Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in Natalee Holloway’s 2005 disappearance, has been beaten in a Peruvian prison, according to his lawyer.
According to ABC News, van der Sloot was involved in a fight between rival gangs on Saturday inside Challapalca Prison, where he’s currently serving a 28-year murder sentence, according to what his defense attorney Maximo Altez said.
Now, van der Sloot is receiving treatment in the prison’s medical wing, Altez said, adding that his injuries are “nothing too serious.”
Altez said he doesn’t think the attack had anything to do with van Der Sloot’s upcoming extradition to the U.S. for the Holloway case, NBC 12 reports. In 2005, Holloway, 18, was reportedly last seen leaving a bar in Aruba with van der Sloot, who was also 18 at the time.
Holloway has not been found. In 2012, a judge in Alabama declared her legally dead.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the extradition stems from claims that van der Sloot bilked Holloway’s mother, Beth, out of $25,100. Beth paid van der Sloot in 2010 for details about the location of her daughter’s remains, but investigators said van der Sloot gave false information and failed to honor his promise. He was later indicted by a U.S. grand jury.
Altez said that he initially opposed the extradition but “decided against it” and intends to travel to the U.S. to contest the charges.
Although no specific date has been scheduled for van der Sloot’s extradition, Altez said that a few administrative matters need to be addressed, including van der Sloot completing a physical examination and government officials arranging travel.
“The only thing left to resolve are administrative issues,” Altez said.
Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to a previous episode on the case:
[Feature Photo: Joran van der Sloot/Peruvian mug shot, left, Natalee Holloway/FBI]
