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Jane Velez-Mitchell

Van Der Sloot Confesses to Murder

Aired June 08, 2010 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, an international stunner. Cops in Peru say Joran Van Der Sloot has confessed to cold- blooded murder. Police say this monster admitted to grabbing Stephany Flores by the neck and beating her to death. Joran flew into a violent rage after catching this woman investigating his connection to Natalee Holloway.

So why was Flores found only in her panties? Is Joran lying again, hoping for leniency? Could he be a serial killer? And what will this mean to the Holloway investigation? We`ll have live reports from Peru and Aruba.

Plus, profiting from pain and suffering. Horrifying new developments in actor Gary Coleman`s tragic death. New reports say his ex-wife took pictures of the "Diff`rent Strokes" star as he lay dying in a hospital bed. Now, she`s allegedly sold them to a tabloid. Is she cashing in on his death? You will not believe her explanation.

ISSUES starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, stunning fast-breaking developments in the gruesome murder case that has captivated the entire world. Police say Joran Van Der Sloot has confessed to savagely beating 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez to death.

Peruvian newspaper "La Republica" reports police say Joran broke down in tears, sobbed, and admitted he flew into an uncontrollable rage, when he went to get coffee and returned to find Stephany on his laptop computer, looking at information about his connection to the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway.

"La Republica" reports Joran tearfully told police, "I did not want to do it. The girl intruded into my private life. She had no right. I approached her. She was scared. She tried to run away. I grabbed her by the neck and hit her," end quote.

Surveillance cameras caught the very last moments of Stephany`s life. Video shows her with Joran entering his hotel room at the Tac Hotel at about 5 in the morning. Almost four hours later Joran leaves alone. He`s in fresh clothing and carrying a backpack. As he left, he told hotel employees, "Don`t disturb my girl."

Police believe Stephany was bludgeoned with a tennis racket found near her body. She was discovered on the floor in a fetal position on top of a blood-drenched sheet. She was wearing only a T-shirt and red panties, and her neck was broken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROLINA JORGE, VICTIM`S SISTER-IN-LAW: We need justice: for our family, for Natalee`s family, too. I think he`s a psycho, a murderer, and he has to pay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, Peruvian authorities plan to take Joran back to that gruesome, bloody crime scene inside the very hotel where Stephany was murdered. Joran will be forced to reenact the murder, play by play. Will cops find inconsistencies in his story? Why should we believe his confession? We know this guy is pathological liar. If he just flew into a rage over his computer, why were Stephany`s jeans ripped off?

Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.

Straight out to my panel, all experts on this case. But first to Jean Casarez, correspondent for "In Session" on TruTV. She is live outside the very hotel where the murder occurred in Lima, Peru.

Jean, what is the very latest?

JEAN CASAREZ, CORRESPONDENT, TRUTV`S "IN SESSION": You know, we`ve been here all day. This is the Hotel Tac. This is where the murder happened. It happened on the third floor, Jane.

Right here is the hotel. Not many people are going in and out today, because on the front doors you can see there`s newspaper all over the front. They`re not allowing us to even look in it.

But what we have learned from law enforcement is that, since Joran Van Der Sloot has confessed to killing Stephany Flores, the next step in this process will be called a reenactment. And that is where they will actually bring him to the scene with prosecutors. He will have an attorney by his side. They will take him up to the room, and they will have him describe for them, step-by-step, what happened and how it happened, all to Stephany Flores.

Now late in the day authorities did confirm with us -- we heard speculation all day from the local news media here in Peru, but now we have it official -- that, in fact, he did leave the hotel in the early morning hours of Sunday. I`m talking about when people would wake up and want some coffee.

They say he went next door to the convenience store, where the gas station is, and he got some coffee. He got some bread. Well, they`re saying that what he told them was that Stephany was researching him, looking him up on his computer while he was gone. When he got back, she confronted him. Joran Van Der Sloot told authorities that it was all about Natalee Holloway and his involvement.

She wanted to leave the room. They started to argue. He wouldn`t let her leave the room. He says, she hit him; then he hit her. And then he grabbed her neck, and minutes later she was dead. Now, that`s what authorities are saying he told them as part of this confession -- Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, of course. He`s the victim, as always. He was hit by her first. Give me a break. This guy is 6`3".

Here is my big issue tonight. Lying again? We know Joran is a pathological liar. He`s lied dozens of times about the Natalee Holloway case. First he denied it. Listen to this from ABC`s "Nightline."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you kill Natalee Holloway?

JORAN VAN DER SLOOT, CHARGED WITH MURDER: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you harm Natalee Holloway?

