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Magistrate Extends Deadlines for Joran van der Sloot in Extortion, Fraud Case
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Van der Sloot is charged with extorting money from Beth Holloway for information — which he didn’t provide — about her daughter’s death.

A federal magistrate extended deadlines for pretrial motions in the fraud case against Joran van der Sloot, the Dutch national accused of playing on the fears of an Alabama mother seeking information about her daughter’s presumed death in 2005.

Van der Sloot has long been suspected but never charged with killing Natalee Holloway, the 18-year-old who disappeared while on a high school graduation trip to Aruba, as reported by CrimeOnline. But in 2010, he was indicted on charges of fraud and extortion, for allegedly demanding $25,000 up front and $225,000 later for information about where Beth Holloway could find her daughter’s body.

Prosecutors say van der Sloot gave Holloway’s attorney false information, reneging on his promise and leading to the indictment.

Beth Holloway – Natalee Holloway’s mother

The 35-year-old’s public defender, Kevin Butler, asked for an extension of the deadlines on Monday, saying he needed more time to prepare his defense and for van der Sloot to decide if he would enter a guilty plea or move forward to trial, AL.com reported. Van der Sloot waived his right to a speedy trial, and on Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Gray Borden granted the extension.

“Given the defendant’s need to adequately prepare his defense and to make an informed decision on whether to enter a guilty plea or proceed to trial, the court finds that the ends of justice served by extending the pretrial deadlines and granting a continuance outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial,” Borden wrote in his ruling.

The magistrate extended the deadlines to October 2 but noted that a US district judge would set the actual trial date later.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama did not oppose the request, according to court records.

Van der Sloot, who was serving time for the murder of another young woman in Peru, was extradited to Alabama on June 8 to face the fraud charges.

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[Featured image: Joran van der Sloot/Shelby County Jail]