A U.S. judge on Tuesday agreed to delay Joran Van der Sloot's extortion trial until the fall to give him more time to prepare a defense or decide if he wants to enter a guilty plea.Van der Sloot's attorney Kevin Butler had asked for the continuance from the July 31 trial docket to give more time to "review the discovery, investigate this case, and prepare for trial." Prosecutors agreed to the change.Video above: Van der Sloot was extradited to the U.S. in June 2023Van der Sloot, often considered the chief suspect in Natalee Holloway's 2005 disappearance in Aruba, faces federal charges that he tried to extort money from the missing teen's mother in exchange for revealing where to find her daughter's remains. He was extradited from Peru this month to face trial in Alabama, Holloway's home state."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," U.S. Magistrate Gray Borden wrote. Borden said the extension would last until Oct. 2, but said the exact trial date would be set later by the presiding judge.Holloway went missing during a high school graduation trip with classmates and was last seen leaving a bar with van der Sloot, a student at an international school on the island where he grew up. Her remains have never been found. No one has been charged in her disappearance.U.S. prosecutors said that in 2010, van der Sloot sought money from Beth Holloway to disclose the location of her daughter's body. A grand jury indicted him that year. He has initially plead not guilty to the charges.Van der Sloot earlier this month was brought shackled into an Alabama courtroom to be arraigned on federal charges as Holloway's parents watched.

Joran van der Sloot, the chief suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway, arrived in the United States on Thursday to face charges that he attempted to extort money from the missing woman’s mother.An FBI-operated plane carrying van der Sloot landed at Birmingham's Shuttlesworth Airport about 2:30 p.m. — just hours after Peruvian authorities handed him over temporarily to U.S. custody — and the suspect was escorted down the steps into a black SUV, which brought him to a local jail.Van der Sloot is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Birmingham at 11 a.m. Friday, according to court records. Kevin Butler, an attorney listed as van der Sloot's public defender, did not return an email seeking comment on the case.The suspect has been serving a 28-year sentence in Peru after confessing to killing a Peruvian woman. He is wanted in the U.S. on one count each of extortion and wire fraud — the only charges to have ever linked the Dutch citizen to Holloway’s disappearance on the Caribbean island of Aruba. He was handed over to the U.S. roughly a month after both countries agreed on his extradition.Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway, said she was “overcome with mixed emotions.”“As a mother who has tirelessly pursued justice for the abduction and murder of my precious daughter, I stand before you today with a heart both heavy with sorrow and yet lifted by a glimmer of hope,” she said in a written statement. “For 18 years, I have lived with the unbearable pain of Natalee’s loss. Each day has been filled with unanswered questions and a longing for justice that has eluded us at every turn. But today ... I am hopeful that some small semblance of justice may finally be realized.”Natalee Holloway, 18, was on a high school graduation trip with classmates in Aruba when she vanished in 2005. She was last seen leaving a bar with van der Sloot, who was a student at an international school on the island. Van der Sloot was identified as a main suspect and detained weeks later for questioning, along with two Surinamese brothers, but no charges were filed in the case.A judge declared Holloway dead, but her body has never been found.U.S. prosecutors said that in 2010, van der Sloot reached out to Beth Holloway, seeking $250,000 to disclose the location of the young woman’s body. A grand jury indicted him that year on one count each of wire fraud and extortion.Video and photos released by Peruvian authorities Thursday showed van der Sloot wearing jeans and a black puffer jacket, shaking his shoulders and grimacing as officers adjusted his handcuffs and removed an Interpol-marked vest. Footage and images also showed van der Sloot in a conference room with law enforcement officers from Peru, the FBI and Interpol, and a health care professional.Holloway’s mysterious disappearance sparked years of news coverage and countless true-crime podcasts.In 2012, van der Sloot pleaded guilty in Peru to killing 21-year-old Stephany Flores, a business student from a prominent Peruvian family. She was killed in 2010 five years to the day after Holloway’s disappearance.Van der Sloot married a Peruvian woman in July 2014 in a ceremony at a maximum-security prison. He was transferred among Peruvian prisons in response to reports that he enjoyed privileges such as television, internet access and a cellphone, and accusations that he had threatened to kill a warden.A 2001 treaty between Peru and the U.S. allows a suspect to be temporarily extradited to face trial in the other country. Van der Sloot’s attorney, Máximo Altez, initially indicated his client would not challenge his extradition but that changed Monday when he filed a writ of habeas corpus. A judge ruled against van der Sloot the following day.Video above: Natalee Holloway disappearance timelineThe time that van der Sloot ends up spending in the U.S. “will be extended until the conclusion of the criminal proceedings,” including the appeal process, should there be one, according to a resolution published in Peru’s federal register. The resolution also states that U.S. authorities agree to return van der Sloot to the custody of Peru afterward.Joyce Vance, a federal prosecutor in Alabama when van der Sloot was charged, said his arrival in the Southern U.S. state is a long-awaited opportunity for justice.“We always say that justice delayed is justice denied, and there’s a certain simple truth to that," said Vance, the former U.S. attorney for the northern district of Alabama, which includes Birmingham. “But this case makes me think sometimes justice delayed is actually worth it. It’s not optimal. It’s not what anybody would have wanted at the outset, but justice delayed is better than justice never delivered.” ___Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City. Associated Press journalists Mauricio Muñoz in Lima, Peru, and Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington contributed to this report. CNN contributed to this report.