VAN DER SLOOT: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you help someone else who harmed Natalee Holloway?

VAN DER SLOOT: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you see Natalee Holloway in distress?

VAN DER SLOOT: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you sure about all those answers?

VAN DER SLOOT: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Liar, liar, pants on fire. He then confessed a bunch of times, all contradictory stories. She was sold into sex slavery. She was thrown in the ocean. She fell off a balcony.

Mark Eiglarsh, why should we believe Joran Van Der Sloot now? If he killed Stephany over a computer search, why was she found only in her panties? Why did this all happen on the fifth anniversary of Natalee`s disappearance? Could he be trying to get less jail time?

MARK EIGLARSH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Absolutely. We can`t believe a single word that flows from his lips. He`s got a potential honesty confession that he has his eye on, which would take the maximum 35- year sentence, assuming they don`t charge him as aggravated robbery, which could potentially be a life sentence, and then take it down to 6 to 20 years.

Unless there`s a busload of nuns and forensic evidence that corroborates what this guy is saying, I wouldn`t believe anything.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, and I`ve got to...

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Not a word.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... say one thing. Who said "not a word?"

BROOKS: Mike Brooks says "not a word," Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Go for it, Mike.

BROOKS: Now look, he`s trying to minimize his involvement, just like Mark was saying. But he`s the one who was attacked by her. Well, where are the wounds on him? I don`t see any wounds on him, Jane. And all the wounds on her, beaten by this tennis racket. Most of them were defensive type wounds.

So I`m not buying it. I`m not buying his story, not a bit of it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Joran says he left the hotel room to get coffee and came back to find Stephany on his computer, looking at information about his connections to Natalee Holloway.

The hotel has surveillance of Joran and Stephany entering the room around 5 a.m. Published reports say Joran went to get coffee three hours later. So if there`s no sign of sexual assault, what the heck were they doing in that hotel room for three hours? Shuffling cards? All right? Playing "Go Fish"?

Here`s what I`m wondering. Do they have video of Joran going to get coffee and coming back with it? And could she have already been dead when he brought those two cups of coffee back to the room to make it seem like she was still alive?

T.J. Ward, you`re the private investigator who searched for Natalee Holloway in Aruba. I`ll tell you the first thing that I thought of. This is not the kind of guy to be gentlemanly enough to bring her coffee. I just don`t buy it.

T.J. WARD, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: Well, he probably got aggressive with her, and sexually, and that`s when the encounter started. He`s not telling the whole story, obviously. We know what happened in Aruba. And you know, shame on Aruba for not doing what they were supposed to do in the course of their investigation. This girl may still have been alive.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Julia Renfro, you`re the editor in chief of "Aruba Today." Such dramatic developments. What is the reaction in Aruba tonight to this report that he confessed to killing Stephany?

JULIA RENFRO, EDITOR IN CHIEF, "ARUBA TODAY" (via phone): Well, everyone in Aruba, including the Aruban authorities, are very concerned about this. They`re very interested in this, although Joran has passed for telling many, many stories. So it`s very hard to take what he says as credible.

But the Aruban authorities are hoping that they`re going to have an opportunity to reinterrogate Joran in Peru.

WARD: Oh, boy. Rest assured that the evidence that the Peruvians have is a strong case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: T.J. Ward...

RENFRO: It`s completely different. Here in Aruba there was no body; there was no blood; there was no hair; there was no evidence of anything.

WARD: But, they had three individuals in a car with Natalee Holloway that they`ve seen...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here`s what I want to know. How might this case impact the Natalee Holloway case?

Stephanie Good, you`re the author of "Aruba: The Tragic Untold Story of Natalee Holloway, Corruption in Paradise." Could his confession here have an impact on figuring out what the heck happened to Natalee?

STEPHANIE GOOD, AUTHOR, "ARUBA": I would like to see that happen. I really hope so. I`m hoping that somebody will give him some kind of a little bit of an offer, some kind of a little carrot to tell the truth about what he did. Because it`s pretty obvious that he did something to Natalee and that it was covered up by the Aruban authorities.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mark.

RENFRO: I disagree with you there, Stephanie, because...

GOOD: Of course, you do. You disagree with me...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let -- let Julia speak, and then you can respond. Go ahead, Julia.

RENFRO: Once again, just like you said, last week, Jane, alleged cover-up. This is not a cover-up. There was no evidence of a crime. The girl...

GOOD: There was enough circumstantial evidence...

RENFRO: ... was not found. There was no body. There was no blood.

