GUILTY Peru - Stephany Flores, 21, murdered in Lima hotel room, 30 May 2010 #23

[suzihawk]

Michael Griffith weighs in with his take on the confession being thrown out...


Expert: Peruvian Court Won't Toss van der Sloot's Confession

(Aug. 24) -- A Peruvian appellate court will issue a decision this week on whether to uphold the confession of Joran van der Sloot in the brutal slaying of a 21-year-old woman in Lima.

Some in the media speculate that if the confession is thrown out, van der Sloot could walk free. But an international defense expert doesn't believe the judges will even consider throwing out the confession.

"There's not a chance in hell," said Michael Griffith, senior partner at the International Legal Defense Counsel. "The judges live there, and the people know who the judges are. You see where I'm going? This won't be thrown out."

A Peruvian court will decide this week whether to uphold his confession in the killing of a young woman in Lima.
And even without the confession, Griffith said, "they have plenty of independent evidence."

http://www.aolnews.com/crime/articl...toss-joran-van-der-sloots-confession/19605835

I guess he's not in NG's favor any more. I believe he was a regular commentator at the beginning of the Stephany murder story on her show.

I hope he's right! Evidently Mr. Griffth has a lot of experience with foreign prisons, but he kept talking about the horrendous conditions of Peruvian prisons - even in Castro Castro - and I haven't seen evidence of that so far.

I'm wondering if this confession is thrown out, wouldn't that open the door for every other confession given by a Dutch citizen to be thrown out as well? Or any other nationality, for that matter. ??

 

[Kamille]

As much as it pains me to say this, the inmates were only doing what they're apparently allowed to do on a normal basis. I'm guessing that they're embarassed that this frat house atmosphere has been exposed more than worried about the actual picture taking itself.

This wasn't the foreign prison experience I'd hoped for Joran. I'm still holding out hope that he'll be sentenced to Luringancho when they find him guilty. Then maybe he can experience the full 'midnight express' treatment he deserves.

I keep thinking that's what Joran is afraid of so he's all for delaying his trial for as long as possible.

I guess we have to remember that none of the three "amigos" have been convicted of their charges yet so things could change for all of them eventually. Well at least we can hope.

MOO

 

[Kamille]

I hope he's right! Evidently Mr. Griffth has a lot of experience with foreign prisons, but he kept talking about the horrendous conditions of Peruvian prisons - even in Castro Castro - and I haven't seen evidence of that so far.

I'm wondering if this confession is thrown out, wouldn't that open the door for every other confession given by a Dutch citizen to be thrown out as well? Or any other nationality, for that matter. ??

I guess Mr. Griffith never defended a high profile client. The reality he's seen differs from what Joran is going through at the moment.

Good point about setting a precident regarding translation and future and/or previous confessions.

 

[suzihawk]

I guess Mr. Griffith never defended a high profile client. The reality he's seen differs from what Joran is going through at the moment.

Good point about setting a precident regarding translation and future and/or previous confessions.

Yup. I'm thinking they'll be a lot more cautious in the future. But if JVS's confession is overturned because of this translator issue, then every Dutch citizen now in the Peruvian prison system will want their conviction overturned. Or at least re-examined. What a nightmare.

 

[georger]

This is not a normal friendship & I can't see it lasting. After all, they are all murderers & must be devoid of any principals & incapable of forming true friendship. They may not be in the general population but there's always a possibility of them turning against one another. We've always heard of "no honor among theives". I suspect that there's also no honor among murderers.

well put - you nailed it.

 

[georger]

I didn't catch the NG show but then I try to never catch that show because it's just sensationalism for ratings. Very little of what is reported on there turns out to be fact IMO. I don't know who claimed that if his confession is thrown out he will walk but that is just ridiculous IMO and I can't even believe they would air a statement like that. Remember that the legal system is different there and he is considered guilty until he can prove his innocence. No reasonable doubt, complete innocence. Does anyone really think he will be able to prove that? Why do the talking heads try to make assumptions based on the US legal system? They really should do their homework. So should NG, she's making herself look like a fool more and more.

