How to commit a perfect murder: the van der sloot model

Although probably a bit overshadowed by the Super Tuesday voting news, the next big news item of the week has a significant Dutch-American connection. Of course I'm talking of the Natalee Halloway case. She disappeared from a beach in Aruba in May 2005, and was last seen with a certain young Dutch boy, Joran van der Sloot. He's been arrested and held 2 different times in connection to this case, and was recently released the second time in early January of this year.

There is a 'famous' dutch crime journalist by the name of Peter deVries. Over the last month he secretly video taped conversations that Joran had in a car with his 'friend', an entrepreneur named Patrick (I think he's really his dealer). Patrick came to de Vries and offered to be an informant in order to help figure out what really happened in May 2005. Last week Thursday, the big news was that de Vries had undeniable evidence of Joran being guilty and solving the crime. His show on Sunday would reveal these tapes and what Joran said.

Friday night, on a different evening talk show, Joran said that it was all lies and he made it up to tell his friend what he wanted to hear. Yeah, I think that's the only defense you have left when you are caught on tape saying things of huge significance! And yeah, it was really stupid of him to do that, as he himself said to the hosts...but telling elaborate stories to a friend over several different days...why would you do that if 1. you didn't know him for that long and 2. you know you can't joke about something like this ???

Sunday the show aired and the tapes were revealed with the most crucial information concerning the disappearance of Natalee was shown. It was a taped confession basically...and that she's 'never to be found again'. With his typical arrogance and non-concern or remorse for a girl's life or that he could even be jailed for murder...he told this story to his friend while smoking joins in this outfitted Range Rover. The show was 2 hrs long, and over 7 million people watched it, that is the highest rating of a non-sport show in the NL since they began the ratings of public tv in 1989 or so. There are 16 million people who live in this country. After the show aired, a mob of people gathered around the house of his grandmother in a city in Friesland where he was rumored to be in hiding. They even checked all the taxi cabs leaving the building complex if he was inside...what they would have done then, I don't know.

And the even more amazing thing is that the prosecution in Aruba is not pursuing his arrest!! In the US, that would be a taped confession and enough evidence to find someone guilty. So, we're not in the US....he's a free man and he confessed to dumping her body in an ocean (or he said he had a friend do it)....without even really knowing if she was dead already or not! He even has earned money as compensation for being jailed in the past and not being charged (different rules in Holland!). he got money for being on tv shows here. But I would hope that the money rolling in stops here. I'm surprised so many people are interested in it here...and so many people do believe he is guilty and was telling the truth in those tapes. It was front page news from Thursday last week til now. No one has seen him or heard from him since Sunday. If he thinks he's really free...I have no idea how he can go on with attending school normally, getting a job, or living peacefully here. It won't happen.

Maybe its a good thing that this all happened between the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday. It got a lot of air time in the US, based on what I've seen and read here. Peter de Vries is the hero (adds to his ego) and will be on Larry King Live, Oprah, and all the other cable news network programs. If it weren't for the super days...this would be on the news all the time 24/7. I see enough of that disgusting guy (Joran) on tv as it is. I just wish he would be jailed for what he's admitted to doing! He's a messed up manic guy who is so arrogant he thinks he's untouchable. He needs to wake up and get out of his own cloud of marijuana smoke and smell the sloppy 'mystery meat' meal in an Aruban jail.

Integration...by murder?

My life has been pretty full of basketball lately.While it is good I'm keeping busy and getting exercise at the same time, I also don't want to become sick of it so soon! But more the problem now is that I've been busy at night with games and practicing...that I hardly have seen or spent time with M! Monday we both play on the same team. Tuesday he had to work late and was home after 9pm. Wednesday I had practice and got home at 1030 and he was sleeping. Thursday was a free day for once, but Friday I again played in a sort of mixed tourney with some student bball club from Utrecht. Too busy!

Yesterday was also a day related to basketball...but for a different reason. The club I am going to join in the fall, was celebrating their 16th 'birthday'. They were having an all day party, which included some games in the afternoon, and during dinner, we had a game of "murder". I was kinda worried about this all week, as I had to have M's sister translate my part, since he couldn't know who I was or anything about my character. I was really worried that I would not be able to follow along in the game and really embarrass myself...even though this is all for fun. But I don't always have that mindset, as there is usually someone who makes me feel more stressed, and always at least one comment about "inburgering"...aka- integrating. It never fails to be mentioned.

So we sat at a table of 7, 6 of us were players, and there was one 'host' or leader. the first round i was really rather lost and getting upset with myself that I shouldn't even be here. Luckily the leader helped with some of the translating, and one other woman at the table spoke in English for me. But at one point, someone asked, 'shouldn't we all just do it in English?', and of course, there was one person who quickly objected and stated that I should 'inburger'. Well, what do you think I'm trying to do then? By coming to this party, I was trying my best. I could just stay at home and shut myself inside and never come out. I'm sure people who make these comments have never lived in another country or known someone personally who has lived abroad. Then they would be a bit more empathetic towards my situation. I try to be social, but a lot of times it makes me feel even more isolated. Social situations are hard enough for me in my own language! I'm an introverted person, I wonder why I have gone on this path in life to live in another country.

In any case, the game was alright in the end, the dinner was good, and I had some laughs when I knew what was going on. My character, Meta de Vries, was not the murderer, and on the 3rd and last try, I did correctly guess the murderer (mordenaar).

Today we could finally rest and not have any obligations to go to. We planted some flowers in the planter I bought at IKEA last week to put on our balcony...which I want to make all nice for summer. I bought some marigolds (Spaanse margriet) at the flower market yesterday morning. Also a lavender plant for one euro- that is in the hanging planter. The Dutchie bought a mint plant and some thyme, as he's all about the natural herbs. ;-)

Many congrats today-- to Rachel for graduating with her masters in nursing! Yeah! Congrats to Vivi and Maarten on their engagement! And Happy Mother's Day to my mom...so all you others out there, don't forget to give your mom a call! :-)