GOOD: ... to have brought that guy in and brought the case against him. Come on. In the United States...

BROOKS: The last person...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now Stephanie, your side. Go ahead.

GOOD: Well, you know what? In the United States, there was enough circumstantial evidence to have brought that guy in and brought a case against him. If they -- we wouldn`t have waited ten days before we brought him in for questioning. We wouldn`t have let those clean...

RENFRO: ... for 24 hours.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Hold on a second. I`ve got to bring out my big gavel if you guys keep talking over each other, because viewers tell us they don`t like it.

EIGLARSH: Already, wow.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Already the big gavel. I`ve got to tell you on the other side of the break we`ve got extraordinary developments in the whole extortion case. New breaking news involving Beth Holloway`s involvement as a victim of that extortion.

Everybody, stay right where you are. What happened inside that hotel room? And should we believe Joran`s story? Taking your calls on this: 1- 877-JVM-SAYS.

Plus a very gruesome twist in the tragic, awful death of Gary Coleman. Sources charge his wife took pictures on his death bed and sold them to a tabloid that`s going to publish them.

But first, cops say Joran Van Der Sloot confessed to murder. Did he snap, or could he be a serial killer?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you look at the Ted Bundys or the Jeffrey Dahmers of this world, they`re obsessed -- obsessively focused on the hunger to kill. This is a guy who is obsessively focused on stimulation. He wants violence; he wants theft.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DWAYNE "DOG" CHAPMAN, BOUNTY HUNTER: Once he kills like that, he has to almost kill again.

JOY BEHAR, HLN`S "THE JOY BEHAR SHOW": Why?

CHAPMAN: He`s very arrogant. Why? He`s -- it`s like in his DNA. He`s just, you know, you become that. You become this evil beast like that, that thirst for murder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Joran Van Der Sloot confessing to killing Stephany Flores in his Lima hotel room. Could he have other victims? Who was going through his travel records to find out?

Phone lines lighting up. Mark, California. Your question or thoughts.

CALLER: Hey, Jane. How you doing?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Good.

CALLER: Hey, Joran Van Der Sloot, would he better off to confess now to Natalee Holloway`s murder to get a better jail sentence, get it in Aruba, than being in Peru. He`s too pretty to be in Peru. He wouldn`t last.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mark Eiglarsh, is there wheeling and dealing possibly going on?

EIGLARSH: Anything is possible. But what they`ve got there is this very unusual system where somehow if he gives a, quote, "honest confession," I`ve been told he can get as 6 up to 20 years.

But here`s my big issue. You`ve got a big issue; I`ve got a big issue. They`ve released all these case (ph).

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`ve got a lot of issues, mark.

EIGLARSH: I do. Trust me.

BROOKS: Yes, he does.

EIGLARSH: ... so you`ll get to them all. Legal issues in this case...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

EIGLARSH: ... are they`ve released all these video tapes. That`s objective evidence that they could test whether he`s being honest or not. They`ve put it all out there. So now he knows what they`ve got. I don`t know why they`ve released all the videotapes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. But what about the computer? I mean, there`s a bunch of stuff that they could go through. He could also do the crime scene walkthrough and mess up and come up with inconsistencies?

EIGLARSH: They could. But why -- why did they have to put all this out there other than for our own entertainment? I love it. But why put it out there when you`ve got this...?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think they`re proud. I think the Peruvian law enforcement is proud that they captured them, and this is a moment to shine in front of the whole world, because this guy has skated for so long.

BROOKS: And Jane, there`s a lot of evidence. There`s a lot of evidence, Jane, that we have not heard yet. You know, her father was saying that there were date-rape pills in her car. We`ve not had toxicology back yet. We haven`t had the total autopsy back yet. So again, you know, we`re going to have to take what he says in this reenactment with a grain of salt.

But that`s why no charges have been brought yet, because they are baking him a cake. They are making sure that they have an air-tight case against him, make it -- make sure they make it stick, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Jean Casarez, briefly, he was smoking pot?

CASAREZ: That`s what he told authorities, that he was under the influence of marijuana. Now, I was told by an attorney today, a public defender, that here in Peru that drugs can actually, under the influence, can be a mitigating factor to help you. That you could...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Give me a break.

CASAREZ: ... form the intent as well to commit murder.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oy. All right. Here`s another big story just in, and it`s part of this whole case. Joran is charged here in the United States with extortion. It has just been confirmed his target was Beth Holloway, Natalee`s mother.

