Joran van der Sloot: Natalee Holloway murder suspect leaves wife for 'prettier' girlfriend, says lawyer
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: Joran van der Sloot, the Peruvian man who is a prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, is reportedly leaving his wife for a "younger and more attractive" girlfriend. His attorney Maximo Altez said that Sloot requested a separation from his wife, Leidy Figueroa, whom he asked for a divorce about a year ago.
Altez also disclosed the name of Sloot's girlfriend Eva Pacohuanaco, who previously faced drug smuggling accusations, reports Daily Mail. The Dutch native was widely covered by the press when he married Figueroa at Peru’s Piedras Gordas prison in July 2014. This was just four years after he was sent to prison to serve 28 years behind bars in the killing of Stephany Flores in 2010. Sloot and Figueroa welcomed their daughter, Dusha Trudie Van der Sloot, two months after tying the knot in a private jailhouse ceremony. The wife gushed over her partner and told the outlet, he was “gentle, sensitive, kind” and “no monster.” The convicted killer wrote a letter from his confinement promising Figueroa that he’ll be buying “your own house, better say our house.”
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'Most loyal' among several women
Referring to Figueroa as the "most loyal" among several women with whom Sloot had relationships while in prison, Altez said, "Joran had a bunch of girlfriends," and added that he "still writes to girls and they send him pictures." Sloot first gained notoriety two decades ago in relation to the disappearance of Alabama native Natalee Holloway. Holloway was last seen alive on the night of her high school graduation trip to Aruba, according to the New York Post.
'Sloot will be extradited to Alabama'
In the early hours of May 30, 2005, the teenager departed with Sloot and two others. Although authorities declared her legally dead in 2012, her remains were never found. Recently, officials revealed that the 35-year-old suspect would be extradited to Alabama to face charges of extortion and fraud. He is accused of attempting to extort $250,000 from Holloway's mother, Beth.