Monday, June 7, 2010

Joran van der Sloot: A Serial Killer?

by Pat Brown

Now that Joran van der Sloot is back in the headlines, returned to Peru after his infamous run to Chile to avoid arrest in the murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez, speculation is spreading that van der Sloot is a serial killer. Although never convicted in the murder of Natalee Holloway, who went missing in Aruba in 2005, we all know she was murdered even though she is still just officially missing. Now that Joran is in a Peruvian jail, suspected in the brutal bludgeoning death of Stephanie, he is being called a serial killer. People are starting to wonder if he has a string of bodies around the world, everywhere he's traveled in the last five years -- murders he has never been linked to.

But van der Sloot is no serial killer. He may have killed more than once, but that doesn't make him a serial killer - a serial date rapist, but not a serial killer. He doesn't fit the FBI definition of serial killer, nor mine. He doesn't exhibit serial killer behaviors.

The FBI definition requires the killer to commit three murders, each separated from the others by a cooling off period.

My definition requires only one known sexual homicide of a stranger (or at least not an intimate partner or close friend), because I know that just like potato chips, he can't have just one. A person who crosses the line to plan, rape, and murder a complete stranger likes the thrill so much he will do it again. We may have linked a suspect to one killing of a stranger, but that doesn't mean he hasn't done it before or won't do it again. To be entirely accurate, I call these "suspected" serial killers, but I know in reality they're serial killers at heart. Once we have a string of homicides (and then they don't have to be sexual to be the work of a serial killer but most are) that have down time in between them (so as to distinguish them from mass murderers and spree killers), we can be pretty sure we have a serial killer out there.

The second issue is behavior. A serial killer plans his crimes. He decides to kill, usually when his life is on a downturn - his girlfriend dumped him, he lost his job, or his mother died. Feeling more of a failure than usual, he imagines that if he grabs some unsuspecting, innocent human being, humiliates and brutalizes her, and takes her life away, he'll feel in that moment like a god, a superhero, someone with control over life and death -- and who can show society that he has such power. He takes the prize -- someone dearly loved, someone society thinks is better than him. His shining moment: When he sees the terror in his victim's eyes and watches the life drain out of her.

He basks in the glory of that act for days or weeks. He laughs as police search desperately for a killer-ghost. Feeling better about himself, he gets on with normal life. Weeks, months or years later, his ego severely bruised again, he repeats his crime and, once more, gets his vile fix.

A serial killer wants to get away with his crime so he can do it again and again. In almost every case, the serial offender picks a stranger and abducts or attacks her when no one is looking. His plan is to kill horribly, violently. Rape isn't always part of every serial killer's crime, but is often an added amusement, since it's one of the most degrading acts a victim can suffer. Rape for the serial killer is fun, foreplay to murder.

That's not the modus operandi of Joran van der Sloot. This arrogant psychopath's plan to obtain power and control is through sex, and if the woman doesn't cooperate, through rape. He targets women in public places, uses his own name, woos them, and plies them with liquor or drugs (sometimes likely without their full knowledge). When they exit the public venue, he is the person known to be in the woman's company. Most likely, he gets the woman to have sex with him without force. At times, the woman is probably too out of it to resist him; when the sex is over, she goes home and doesn't report it. Why? She knows there will be no evidence of rape to prove she was violated without her consent.

And then we have Natalee and (at right) Stephanie. What happened to these women? Joran van der Sloot did not premeditate their murders, or he wouldn't have been so stupid as to be the last person seen with them. Furthermore, with Stephany, he wouldn't have taken her back to his own hotel room and killed her there, since his real name was on the register. He would at least taken her to another isolated public area, as he did Natalie, if his intention was murder. No, Joran "only" planned to have sex with the girl, one way or the other.

So what went wrong? Apparently, neither Natalee nor Stephany wanted to have sex with Joran, and neither girl was so inebriated or drugged that he could easily take advantage of her. Natalee was able to walk onto the beach, and Stephany was able to walk into Joran's hotel room without his support. They may have been somewhat drunk or drugged, but not nearly enough that they couldn't put up a fight. Natalee was likely smothered in the sand during sex, and Stephanie didn't even take her clothes off before Joran went ape on her.

Along with being a serial date rapist, Joran van der Sloot also exhibits the kind of rage we usually see in domestic homicides. When a woman finally stands up to her husband or boyfriend and says she is not taking it any more or leaving him, he becomes enraged. She dares deny him his "rights" and his loss of power and control over his woman! That drives him mad. He'll be damned if she'll treat him that way, insult his manhood, mock him in the eyes of society. If he can't control her, he'll kill her. He will end the relationship, not her, in his own way and his own time.

Joran van der Sloot behaves this same way with his "women" even if their relationship lasts just the evening. She'll do as he says or else. Most of the women he leaves with to have sex with don't end up dead, simply because they were willing or weren't fighting. But sometimes, he gets unlucky, and then so do the women like Natalee and Stephanie.

