On Friday, Joran van der Sloot, the primary suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway, pleaded not guilty to federal charges of attempted extortion.

The charges stem from allegations that he attempted to extort money from Natalee’s mother in exchange for revealing the whereabouts of her daughter’s body, the Associated Press has reported.

Van der Sloot, who is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence in Peru after confessing to killing a Peruvian woman, was extradited to the United States on Thursday.

He made his first court appearance in Birmingham, located near the suburb where Natalee Holloway grew up.

During the brief proceeding, Natalee’s mother, Beth Holloway, was present in the courtroom and watched the proceedings from the third row. While occasionally looking at van der Sloot, she displayed no overt emotions.

In a statement released on Thursday, Beth Holloway expressed her enduring pain and longing for justice over the past 18 years since Natalee’s disappearance.

However, she expressed hope that some measure of justice may finally be achieved through this legal process.

Written by staff