Joran is accused of trying to get a quarter of a million bucks from Beth in exchange for information about Natalee`s death, the location of Natalee`s body. Natalee`s dad spoke to ABC`S "Good Morning America." And here`s what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE`S MOTHER: It`s been a stressful time for me. And I know it`s been a very trying time for you. Again, thank you for your continued support. And please -- again, let`s all remind ourselves and keep the Flores family in our hearts and in our prayers. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That poor woman.

But I have to ask, Tim Miller, you`re in Aruba. Essentially, unintentionally, trying to find her daughter`s location, she financed, gave Joran $15,000, which financed his trip that resulted in somebody dying. And I`m not blaming her. She was just trying to find out where her daughter was. But the irony is unbelievable, Tim.

TIM MILLER, EQUUSEARCH: Well, you know, it is. And I spent a lot of time on the island. I was actually in the Jossy Mansur that has the area newspaper.

And there`s also reports, Jane, coming in that with that $15,000 he first went to Colombia. He was in Colombia for two days. And I was actually in Jossy`s office today. And there are two girls that are missing from a casino in Colombia.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What?

MILLER: Jossy is telling me this story, and while he was talking to me, his phone rang, and Jossy told me that the authorities from Colombia are on their way now to Peru also to interrogate Joran Van Der Sloot on two girls that have disappeared in Colombia when he left Aruba. He was in Colombia two days and then went to Peru.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is breaking news! This is breaking news that you`re telling us right now, that he could be connected to two other women`s disappearance?

MILLER: In Colombia. From a casino, Jane. And I was there in Jossy`s office when he got the phone call, which I believe came from Colombia, that the authorities...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: More on the other side of the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: His anger exploded. And then he broke Stephany Flores` neck after she became a little too curious. She grabbed his laptop without his permission and found that he was involved in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. He was extremely upset, and that`s the moment when he lost control and -- and started attacking the girl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news right here on ISSUES. The whole world has learned that Joran Van Der Sloot confessed to killing a woman in Lima, Peru. But now we are hearing from Tim Miller, who is the director of Texas EquuSearch, who is in Aruba, that Colombian authorities are traveling to Peru and investigating whether Joran Van Der Sloot might have connection to other missing women in Colombia.

Repeat again, Tim Miller, the breaking news that you just gave us.

MILLER: OK. Again, I was at Jossy Mansur`s office today. And Jossy has the area newspaper; a very intelligent man, a very credible man. And he actually gave me this article.

And while we was talking about it, Jossy`s phone rang. And I believe it was a call that came from Colombia that stated that authorities in Colombia were heading to Peru to go ahead and interview Joran Van Der Sloot also about the disappearance of these two girls while Joran Van Der Sloot was in Peru after he left Aruba. The disappearance of these two girls for a casino.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: In Colombia?

MILLER: In Colombia.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Linda De Sousa, you are the Aruban attorney for Dave Holloway. You are in Aruba. What is your reaction to what we`re hearing, which we cannot independently confirm here on HLN? But I can tell you, Jean Casarez, who is in Peru, is making phone calls right now, having heard that, to try to find out what authorities in Peru are saying.

LINDA DE SOUSA, ARUBAN ATTORNEY FOR DAVE HOLLOWAY: Hi, Jane. Good evening.

Well, I have heard that before. I spoke to Tim, and he told me about it, and I had read something on the Internet about that, locally posted. We don`t know yet. It has not been confirmed. But the coming days will let us know and will show if that, indeed, is the case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mike Brooks, what do you think of it?

BROOKS: Well, I mean, it`s going to take some independent confirmation, Jane. But you know, would I be surprised? No. I did hear early on that he had been in Colombia prior to this. And we know he does, you know, frequent casinos.

And you know what, Jane? If these two girls were in a casino in Colombia with him, there`s going to be video surveillance of that. So that`s going to all be part of this long time line from the time he left Aruba to the time he got to Colombia.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, I mean, look...

EIGLARSH: I have a reaction.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead, Mark.

EIGLARSH: Add it to my big issue. I`m thrilled that you`re getting the big -- you know, the big notice here on your show, but assuming this is true, and there`s an ongoing investigation, that he might not have known about now until your show, why is this being made public? If he`s wanted in a Colombian murder or two, I love it for your audience, but should it be played out in public like this?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s -- let`s face it. We`ve been talking about this case for five years now, the extended case, beginning with Natalee`s disappearance. And that`s what we`re going to do. Because what other option do we have? Are we going to shut our ears and close our eyes?

BROOKS: Somebody...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hear no evil, see no evil?

EIGLARSH: No, there`s no question -- Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`ve got to stay on top of this story.