Joran van der Sloot, the chief suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway, arrived at a courthouse on Friday morning to face charges that he attempted to extort money from the missing teen’s mother.Van der Sloot was extradited to the United States on Thursday from Peru, where he is serving a 28-year prison sentence after confessing to killing a Peruvian woman. He will be arraigned before a federal judge in Birmingham, not far from the suburb where Holloway grew up, in his first court appearance in the case.Holloway’s mother, Beth Holloway, is expected to attend, a representative said.“For 18 years, I have lived with the unbearable pain of Natalee’s loss," she said in a statement Thursday. "Each day has been filled with unanswered questions and a longing for justice that has eluded us at every turn. But today ... I am hopeful that some small semblance of justice may finally be realized.”Van der Sloot is charged with one count each of extortion and wire fraud — the only charges to have ever linked the Dutch citizen to Holloway’s disappearance on the Caribbean island of Aruba. He was handed over to the U.S. roughly a month after both countries agreed on his extradition.Natalee Holloway, 18, was on a high school graduation trip with classmates in Aruba when she vanished in 2005. She was last seen leaving a bar with van der Sloot, who was a student at an international school on the island. Van der Sloot was identified as a main suspect and detained weeks later for questioning, along with two Surinamese brothers, but no charges were filed in the case.Video below: Joran van der Sloot arrives at federal courthouse FridayA judge declared Holloway dead, but her body has never been found.U.S. prosecutors said that in 2010, van der Sloot reached out to Beth Holloway, seeking $250,000 to disclose the location of the young woman’s body. A grand jury indicted him that year.Holloway’s mysterious disappearance sparked years of news coverage and countless true-crime podcasts.In 2012, van der Sloot pleaded guilty in Peru to killing 21-year-old Stephany Flores, a business student from a prominent Peruvian family. She was killed in 2010 five years to the day after Holloway’s disappearance.Van der Sloot married a Peruvian woman in July 2014 in a ceremony at a maximum-security prison. He was shuffled between Peruvian prisons in response to reports that he enjoyed privileges such as television, internet access and a cellphone, and accusations that he had threatened to kill a warden. A 2001 treaty between Peru and the U.S. allows a suspect to be temporarily extradited to face trial in the other country. Van der Sloot’s attorney, Máximo Altez, initially indicated his client would not challenge his extradition but that changed Monday when he filed a writ of habeas corpus. A judge ruled against van der Sloot the following day.Peru has agreed to let van der Sloot remain in U.S. custody until the Alabama case, including any appeal if he is convicted, is concluded, according to a resolution published in Peru’s federal register. U.S. authorities agree to return van der Sloot to Peru's custody after that, the resolution states.

As the main suspect in the unsolved disappearance of Natalee Holloway arrives in Alabama to face charges of wire fraud and extortion, the judicial process remains complicated. Video above: Natalee Holloway disappearance timelineJohn Carroll, professor of law at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, explained that while the case has gained international attention, van der Sloot will not be given special attention. Why is Joran van der Sloot being extradited to Birmingham, Alabama?In 2010, van der Sloot was indicted on wire fraud and extortion charges. He is accused of trying to extort $250,000 from Natalee Holloway’s mother in exchange for information on where her daughter was buried. Natalee Holloway was on a trip to Aruba with her Birmingham-area high school in 2005 when she disappeared. Holloway's body was never found, and no charges were filed against van der Sloot in the case. What happens when van der Sloot arrives in Alabama? "He will be placed in a kind of detention facility that federal authorities use — a county jail somewhere around here," Carroll said. "He's already been appointed a public defender. He will now will be treated just like any other criminal defendant in the United States."Where will he be held? Joran van der Sloot will likely be held in a very secure part of the detention facility, given his history, according to Carroll. How soon can we expect van der Sloot in court? Van der Sloot's first appearance will likely be an arraignment where he will be given an opportunity to enter a plea, according to Carroll. How soon could this case go to trial? "It completely depends on the court docket," Carroll said. "Just talking to people, we are talking about a year out. First, the discovery process has to go on, the government has to share info with the defendant. There will be a motion practice, arguably where the defendant would get to file a motion. Just based on the court schedule, I see nothing that indicates that this gets any priority. I think this will be treated just like any other federal criminal case in Birmingham."What happens while van der Sloot is being held and awaiting trial? Both the prosecution and the defense will have to prepare for trial.In terms of van der Sloot's defense, "I am confident that lawyer has never interviewed client. He has to get the client side of story," Carroll said.He went on to say, "Just like any other criminal case, his lawyer has to develop the defendant's side of the case." How long could this trial last? Carroll told sister station WVTM that this does not look like a long trial, possibly a week, noting the facts in the indictment are straightforward. After a verdict, what happens next? If found guilty, van der Sloot would need to be sentenced.The maximum sentence for wire fraud charges is 20 years. After sentencing, van der Sloot would then go back to Peru to serve out the remaining part of his sentence for the murder of a business student in Peru.