by Eric Jude Cortes
There are few reasons for killing another human being. Self defense and military service might be just about the only legitimate reasons for permanently ending another human being’s presence on earth. As Joran van der Sloot is showing us in Peru, a new reason to justify killing might be that the person was upset. Van der Sloot’s pleading of temporary insanity in the murder of Stephany Flores is none other than the work of a rich foreigner looking to use his privileges to avoid facing justice.
Joran van der Sloot is known to Americans primarily as the main suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. While being the prime suspect, the authorities lacked sufficient evidence and stopped the investigation. Not to be outdone by possibly murdering one person, and getting away with it, he seemingly tries again. Five years later, Stephany Flores, the daughter of a Peruvian businessman, was dead in Lima.
Even more shocking than the crime—which allegedly involved Van der Sloot beating the poor woman to death with a tennis racket—has been the Dutchman’s defense of temporary insanity. Reports say that as Flores was in Van der Sloot’s hotel room, she went on his computer and found articles pointing to his role as the prime suspect in the Holloway disappearance. When she confronted him about this, he experienced violent emotion and beat her to death. Yes, you read it correctly; he allegedly murdered Flores out of anger that she suspected he was a murderer. Van der Sloot has good reason to argue temporary insanity. While premeditated aggravated murder can result in Van der Sloot spending 25 years in prison, his new defense can score him as little as two years.
This is simply the case of a spoiled psychopathic child thinking that he is above the law. Wealthy foreigners often see the developing world as their play place and Van der Sloot is no different. Through the fortunes he is spending on legal fees, he will try and evade justice by claiming that some sort of brief emotional breakdown is a legitimate excuse for taking the life of a woman. By this logic, any murderer can claim temporary insanity for a crime they committed. Van der Sloot thinks he can actually pull it off because he is a wealthy foreigner.
In a perfect world, parasites like Joran van der Sloot would be locked up and never heard from again. It is the responsibility of the Peruvian justice system to ensure a fair trial, and to ensure that the victim is not forgotten. By giving Van der Sloot the maximum penalty allowable, and blocking any crafty legal maneuvering, Peru can demonstrate that like many other great nations, it doesn’t put justice up for sale.
To learn more about Eric, randomly bump into him on the street and politely ask him some questions.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those
of the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.
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