Beth Holloway speaks out on van der Sloot confession: ‘It just blisters your soul to hear’

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Joran van der Sloot’s entire court process played out while Natalee’s family looked on from the courtroom gallery Wednesday.

Natalee’s mother Beth spoke with WBRC about that confession and how it feels that the investigation is finally closing. Beth said her exhaustion Wednesday is an exhaustion that is finally ending after 18 years of searching for answers.

She says it just “blisters your soul” to hear from Joran what he did to Natalee, hitting her face with a cinderblock and then leaving her in the ocean.

Even so, the difficult truth is giving the Holloway’s a sense of closure.

“The 18 years leading up to not knowing was more tumultuous and torturous, than, you know, than taking that hard hit,” Beth said.

Joran van der Sloot pleaded guilty to both wire fraud and extortion, but it was in court documents as part of that plea deal he details what he claims actually happened in 2005.

“Now I can say that Joran van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in Natalee’s disappearance, but Joran van der Sloot is the killer of Natalee, and that is huge. It’s been solved. He is the killer. He did it alone. He acted alone. So it puts all those other swirling theories to rest,” Beth said.

In an interview with his attorney on October 3, van der Sloot said he saw a huge cinderblock on the beach, took it, and smashed her head in before pushing her off into the water and leaving.

When asked why she believes his testimony now, Beth said, “A lot of different processes that have been going on to come together to this one conclusion... so when you take all these federal agents... we also have a comprehensive and conclusive polygraph testing,” Beth said.

Van der Sloot said Wednesday in court he is now a changed man and has given his life to Jesus Christ. Beth said she didn’t believe it at all.

“I think that’s just hollow talk and I think it’s typical from a double murder, especially also someone who extorted the mother of his kill out of money,” Beth said.

She said this 18-year-long investigation’s close meant she knew what to say directly to Joran in the victim impact statement.

“I think the most meaningful thing for me to say to him was, ‘You are the killer. You are the one that did it.’ So that’s not something that will set well on him. And I told him when I turned around, I mean, he does he looks like hell. You know, he did it to himself,” Beth said.

Van der Sloot will serve this sentence alongside his current sentence in Peru, where he’s supposed to serve 22 more years for a separate murder conviction.

Beth says she was involved in the development of the plea agreement so she knew what to expect, and now she’s just glad she has answers.

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