Joran got away with the murder of Natalee Holloway (left). But this time, he screwed up so badly, I doubt he'll manage to avoid a long tenure in a Peruvian jail. Thank God for stupidity and hotel surveillance cameras. Joran's serial date-raping life will finally come to an end. No more women will have to die because they "just said no" to a piece of garbage like him.

21 comments:

FleaStiff said...

I see nothing at all in the Peruvian videotape indicating intoxication or inebriation or enthusiasm relating to the male companion. I would doubt she was wooed.

That Joran's actions appear to be ill thought out is unquestionable. Murder in a hotel room always seem strange when there are lobby and hallway surveillance cameras.

enwatdannog said...

First: a serial date rapist? Rape was never proven in the Holloway case, neither was murder. It's a bit pretentious to bring in a rape charge as if it were a fact - but hey, it gets people's attention, right? There isn't even a body and Van der Sloot never confest to raping or killing her. There's no indication that the current victim was raped, there aren't even signs of the two having sex.

Second: you say a serial killer usually decides to kill when his life is on a downturn. All _facts_ indicate that during the time of the disappearance of Holloway, Joran's life was pretty up. He was living the party life... Enough money, living on a tropical island all nice and sweet.

And then i stopped reading. I scanned through the article and saw more assumptions or, even worse, flagrant lies. I suggest that you stop pretending you're a criminal profiler and hit the books. Criminal profiling consists of collecting facts and making judgement of those fact. It's not storytelling and populism has no part in it.

I'm not defending Van der Sloot's supposed actions. It might all be true, or it might not. We shall see what the judge says until that it's pretty easy to make assumptions and pretend we know all the facts. I just happen to be from the Netherlands and we've bombed with the Van der Sloot's character for a few years now. It's safe to see every individual in this country knows more about the facts in this case then the writer of this "article".

Ok, enough about this. I've wasted too much time. Good luck with writing fiction. My appologies for all gramar- and spellingerrors - at least it has a solid base.

Customer Loyalty said...

Kill the girl just because she saw something of Natalee on his PC? And why the hell would Joran have something about Natalee in his PC !?! That is totally ridiculous, I don't believe the Peruvian press, they told the craziest stuff and always changed their story.

Pat Brown said...

Customer Loyalty, some reporters, either in Peru or the US were jumping to early conclusions as far as the weapon went, but this is a direct statement from Joran van der Sloot and sounds just like him. The reason it sounds ridiculous is because this is another van der Sloot lie. He is blaming the victim for why he killed her. The only reason he is confessing to her murder is because he knows they have him cold. When a psychopath is cornered, he will confess to what you know - he killed her - but lie about how it happened,hoping he can get a better deal. Joran is confessing to second degree murder, that he lost his temper when Stephany did something bad. He doesn't want them to conclude that he murdered her during the commission of a rape. If they believe him, he would get possibly only 15 years and be out in 7.

Anonymous said...

Pat, keep grasping. No evidence of rape. Lots of evidence of rage.

enwatdannog said...
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Editor said...

A comment has been removed. Opposing viewpoints are welcome and encouraged, but spam, links to inappropriate websites, vulgarity, nonsensical wording and personal attacks will be deleted. Thanks for your participation.

enwatdannog said...

You can remove my comments, but please give me one piece of evidence that indicates that Van der Sloot raped Ramirez. Give me one piece of evidence that indicates that they had sex together. You don't have it. Then don't say it. The rape charge has no base, is fictional and shame on you that you bring it as a fact. I have doubts about your integrity - seems like a quick buck is more important then the truth.

A Voice of Sanity said...

Blogger Pat Brown said" "Customer Loyalty, some reporters, either in Peru or the US were jumping to early conclusions as far as the weapon went, but this is a direct statement from Joran van der Sloot and sounds just like him."

You personally spoke to him face to face? Because otherwise you are hearing what the police want you to hear. The Chicago police got William Heirens to admit to three murders that few competent analysts believe were committed by the same person and they did that by lying to the press after they, and a doctor, had savagely tortured Heirens for days without obtaining a confession. van der Sloot had a lawyer selected by the prosecutor to 'protect' him. Yeah, nothing wrong there.

BTW, why would he have anything about Holloway on his computer and how could this young woman read what one presumes would be written in Dutch, not Spanish? Too many loose ends here for now.

Anonymous said...

enwatdannog: I don't understand why you feel that you have more information on the rape claim than anyone else. All you have to do is Google it to figure out that there are suspicions outside of this article that Stephanie was raped ... even suspicions by her own father who is certainly closer to the incident than you are. What makes you so qualified to comment and so knowledgeable about the situation? Were you there too?

And honestly, I have never seen someone get so angry and defensive of a man who is OBVIOUSLY a sick individual capable, and probably guilty, of killing young women.