EIGLARSH: You should. I`m just suggesting that, if there are authorities releasing certain information, whether it be video tape, whether it be information...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I hear you.

EIGLARSH: ... to prove he`s lying...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: More on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight an international stunner. Cops in Peru say Joran Van Der Sloot has confessed to cold-blooded murder. Police say this monster admitted grabbing Stephany Flores by the neck and beating her to death. So why was Flores found only in her panties? Is Joran lying again hoping for leniency?

Plus, profiting from pain and suffering: horrifying new tragic developments in actor Gary Coleman`s tragic death. New reports say his ex- wife took pictures of the "Diff`rent Strokes" star as he lay dying in a hospital bed. Now, they`ve allegedly been sold to a tabloid. Is she cashing in on his death?

Fast breaking news: authorities in Peru say Joran Van Der Sloot has confessed to savagely killing Peruvian business student Stephany Flores. He became enraged when he went for coffee and came back to find Stephany looking at information on his laptop about how Natalee Holloway disappeared and his connection to that case.

He told authorities in his confession, "I did not want to do it. The girl intruded into my personal life," end quote. Stephany and Joran were caught on camera entering his Lima, Peru, hotel room at 5:00 a.m. He left four hours later alone. Stephany`s battered, beaten body was found by a hotel employee.

And we are now getting new information that is breaking during this show, claims that we are not able to substantiate, but which we are checking right now. We have a reporter on the ground in Peru who is talking to Peruvian authorities as we speak, trying to confirm what Tim Miller just told us.

Tim Miller is the director of Texas Equusearch. He`s in Aruba searching for Natalee Holloway`s body. And he says he`s gotten information that authorities in Colombia may be investigating Joran Van Der Sloot involving the alleged disappearance of one or two young women from a casino in Colombia.

Tim Miller, tell us again exactly what you heard.

TIM MILLER, DIRECTOR, TEXAS EQUUSEARCH: Right. When I was in Jossy`s (ph) office today, he actually printed out this paper for me right here, which is an article I believe that came from Colombia. He started telling me the story about these two girls that disappeared from a casino in Colombia while Joran Van Der Sloot was there.

They did confirm that when he left Aruba he went to Colombia for two days. Jossy told me that the authorities in Colombia were convinced that Joran had something to do with the disappearance.

Now, when I was at Jossy`s office t phone rang. Jossy picked up the phone, he talked for just a few seconds. He hung up and he said he just got a call stating that the authorities from Colombia were headed to Peru to go ahead and interview Joran Van Der Sloot.

Now, that`s -- Jossy is a very, very credible man on this island.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He`s the managing editor of "Diario" newspaper; you`re talking about a newspaper editor who told you that -- you were in the newspaper editor`s office. And again HLN cannot independently confirm it.

But let`s put it this way, there`s a commonality here involving Natalee Holloway and Stephany Flores Ramirez. Both of them Joran met at casinos. Joran was a gambler. Stephany Flores was a gambler, and they were gambling together on the night that the two of them met.

Natalee was on a vacation from Alabama, and she was in Aruba at a casino. So casinos are a common feature of this tragic story.

Ofelia in Florida, your question or thoughts, ma`am?

OFELIA, FLORIDA (via telephone): It`s a comment. I also heard on the Spanish news TV station here in Miami, that Joran Van Der Sloot was in Colombia, and that there were two girls missing there also. And they were going to investigate that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You heard that on Spanish television or what?

OFELIA: Spanish television, here in Miami. On a Spanish television station, news station.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And Vinda de Sousa, you`re in Aruba and you said you had also heard something about this. Could this be what they call urban myth, or could this be -- do you think this is something that`s actually being investigated?

VINDA DE SOUSA, ARUBAN ATTORNEY FOR DAVE HOLLOWAY: Well, it`s worth being investigated because it is a fact that he was in Colombia. He went to Peru through Colombia. He was there, I don`t know for how long.

I understood from Tim that he was in Colombia for two days. You know, two days is enough time to do damage. And hearing what happened in Peru and viewing the similarities between the case in Peru and the case in Aruba, I would not discard it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Stephanie Good, you`re the author of "Aruba: The tragic untold story of Natalee Holloway and corruption in paradise". Obviously we cannot confirm the story about two missing women in Colombia that were at a casino or that Colombian authorities are traveling to Peru to see if Joran is connected. But it does strike me, when I heard about this confession where he says that this was just an argument that erupted, that what an odd coincidence that all of that would erupt exactly on the fifth anniversary of Natalee Holloway`s disappearance.