Peru just spent a couple of years extraditing the newest member of the group, Trickett, for murdering his Peruvian wife. They spent four years trying to extradite Trujillo so they take the murder of their citizens very seriously obviously. They actually have Joran in their prison and in their country and they are going to let him walk?!? To where? Are they going to fly him first class back to Aruba? Not likely. The only way I can see them throwing out that confession is if it actually is to their benefit so that they can sentence him for the maximum 35 years. I understand that with the confession, there would be some leniency on his sentence? Without it, but with considerable forensic and video surveillence evidence, I would think they can then hand down the maximum sentence?

I'm sure they have all the evidence they need without the confession and I'm sure that they would never let Joran "walk". What we may find annoying is that he most likely will be able to buy his way to the best possible life he could have behind bars in Peru. IMO there is a lot of corruption there and he will likely be able to use his financial influence to get himself the best possible perks. It's a tricky situation though because his financial situation and his arrogance can also cause a lot of problems for him. It will be a daily game, gambling and trying to survive by playing the right people at the right time and we know that Joran is not very good at games or gambling.

Even though Joran may be able to adapt and survive in prison he still will not have his freedom...ever... which is the only thing that he probably craves the most.

MOO

I have been waiting for you to say exactly what you say above!:dance:

Could one simply say: "They can do damned well what they please".
The dumb XXXXXXXXX. I edited that. Sorry, so offense to the good citizens of
planet Eet-Vol-Ha-Ha in the Trifid Nebula! I think Joran's socalled supporters are
outta luck, period.

 

[georger]

[
This wasn't the foreign prison experience I'd hoped for Joran. I'm still holding out hope that he'll be sentenced to Luringancho when they find him guilty. Then maybe he can experience the full 'midnight express' treatment he deserves.[/quote]

And this just might get him transferred! Oooooooops another Joran :dance:blunder.

 

[Kamille]

CNN has picked up on the story of the disciplinary action regarding the photo. The last paragraph is very interesting...

Ospina, Smith and van der Sloot were being held in a protective custody wing of the Castro Castro prison, away from other inmates, when the photo was taken last week, Peruvian authorities said. Van der Sloot is the only one of the three who is now being held there, they said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/24/peru.vandersloot.photo/


So the other two were moved and Joran got to stay? I wonder where they were moved to. :waitasec:

 

[suzihawk]

CNN has picked up on the story of the disciplinary action regarding the photo. The last paragraph is very interesting...

Ospina, Smith and van der Sloot were being held in a protective custody wing of the Castro Castro prison, away from other inmates, when the photo was taken last week, Peruvian authorities said. Van der Sloot is the only one of the three who is now being held there, they said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/24/peru.vandersloot.photo/


So the other two were moved and Joran got to stay? I wonder where they were moved to. :waitasec:

Ohhh? Very interesting!

 

[panthera]

CNN has picked up on the story of the disciplinary action regarding the photo. The last paragraph is very interesting...

Ospina, Smith and van der Sloot were being held in a protective custody wing of the Castro Castro prison, away from other inmates, when the photo was taken last week, Peruvian authorities said. Van der Sloot is the only one of the three who is now being held there, they said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/24/peru.vandersloot.photo/


So the other two were moved and Joran got to stay? I wonder where they were moved to. :waitasec:

Very interesting indeed! So it is a jailer(s) who face disciplinary action for the unauthorized use of a prison camera to photograph this infamous group. I also am curious where the other two were moved to, but if there is so much time for socialization it seems to defeat the purpose of being in prison and now Joran is all alone as he should be. MOO

 

[georger]

CNN has picked up on the story of the disciplinary action regarding the photo. The last paragraph is very interesting...

Ospina, Smith and van der Sloot were being held in a protective custody wing of the Castro Castro prison, away from other inmates, when the photo was taken last week, Peruvian authorities said. Van der Sloot is the only one of the three who is now being held there, they said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/24/peru.vandersloot.photo/


So the other two were moved and Joran got to stay? I wonder where they were moved to. :waitasec:

So, there is movement! Both in Peru and in the media ... good news.
Thanks!

