Joran van der Sloot, the Dutch man suspected in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway, was sentenced Friday to 28 years in a Peruvian prison for the 2010 murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores. Van der Sloot, 24, cried during his sentencing.
In a hearing on Wednesday, van der Sloot pleaded guilty to murdering Flores in a Lima hotel room and using her cash and credit cards to flee to Chile. Authorities say van der Sloot beat Flores, strangled her and broke her neck. Her body was found on June 2, 2010. Van der Sloot was captured in Chile five days later.
Van der Sloot was arrested twice but never charged in Holloway’s disappearance in Aruba. An Alabama judge declared Holloway legally dead this week in a response to a petition lodged last year by her father Dave.
"I have been preparing myself for this day for the last 6 1/2 years," Dave Holloway said after the hearing. "We hope that today will bring some closure."
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