To me, that strikes me as -- wow -- a very, very strange coincidence.

STEPHANIE GOOD, AUTHOR, "ARUBA: THE TRAGIC UNTOLD STORY OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY: I agree. Maybe he was holding on with his guilt for too long.

You know, there is one other thing here, Jane. This is a kid who had a reputation long before Natalee went missing. He had a terrible reputation for the way he treated young women in Aruba.

And he was frequenting casinos. He was frequenting the bars, Carlo`s and Charlie`s. He was drinking. He was driving, all underage; where it was all illegal for him to be doing these things at age 17. And the Aruban authorities never did anything to stop him.

He had free reign. And so this is a kid who always thought he could get away with everything. And his dad made sure that he got away with a lot of other things, I`m sure.

So none of this surprises me and I wouldn`t be a bit surprised if we find another long trail of women that he has either abused or killed along the way.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I don`t want to jump to conclusions. This guy at this point has not been convicted of anything.

But, Mike Brooks, we cannot forget the Thailand incident.

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Exactly, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tell us about that and how this might fit in here.

BROOKS: Well, you know -- again, you have to follow this guy`s trail, Jane. You know, he was trying to basically put together a prostitution ring involving female college students in Thailand.

You know, this guy, we know he`s attracted to money. Could this possibly have been a motive in the murder of Stephany Flores Ramirez? Possibly.

But still you have to follow this guy`s trail. He`s got a passport. Every place he goes he needs that passport, Jane. They need to take a look at that and follow the paper of his passport.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, who does that, T.J. Ward? I mean this is now an international situation. You`ve got Aruba. You`ve got the United States. You`ve got Thailand. You`ve got Peru. You`ve got Colombia. Who does that investigation?

T.J. WARD, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR IN NATALEE HOLLOWAY CASE: Well, the Peruvians are taking a lead right now because they have custody of him. They need to communicate as law enforcement to Aruba, to the Colombians and whoever else.

And I will say that if they take the paper trail and put this in the public, that let the people know and let people see, then we might get some new answers. But his computer, video tapes, him in a casino, his cell phone, all these records need to be obtained by the Peruvian government and share this information with other government agencies so they can compile the evidence.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Julia Renfro, editor-in-chief of "Aruba Today" what is your reaction to everything we`re just now hearing on this show? Julia, are you there? I guess Julia hung up.

We`ve had a bit of an argument over this case. And I know it`s a very sensitive story in Aruba. Certainly, we`re not attacking the Aruban people. We`re talking about this case. Go ahead.

BROOKS: Jane, if I could also add, the FBI here in the United States, the extortion case, the office of origin is the FBI office in Birmingham. And keep in mind, there`s an FBI legal attache in Santiago, Chile and that covers Peru.

So I can guarantee and I know that the office of origin in Birmingham, they are also looking into any communication, via cell phone and computer, possibly between Van Der Sloot and also, you know, Natalee Holloway`s mom.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And you also have to wonder why the heck wasn`t he picked up on the extortion charge before he left Aruba for Latin America. Had he picked up on the extortion charge, Stephany Flores Ramirez might be alive right now.

We`re going to have a lot more on Joran`s shocking confession and all the breaking news that is developing right here on ISSUES as we speak.

Also, is Lindsay Lohan headed to jail? We`re going to tell you why a judge and Lindsay`s attorney had an emergency meeting just a couple of minutes ago.

Plus, Gary Coleman exploited from the grave. Did his ex-wife sell pictures of Gary on his death bed? We`re taking your calls on that one, 1- 877-JVM-SAYS, right on the other side of the break.

And more on Joran Van Der Sloot.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SHANNON PRICE, GARY COLEMAN`S FORMER WIFE: I heard a big bang. I went downstairs. Blood everywhere. I don`t know if he`s ok. I`m not down there right now because I have seizures. If I get stressed out, I am going to seize.

911 OPERATOR: Is there any way you can go down there at all?

PRICE: I`ll try. I don`t know. I mean -- I can`t deal with that.

911 OPERATOR: How old is your husband?

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: More breaking news on Joran Van Der Sloot, but first, "Top of the Block" tonight.

Fast breaking news in the very, very bizarre world of Lindsay Lohan, new reports just coming in to ISSUES say a bench warrant has been issued for Lindsay Lohan`s arrest. According to TMZ, Lohan`s alcohol monitoring bracelet was set off this weekend sometime after the MTV Movie Awards.