 

[pittsburghgirl]

[
This wasn't the foreign prison experience I'd hoped for Joran. I'm still holding out hope that he'll be sentenced to Luringancho when they find him guilty. Then maybe he can experience the full 'midnight express' treatment he deserves.

I understand how you feel, but I will be satisfied if he gets the 35 years in any Peruvian prison and is also found guilty and sentenced in the extortion plot by the U.S. That would be a measure of justice for Natalee and her family.

 

[hollyblue]

CNN has picked up on the story of the disciplinary action regarding the photo. The last paragraph is very interesting...

Ospina, Smith and van der Sloot were being held in a protective custody wing of the Castro Castro prison, away from other inmates, when the photo was taken last week, Peruvian authorities said. Van der Sloot is the only one of the three who is now being held there, they said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/24/peru.vandersloot.photo/


So the other two were moved and Joran got to stay? I wonder where they were moved to. :waitasec:

Don't know who the "other" is, but I agree it's not Valdez. He has gray/white hair....unless Joran showed him his styling finesse.

Doesn't Smith look like the young American terrorist caught over in the middle east? Lynn?

If they were shipped to GP (or Luri) I imagine they are not very happy campers right now...

ETA: The article said "jailers" so maybe one was posing with them.????? Also, whoever it is, they have their shirt pulled up to their chin. He has no neck.

 

[Tadpole12]

I understand how you feel, but I will be satisfied if he gets the 35 years in any Peruvian prison and is also found guilty and sentenced in the extortion plot by the U.S. That would be a measure of justice for Natalee and her family.

Hi PG.

Yes. The longer the better. IMO
Anything long enough to keep him out of the population and away from young women for a decade at the very minimum.

 

[faw720]

CNN has picked up on the story of the disciplinary action regarding the photo. The last paragraph is very interesting...

Ospina, Smith and van der Sloot were being held in a protective custody wing of the Castro Castro prison, away from other inmates, when the photo was taken last week, Peruvian authorities said. Van der Sloot is the only one of the three who is now being held there, they said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/24/peru.vandersloot.photo/


So the other two were moved and Joran got to stay? I wonder where they were moved to. :waitasec:

Well, well, well.................now Joran only has his rat for company. If the other three got shipped to the general population, I bet they're not real happy with Joran. After all, the picture would probably never have been made if not for his presence. I'm wondering if there won't be some form of retaliation from them in the future. They could pool their resources & bribe a guard to "take care" of Joran. I hope he's worrying about it 24 hours a day.

 

[FLNY]

CNN has picked up on the story of the disciplinary action regarding the photo. The last paragraph is very interesting...

Ospina, Smith and van der Sloot were being held in a protective custody wing of the Castro Castro prison, away from other inmates, when the photo was taken last week, Peruvian authorities said. Van der Sloot is the only one of the three who is now being held there, they said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/24/peru.vandersloot.photo/


So the other two were moved and Joran got to stay? I wonder where they were moved to. :waitasec:

I would imagine Ospina and Smith were moved to the general population. As punishment for the photo?? They can no longer pay for the private quarters??

Perhaps, since their cases are not as internationally known, the Peruvian government doesn't have any concern over what might happen to them there. Whereas with JVDS, they don't want to chance the widespread publicity of him possibly being harmed / killed if he were in the general population.

...OR he still has sufficient funds to buy himself the safety of the secured unit.

MOO

 

[annalia]

That picture does show him as he really is among who would be his real peers, vicious murderers, but I'm glad to hear he's back in solitary just him and his little rat friends.

Has there been any news about Aruban officials traveling to Peru to question him? They were supposed to go in August I believe.

 

[annalia]

Well, well, well.................now Joran only has his rat for company. If the other three got shipped to the general population, I bet they're not real happy with Joran. After all, the picture would probably never have been made if not for his presence. I'm wondering if there won't be some form of retaliation from them in the future. They could pool their resources & bribe a guard to "take care" of Joran. I hope he's worrying about it 24 hours a day.