Ella said...

Just to be fair, Pat Brown said "in the commission of a rape. She fought him off very hard, and he killed her in the process. He got her jeans off, so he was attempting to rape her i.e. in the commision of. She was bruised all over and even her feet, trying to fight him off.

enwatdannog said...

@anonymous
The father himself has said that there is no indication that the two had sex together. ANd so did the police. A rape charge might still come to light, but as of now there is no evidence to support this claim. Still, Pat Brown states it as a fact.

I'm not angry because of Van der Sloot, i couldn't care less. I'm angry because i stumbled upon this page and saw a "criminal profiler" who presents assumptions as facts. That's a misuse of power. Clearly people ask Pat Brown for her opinion and take her seriously. To see this kind of unprofessional behavior is really sad.

Someone who claims to be an expert has responsibilities. Just like a journalist doesn't present lies, Pat Brown shouldn't present assumptions as facts. People tend to believe experts because they them selfs don't know much of the case. Experts shouldn't lie.

And i still haven't seen ANY evidence to support the claims Pat Brown makes, isn't that weird?

LIke i said: in Holland we've seen every tiny bit of evidence in detail on national television. This case has dominated the news for years. I really doubt Pat Brown has done extensive research on this case, because all she says can't be backed up by evidence. And for a criminal profiler, that's a sin.

Anonymous said...

Rape or not, he kill Stephanie Flores Ramirez and

Anonymous said...

Rape or not, he kill Stephanie Flores Ramirez and for sure Natalee Holloway. Finally he will not going out cos Stephanie family was not just random family.
Thank god I hope his jail time will be a hell for that bastard.

beach weddings in Thailand said...

Many countries in Europe now have legalized prostitution because it is a "victimless" activity. I lived in one of the countries in the Europe that has actively attempted to keep prostitution illicit, which has been roundly criticized. When you see character like Joran Van Der Sloot (killed Natalee Holloway in Aruba) and his activities in white slavery, does it really seem like a victimless activity?

piper said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
piper said...

Several things here:

If you don't agree with Pat Brown (or any other PROFESSIONAL PROFILER) don't read the article. Your life will not change and your blood pressure will be more manageable. You are exhibiting rage and other issues.

Joran van der Sloot - Google the name. That is the probable way that Stephanie found information on him on his PC.

A Voice of Sanity - we are not talking about Scott Peterson here. Why do you always assume? You seem like an intelligent person but very obsessed with comparing every case with Scott's. I admire your conviction of Scott's innocence and your loyalty, but please do not assume that all people (i.e., police officers, prosecutors) are the same.

I love and appreciate this site; however, I do not appreciate the criticism of the criminal justice professionals and authors that give us their valuable time, experiences and opinions.

Thank you "Women In Crime Ink."

Anonymous said...

I love and appreciate this site; however, I do not appreciate the criticism of the criminal justice professionals and authors that give us their valuable time, experiences and opinions.

You don't appreciate criticism on the subject of how these 'proffesionals' take a run with the truth? No matter how cruel Van der Sloot might turn out to be, it's never an excuse to ventilate untruthfull articles and present them as facts. If you don't like that criticism, you don't understand a thing about ethics.

A Voice of Sanity said...

'Piper said: "A Voice of Sanity - we are not talking about Scott Peterson here. Why do you always assume?"

William Heirens. William Heirens. William Heirens. William Heirens.

Can you not tell the difference in the names? And as for "... do not assume that all people (i.e., police officers, prosecutors) are the same" search for (Riley Fox) before making such claims.

valhallaarwen said...

I have a few points I wish to make about this case. To begin with, enwatdannog is correct. Where is the evidence that he raped her? Where is the evidence that he killed her? There is evidence of him going in a room with her and evidence of him leaving without her. If there is evidence, why isn't that out in the ope? Maybe the cops ARE DOING THEIR JOB!!! I never said that I think he is innocent, but I think it will be a good idea if the cops keep their mouths shut (see the current cases in the US, Casey Anthony, etc. to tell me how you think it is proceeding). Look, I'm sorry that this girl is dead as well as Natalee, but my question is why did her friends let her go off with some boy she didn't know? Sorry, but that is not a good idea to do at all. I am not saying that those two deserved death, I am saying you need to watch your own back because lots of folks dont do it for you. Also, I do believe that the cops have more evidence than they are telling folks which I stated is cool. What pisses me off with the media is the fact that they will say things like why can't Joran be charged for murder in the US, uh because the only thing they got him on was extortion. Extortion does not equal. Plus there is no evidence of murder in Natalee's case.

What really pisses me off is that this case is taking up more time than the stories of the folks in Arkansas who died in the flash floods or the oil spill.

expat medical insurance said...

There's a good chance that he'll never be able to help anyone find Natalee's body. It's been 5 yrs. and there are plenty of predators in warmer climates. If her body is far enough inland...well, that's a different story.