by Ted Sherman

Created on: February 05, 2008

YES: The recently revealed secret videotaping of Joran van der Sloot's obscene and brutal bragging about Natalie's death is not only shocking, but should finally solve this case. As incredibly stupid as he was to make such a confession to a reporter, his casual, arrogant words reveal many facts of her death and disappearance that were already known, but were kept hidden by Aruba's authorities and van der Sloot's family until now. The videotape has to convince everyone, including the island's corrupt police and legal system, of his guilt.

Even if Natalee's death was not a deliberately doctored drink murder by van der Sloot and his bar-hopping, predatory friends, if found guilty of lesser crimes, he more than deserves severe punishment for his callous behavior. He is at least responsible for his arrogant refusal to seek help for her when it was obvious she was dying, and afterward when, as he described it, arranging for her body to be dumped in the ocean like "an old rag".

The revealing of the videotape happened in the US at a heavy news time, when public attention was overwhelmingly concentrated on the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday. However, considering the length of time that has elapsed since Natalee's murder and the severity of the crime and official corruption, the new developments deserved better US press attention. The media made much less of a fuss about the high school girl's death than it did concerning the disturbed Britney's police squad escort to the hospital's pyscho ward.

The revealed videotape, which apparently is a virtual confession of the sneering creep's guilt, is all the more damning because it may also prove that Aruba's authorities and van der Sloot's politically-influential parents may be criminally complicit in hiding his crime for the past three years. Additionally, their inexcusable actions have caused Natalee Holloway's parents untold days and months of fading hope, confusion and grief because of the island officials' inability, corruption and/or outright cowardice to reveal the truth.

Maybe, just maybe, because of the overwhelming evidence revealed by the videotape confession that Joran van der Sloot is guilty, at the very least, of unbelievable neglect and complicity in the young high school graduate's death and callous disposal of her body. If there can be any punishment added for his disgusting bragging and arrogance, he certainly deserves it.

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