Is Joran van der Sloot a psychopath—and could Natalee Holloway and Stephany Flores be only two of his victims?
In 2023, eighteen years after Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba, Joran van der Sloot finally confessed to her murder. But what does his confession reveal about the psychology of a killer?
In this episode of UNMARKED, journalist and filmmaker James Buddy Day examines Joran van der Sloot's own words, breaking down his confession to uncover patterns of manipulation, sexual entitlement, deception, and violence.
From his privileged childhood in Aruba and allegations of drug-facilitated sexual assault to his international travels, suspected involvement in sex trafficking in Thailand, and the murder of Stephany Flores in Peru, we trace the disturbing trajectory of a man who evaded prosecution for years.
Featuring archival interviews with private investigator TJ Ward, who worked on the Natalee Holloway investigation, we examine the evidence, the allegations of corruption surrounding the case, and troubling reports of other possible victims.
Was Joran van der Sloot simply an impulsive, privileged young man whose violence escalated? Or does his behaviour reveal the calculated psychology of a predatory killer whose full history remains unknown?
#truecrime #netflix #nataleeholloway #unmarked #podcast

Research in This Episode:

Abbey A, Jacques-Tiura AJ. Sexual assault perpetrators' tactics: associations with their personal characteristics and aspects of the incident. J Interpers Violence. 2011 Sep;26(14):2866-89.

Show Notes:

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If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.

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