I don't want to see anything happen to him in prison, I hope he lives a long long life but I hope he's worried 24/7 too, every morning when he wakes up, all day long and when he goes to sleep, worrying and fearing for his own miserable life. It would still not come close to the fear Natalee and Stephany probably felt before they lost their lives at his hand.

 

[Kamille]

That picture does show him as he really is among who would be his real peers, vicious murderers, but I'm glad to hear he's back in solitary just him and his little rat friends.

Has there been any news about Aruban officials traveling to Peru to question him? They were supposed to go in August I believe.

Well according to NG the Aruban prosecutors don't think Joran is in a "truth-telling mood" at the moment so they have put off or cancelled plans to question him at the moment it seems...


GRACE: You know, I don`t understand it, either, Sue. And Sue, let me tell you another action tidbit I`ve just discovered. Remember the Aruban prosecutors were set to fly to Peru to investigate and question Joran Van Der Sloot again about Natalee? Guess what they said? I`m not -- I`m not even embellishing this. They decided that they don`t think Joran Van Der Sloot is in the right mood to be questioned. Go ahead, Jean, explain.

CASAREZ: Well, Maximo Altez told us -- and that`s the lawyer for Joran Van Der Sloot. He told us that he wouldn`t allow any Aruban officials to talk to his client, so that may be the truth.

GRACE: OK, what about it, Rupa Mikkilineni? What you can tell me about what the Aruban prosecutors themselves said?

RUPA MIKKILINENI, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, they made a request, a little over a month ago, to officially come down to Peru and to interrogate Joran Van Der Sloot. What they have been doing is meeting, going over the evidence in Aruba and trying to strategize as to exactly when is the right timing to go down there and interview him. And this is very crucial. The reason they`re doing this is strategy, Nancy. You know that they need to go town there and speak to him at a time when...

GRACE: I asked you -- I asked you what prosecutors said. So you know what? I`ll have to Q&A with myself. The Aruban prosecutors said they don`t believe Joran Van Der Sloot is in a talking mood. They think he`s in a defensive mood, not a truth-telling mood.

You know what? That`s not the way it works, Steve Stephens, former Alabama state trooper, joining us out of the capital there in Montgomery. You don`t wait until a suspected killer is in a truth-telling mood because they`re never in a truth-telling mood, Steve.

STEVE STEPHENS, RETIRED ALABAMA STATE TROOPER: Most of the time, they`re not going to be, Nancy. In a case like this, the question now has come up about his confession, but what about all the physical evidence you`ve got to hold him on that alone, without the confession? The confession...

GRACE: You`re right, Steve. I don`t know what the Alabama -- Aruban prosecutors are waiting on. This guy`s never going to tell the truth! At least give it a stab, Aruba!

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1008/23/ng.01.html

Since this is from NG I'm not sure how much of it I believe. I do think the part about his lawyer keeping them away may be correct.

MOO

 

[Kamille]

I would imagine Ospina and Smith were moved to the general population. As punishment for the photo?? They can no longer pay for the private quarters??

Perhaps, since their cases are not as internationally known, the Peruvian government doesn't have any concern over what might happen to them there. Whereas with JVDS, they don't want to chance the widespread publicity of him possibly being harmed / killed if he were in the general population.

...OR he still has sufficient funds to buy himself the safety of the secured unit.

MOO

Not sure if the other two would have been moved to general population just yet while their cases are also pending. I wonder if Lurigancho has a solitary unit as well. Maybe they were shipped there? Or perhaps they've just made arrangements for them somewhere else in Castro Castro.

To be honest, this is the only source I've found so far that has indicated that they were moved so it might not even be true at all. Maybe something got lost in the translation? Can we find anything about this in the Peruvian press?

If they were moved, I would imagine Trujillo would have more of a problem with it considering he was there first and was already "established" before Joran showed up. It may sound strange but I can see these guys adapting to their cells and actually considering them to be "home" and feeling rather possessive about their own personal space. To be uprooted abruptly because you appeared in a photo with such a high profile inmate would sting I would think.

MOO