As part of Lindsay`s parole, she is not allowed to drink one single drop of alcohol. Today during an emergency meeting a judge ruled that Lindsay, in fact, violated her parole. The judge hiked her bail to $200,000. And now Lindsay could be headed to jail.

Lindsay denied drinking any alcohol. She claims the bracelet was set off when she put on a light up bracelet that had been given to her by a friend. Lindsay is due in court on July 6th. We`ll see how that little excuse plays out with the judge. You can`t make this stuff up.

That`s tonight`s "Top of the Block".

And growing outrage and disgust, over the sale of Gary Coleman`s death bed photos: this week the tabloid "Globe" magazine plans to publish disturbing images of the "Diff`rent Strokes" star on his death bed. The executor of the actor`s estate says Coleman`s ex-wife sold the pictures to the tabloid.

Shannon Price doesn`t deny the claims. In fact, in a statement she said she needed the money. She claims she`s tapped out after helping the executor Dion Mial pay for her lawyer. Dion has some choice words for Shannon; more on that explosive feud in just a moment.

One of the death bed pictures shows ex-wife Shannon posing with a comatose Gary who is encased in tubes and monitors. Can you imagine posing with your dying ex-husband, and then having that appear in a tabloid magazine? This is the same woman who claimed the couple couldn`t live without each other.

Here`s Shannon on ABC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHANNON PRICE, GARY COLEMAN`S EX-WIFE: I just hope Gary is happy and he`s in a better place and he`s not suffering anymore you know, with all the health issues he had over the years. I`m just happy that he`s finally peaceful and at rest. We have discussed about death a few times. And he said it would be very unfair if he left me all of a sudden.

And, I mean, I really respect that because I loved him, and he loved me. We just can`t live without each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yikes. Welcoming back: attorney Mark Eiglarsh; also joining me Kim Serafin, senior editor of "In Touch Weekly" magazine. Kim, what do you know about the sale of these photos and who arranged it?

KIM SERAFIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Well, of course, as you just mentioned, the Globe is confirming that they bought the photos. They`re not saying who they bought them from or what amount was paid for them.

Now, we know the hospital staff did confirm that Shannon and her family were there taking photos. And I believe Shannon`s rep also said the photos were taken but were not intended to get out.

So obviously you have the executor of Gary`s estate saying one thing, accusing Shannon. Shannon`s rep saying that she`s not profiting from these photos.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, three strikes and you`re out, Shannon. Her critics know this is the very same woman who acted so bizarrely when she called 911 after Gary fell and suffered a brain hemorrhage. Check this 911 call out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRICE: I heard this big bang. I went downstairs. Blood everywhere. I don`t know if he is ok. I am not down there right now because I have seizures. If I get stressed out I am going to seize.

911 OPERATOR: Is there anyway you can go down there at all?

PRICE: I`ll try. I don`t know I mean, I can`t deal with that.

911 OPERATOR: How old is your husband?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Two days later Shannon told doctors to pull the plug and take Gary off life support. And then she got very defensive after rumors of foul play and accusations that she might have had something to do with Gary`s injury.

Mark Eiglarsh, you`re the defense attorney and a former prosecutor, do you think there will or be should be any further investigation into Gary`s death?

MARK EIGLARSH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, based on what I`ve heard, they`ve closed the investigation. Everything seems to be adding up. There`s no evidence that she caused the death. What we do know beyond a reasonable doubt is that she`s morally bankrupt. That the way that she handled the whole thing, and if this is true that she took photographs and tried to profit from them, she`s in gross need of a spiritual awakening -- Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, and a shrink.

Gary`s long time friend and "Diff`rent Strokes" costar Todd Bridges is totally disgusted with the sale of these images. Here he is on RadarOnline.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD BRIDGES, GARY COLEMAN`S CO-STAR AND FRIEND: I could never take pictures of my wife that`s dying, of her dying or of her dead and then sell them to somebody or show them to somebody. That`s insane. I couldn`t even imagine doing that.

And poor Gary has no idea what`s going on in his life. He has no idea that he -- you know, this is happening to him because he`s not here to fight back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Will ex-wife Shannon have a "you`ll never eat lunch in this town" experience if it`s confirmed that she profited off these photos, Kim?

SERAFIN: You know, I think what`s so sad about all of this, you know, of course, she is getting a lot of scrutiny. There`s a lot of scrutiny on a lot of people. But this 1999 will that was released, Gary specifically says in this will that he only wants people at his wake who can look each other in the eye, who never had any financial motive in Gary`s life. He just wants people there who can look and say we cared about Gary Coleman personally.

