosing details about her death.
Joran van der Sloot, long considered the chief suspect in Holloway害羞草研究所檚 2005 , is scheduled to Wednesday morning in Birmingham, Alabama, for a plea and sentencing hearing for a case in which he is accused of trying to extort $250,000 from Holloway害羞草研究所檚 mother in 2010 to reveal the location of her daughter害羞草研究所檚 body.
John Q. Kelly, an attorney who represented Holloway害羞草研究所檚 mother during the alleged extortion, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that a potential plea deal is contingent upon van der Sloot revealing information about what happened to Holloway. Kelly made the comments previously on NBC害羞草研究所檚 . Emails sent to van der Sloot害羞草研究所檚 attorney and a spokesperson for federal prosecutors were not immediately returned.
Holloway害羞草研究所檚 family has long sought answers about her disappearance. But those answers have proven elusive. Van der Sloot has given a variety of conflicting descriptions over the years about what happened, which would likely put raised scrutiny on any new account.
Her family is expected to be in court Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Anna M. Manasco wrote in a Tuesday night order that she will hear victim impact statements from Holloway害羞草研究所檚 parents and brother 害羞草研究所� but not others who have asked to do so 害羞草研究所� before sentencing van der Sloot.
害羞草研究所淗olloway family have submitted their own direct statements that express the impact they experienced, in their own words,害羞草研究所� the judge wrote.
Holloway went missing during a high school graduation trip with classmates to Aruba. The Alabama teen leaving a bar with van der Sloot, a student at an international school. The mysterious disappearance sparked years of news coverage and true-crime podcasts, books and movies. Van der Sloot was identified as a main suspect and was detained for questioning but no charges were filed in the case.
A judge declared Holloway dead but her body has never been found.
Prosecutors in the Alabama case said van der Sloot contacted Kelly in 2010 and asked for $250,000 from Beth Holloway to reveal the location of her daughter害羞草研究所檚 remains. He later agreed to accept $25,000 to disclose the location, and asked for the other $225,000 once the remains were recovered. Van der Sloot said that Holloway was buried in the gravel under the foundation of a house, but later admitted that was untrue, FBI Agent William K. Bryan wrote in a 2010 sworn statement filed in the case.
Van der Sloot moved from Aruba to Peru before he could be arrested in the extortion case. Van der Sloot was earlier this year from Peru, where he害羞草研究所檚 serving a 28-year sentence after to killing a Peruvian woman in 2010.
Peru害羞草研究所檚 government allowed van der Sloot害羞草研究所檚 temporary extradition to the U.S. to face charges there. Under a 2001 treaty between the countries, a suspect can be temporarily extradited to face trial in the other country, but must 害羞草研究所渂e returned害羞草研究所� after judicial proceedings are concluded.
Kim Chandler, The Associated Press
