What causes a person to kill? How deeply deviant is a mind that can snap to the point of not considering the consequences of taking someone else’s life? More often than not, a deviant mind of that caliber will show signs of or be diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder.
Anti-social personality disorder (ASPD), as stated in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual’s fourth edition (DSM-IV-TR), is diagnosed as a Axis II personality disorder, described as, “a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood” (Anti-Social Personality Disorder, Wikipedia, par. 1). Psychopathy and sociopathy are considered subsets of ASPD (par. 4), psychopathy being an “abnormal lack of empathy combined with strongly amoral conduct, but masked by an ability to appear outwardly normal” (par. 16), and sociopathy being “persons with relatively normal temperaments; their personality disorder being more of an effect of negative sociological factors like parental neglect, delinquent peers, poverty, and extremely high or extremely low intelligence” (par. 20).
Joran van der Sloot, age 24, had shown signs of ASPD as early as the age of 15. He was consistently getting himself into trouble; stealing from his parents, compulsively lying, fighting with his brothers, and accused of violently and aggressively attacking others verbally and physically. His parents were becoming alarmed and sent him to a psychologist (Pulitzer and Thompson, p. 22, par. 2).
What van der Sloot’s parents didn’t know was that their son was already at the age of 15 starting to really embrace his dark side, and drinking liquor might have contributed to that. He drank regularly, and liked to brag about his ability to out-drink his friends (p.23, par. 4). He would often try to excuse any bad behavior by blaming others or justifying it, and often saying it was because he was drunk; so alcohol was indeed a factor (Peralta, p. 217, par. 1). According to “Scoring Drugs: Drugs That Cause the Most Harm”, new studies are showing that alcohol may be the most harmful to a developing brain, especially one that may already be mentally disturbed or showing signs of instability (Economist.com). These all should have been red flags to Joran’s parents, Paul and Anita van der Sloot, who had never denied their son anything. But no one could have known what horrors Joran van der Sloot would show the world that he was capable of.
On Tuesday June 1st, 2010, in Lima, Peru, Hotel Tac receptionist, 19 year old Adeli Marchena, had no idea what she walk into when she went to work that day. After receiving a phone call inquiring about the guest staying in Room 309, which had been registered to a Dutch citizen named Joran Andreas Petrus van der Sloot, born August 6th, 1987; a tall, quiet, strikingly handsome, pale-skinned Dutchman, who kept to himself and stood out because of his commanding presence and his 6 foot 5 frame; especially since people in Peru rarely hit the 6 foot mark in height (Pulitzer and Thompson, p.2, par. 3). When Marchena opened that door, she saw something she would never forget: “The ghastly scene she uncovered would not only launch a murder investigation, but spark an international manhunt for a manipulative and callous fugitive connected to a tragic event on a small Caribbean island exactly 5 years earlier” (p. 4, par. 4).
Natalee Ann Holloway was born October 21, 1986, and was last seen on May 30, 2005. She was declared legally dead on January 12th, 2012. While on her high school graduation trip on the island of Aruba with 124 other students from Mountain Brook High School, located in Mountain Brook, Alabama, Natalee vanished without a trace on the last day of the trip from a bar called Carlos n’ Charlie’s in Oranjestad, Aruba, May 30, 2005. She was last seen by several of her classmates leaving in a car with Joran van der Sloot and 2 of his friends, brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. During the investigation, van der Sloot was arrested 2 times and the Kalpoe brothers 3 times each for suspicion of being involved in Natalee’s disappearance. Not having substantial evidence, they were released with no charges every time (Natalee Holloway, Wikipedia, par. 2).
What caused Natalee Holloway to be so reckless and leave with Joran van der Sloot that night, a boy she had just met in a strange country? She had parents who loved her, and was 18 years old with the world at her fingertips. Natalee had just graduated with honors, she was a member of the National Honor Society, and had just been awarded a full scholarship to the University of Alabama as a pre-med student (par. 4). How did she fall prey to van der Sloot’s charm? According to eye-witnesses, the 2 had been flirting and drinking all night, first while gambling at a casino, then at the bar Carlos n’ Charlie’s, and she left with him around 1:30 am. Despite a thorough search of the island and surrounding waters, there was nothing (par. 6). She was just gone.
Joran van der Sloot has told numerous stories about Holloway’s disappearance, and every time he has a new story to tell, the media jumps on it like flies on shit, and not only do they pay his self-centered ass, they give him the attention his narcissistic personality craves.
Joran van der Sloot is a pathological liar, and always has to fit in or one-up someone; whether it be drinking, gambling, bragging about his accomplishments or sexual episodes, or partaking in whatever drug happened to be on the scene (Pulitzer and Thompson, p.23, par. 4). His drug use may have also been a contributing factor to his psychological downfall; as it has been discovered that the bigger the hype about a drug, especially in the media, the bigger the attraction, especially to a young and impressionable or warped mind (Goode, p. 223, par. 1).