And clearly he felt his whole life he was being taken advantage back in 1999, enough that he had to put that in his will. So I think the fact that these pictures are out now is just so disturbing and clearly is not something that he would have wanted.

EIGLARSH: Jane --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, go ahead.

EIGLARSH: Jane, how about the "Globe`s" responsibility in this? I mean, obviously if they would turn their back and not purchase these items they wouldn`t be out there. They wouldn`t be able to profit. So am I asking too much of your audience to maybe to bypass the "Globe" and not buy that particular paper especially when these photographs are in there?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, I mean, I think it`s outrageous all the way around. And first of all, I don`t even understand why anybody would want to look at a picture like that. That`s not something that I wouldn`t even be curious about. It turns my stomach just thinking about it; it wouldn`t occur to me to buy a magazine in order to see something like that.

EIGLARSH: He -- it was -- he was working as a security guard at some point, people weren`t that interested to see him when he was alive. I can`t imagine they would purchase this paper.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Gary Coleman`s will was just filed in Utah, where he died less than two weeks ago. Gary appointed his friend, Dion Mial as executor and asked that he be cremated. He wanted Dion to, quote, "plan a wake for me, conducted by those who have had no financial ties to me and can look each other in the eyes and say they really cared personally for Gary Coleman," end quote.

Kim Serafin, he seems to have this really sad life experience of being exploited even by his own family members allegedly according to him.

SERAFIN: Exactly. I mean, going back to 1989 when he sued his parents for taking advantage of him financially. He felt like this his whole life. He always felt like people were using him. The fact that this battle is going on now about him, and, of course, Shannon is saying she has a will, a codicil to the will in 2007 that was handwritten --

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Joran Van Der Sloot, up next.

Sorry guys.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY`S MOTHER: He has just totally, totally dragged us all through hell with him, Mr. Joran Van Der Sloot. It`s just despicable what he has done. It`s a sad form of a human existence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The once prime suspect in the Natalee Holloway`s disappearance confessing to another woman`s murder. Joran Van Der Sloot expected to re-enact his deadly assault on 21-year-old Stephany Flores inside his hotel room.

Straight out to Jean Casarez, correspondent for "In Session" who is live outside the hotel where Stephany died. And we`re covering breaking news that came in while we were on this show about two missing women allegedly in Colombia and a possible connection to Joran. But we have no independent confirmation.

Jean Casarez, what have you found out?

JEAN CASAREZ, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": Well, what we`ve done, we have been able to contact correspondents for CNN in Colombia. And here is the e-mail we received back from them. They checked with authorities and say there is nothing to it. According Colombian police and Colombian attorney general`s office, there is no disappearance currently being investigated in Bogota or no investigation in Colombia in general in connection with Joran Van Der Sloot.

That`s what they are officially saying in Colombia. Of course when you say investigation, possibly just questioning is not tantamount to a full investigation at this point. But this is what information we`re getting from the law enforcement in Colombia tonight.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. So they would know if there were two women missing in Colombia and apparently we`re not hearing that.

So Mike Brooks, it`s a good thing that we have Jean Casarez there in Peru to check this stuff out.

BROOKS: She is the best, that`s for sure. We`re glad to have her on "In Session" that`s for sure. But then again, it`s not over with him. We`re going to have to go back, take a look at his passports, as said earlier, follow that paper trail and see exactly where he has been and when he was there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tim Miller, you`re the one who gave us this report that you had heard from Jossy Mansur who is the editor of "Diario" newspaper in Aruba that the authorities in Colombia had launched an investigation because two women were missing in a casino in Colombia.

Now we`re hearing from Jean Casarez that Colombian authorities are saying it isn`t happening. Now, we know in cases like this, I call it urban myth. Things, they sort of take on a life of their own. Is it possible that Jossy is simply wrong or his sources are bad? Because we`re getting conflicting information here.

MILLER: It`s possible that it is. I know that he was going to run that story tomorrow morning in his newspaper. And again while I was there he did get a phone call which stated that authorities were going to -- and in fact had getting to Peru to go ahead and talk to Joran Van Der Sloot. That was, I must say, three or four hours ago.

Also your caller said that it was also aired on a Spanish TV station.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, again, we can only report what we know. And we want to be very careful. We want to be careful with how we report things. It doesn`t mean that things couldn`t change and that tomorrow we might have you back and we might have new developments.

BROOKS: And Jane, we could have charges filed against him as soon as tomorrow. That`s what we`re hearing also.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. We`re on top of this story. Please join us tomorrow right here on ISSUES. We are covering it from Aruba to Peru live.

You are watching ISSUES on HLN.

END