Recent Developments in Natalee Holloway Suspect Joran Van Der Sloot's Extradition Case

The disappearance of Natalee Holloway has haunted the country for over 15 years. In 2005, the American student, 18, disappeared in Aruba while vacationing for Spring Break with a group of friends. Joran van der Sloot, also 18 at the time, was the last person she was seen with, leaving a nightclub on the island. While he was promptly identified as the prime suspect, van der Sloot was never charged with her murder, nor was a body ever found.

Last week it was revealed that van der Sloot, now 35 and serving a 28-year sentence in Peru for the murder of Stephany Flores, would be extradited to the United States due to charges surrounding Holloway's murder. However, experts predict that the extradition process may be lengthy. Additionally, a high-ranking police officer has expressed strong opinions regarding van der Sloot. Continue reading to delve into further details.

According to a high-ranking law enforcement official, the convicted killer's extradition could take "months" if his legal team chooses to fight against it. That could mean he wouldn't step foot on American soil until August. 

"Taking this background into consideration, we as policemen could presume that he could also have killed [Natalee Holloway]," Col. Carlos López Aeda, the chief of Interpol in Lima, Peru, told Fox News Digital. "That is not ruled out in any way because of the way he acts, those psychopathic traits, that murderous attitude."

According to López Aeda, the extradition could happen in days or months, dependent on a variety of factors, including transportation arrangements, a formal commitment from the U.S. government to agree to return van der Sloot to Peru to complete his sentence there before he goes to federal prison, and whether van der Sloot files a habeas corpus petition.

A writ of habeas corpus is a legal remedy employed to challenge the legality of an individual's detention or imprisonment. It necessitates the custodian of the person, often a prison official, to present the prisoner before the court to assess the lawfulness of the detention. In order to request the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus, a petition is commonly filed. This petition must demonstrate that the court responsible for the detention or imprisonment committed a legal or factual error.

"The U.S. had 30 days from Friday to agree to Peru's terms. Once the agreement is in place, extradition could take between a day and a week, the colonel said. But at the latest, he said, it could happen in July or August," writes Fox News. 

While he could "paralyze" the extradition, his defense lawyer in Peru, Maximo Altez, told Fox News Digital last week that he will indefinitely be extradited to the United States to face extortion charges. "We assume that the U.S. authorities will have enough evidence about his crimes, and if they find him guilty and he is sentenced after he has served here in Peru, he will be transferred so that he can also be sentenced in the United States," López Aeda said.

He will be sent back to Peru to serve the remainder of his sentence, which runs through 2038, and he faces another 40 years in the U.S. for allegedly attempting to extort money from Holloway's parents, which he was charged with in 2010.

Prosecutors in the U.S. allege van der Sloot accepted $25,000 in cash from Holloway's family. According to prosecutors, the convicted killer offered to lead FBI agents to Holloway's body in 2010 before he left for Peru. In an affidavit, an FBI agent wrote that van der Sloot asked Holloway's mother to pay him $25,000 to disclose the location. She would have to pay him an additional $225,000 if her remains were located.