Since Natalee’s disappearance, van der Sloot has claimed she died from a seizure and he dumped her body, and then later said that was a lie and he had actually sold her into human trafficking for $10,000 (Natalee Holloway, Wikipedia, par. 3). He has also tried to blame others, saying his father had helped him dispose of the body after he had struck her in the face and she fell and hit her head on a rock, which resulted in her death (Joran van der Sloot, Wikipedia, par. 3), and numerous other stories; too many to even count. His lying is another symptom of ASPD, “blaming others or to offer plausible rationalizations for their behavior that has brought the person into conflict with society” (Anti-Social Personality Disorder, Wikipedia, par. 7).
Joran van der Sloot was on a downward spiral for years following this media sensation; from being constantly in the headlines with his lies, then losing his father to a heart attack in 2010, he was a ticking time bomb. His father’s death hit him hard, and his drinking and gambling increased. He blamed himself for his father dying; telling people it was due to all the trouble he had caused in the last five years (Joran van der Sloot, Wikipedia, par. 17).
In late March of 2010, he again told another story, as he was desperate for money, claiming that he would finally tell the truth about the location of Natalee Holloway’s remains for $25,000. He arranged this through John Q. Kelley, attorney for Beth Holloway, Natalee’s mother. After accepting a portion of the money, he contends that he buried her in the foundation of a house being built. Upon investigation, it was discovered that at the location he said he’d buried her, there was no houses under construction in that area at the time of Holloway’s disappearance. He was charged with extortion by the FBI, but before he was arrested he fled with the money. This was how he came to be in Peru in May of 2010 (par. 18).
Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramirez, born July 7, 1988, was less than a year from graduating from the University of Peru as a business student when her body was discovered on June 1st, 2010. Her father, Ricardo Flores, was former president of the Peruvian Auto Club, and a well known businessman. He had also run for president in 2001. With such a prominent media figure for a father, the shocking news of Stephany’s murder spread that much more quickly (par. 22).
Stephany Flores had been acquainted with Joran van der Sloot for a few days before her untimely death in the early morning hours of May 30, 2010, exactly 5 years to the day of the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. At 3am on that morning, there was video surveillance of the 2 gambling together at the Atlantic City Casino in Lima. They are seen leaving together on camera just before 5am (par. 25). “Stephany appeared nervous on the tape, as though her instincts were telling her to walk away. But the Dutchman’s charm was almost hypnotic” (Pulitzer and Thompson, p. 21, par. 5).
Joran had been successful in luring another smart, pretty, young girl into his clutches. Just after 5am, security cameras at the Hotel Tac show van der Sloot and Flores entering his room together. A short time later, van der Sloot is seen leaving the room by himself, in different clothes, to get coffee and pastries and then returns to Room 309. At around 9am, he is again caught on camera leaving his room alone, but this time with his bags, and before exiting the hotel, left strict orders at the front desk for his room not to be cleaned that day because his girlfriend was sleeping (Joran van der Sloot, Wikipedia, par. 26).
On June 1st, 2010, when Stephany’s body was discovered, the news rocked the headlines worldwide, due to the infamous Joran van der Sloot being the prime suspect, and the brutality of the murder. “There was blunt force trauma which caused a brain hemorrhage and a cranial fracture” (par. 27). She was covered in bruises from head to toe (Pulitzer and Thompson, p. 103, par. 7). There were also signs of asphyxiation. Stephany had endured a horribly painful beating that had ended her life; a tennis racquet that had been found in the room was originally thought to be the murder weapon (Joran van der Sloot, Wikipedia, par. 27).
Due to the advanced decomposition of the body, the exact cause of death was hard to determine, being that it had been in that humid hotel room for several days, “in a state of putrefaction that makes an autopsy difficult” (Pulitzer and Thompson, p. 106, par. 4). The cause of death was finally determined as “the combined result of damage to the brain and cervical trauma due to choking.” It was then determined that that the murder weapon had not been the tennis racquet, but van der Sloot’s fists (p. 106, par. 5).
When van der Sloot was apprehended in Chile and extradited back to Peru on June 3, 2010, he stated he had flown into a rage when he discovered Stephany snooping around on his laptop and had found information about his connection to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. He then beat her to death, took her money, and fled (Joran van der Sloot, bio.com, par. 14). Following his interrogation and confession, he was then transferred to the maximum-security Miguel Castro Castro prison in Lima. On June 21st, 2010, van der Sloot retracted his confession- stating that it was coerced. However, a judge and the Peruvian law states it wasn’t and he was convicted of 1st degree murder in the death of Stephany Flores (par. 17).
Criminal profiler Pat Brown spoke about van der Sloot on an interview that aired on “The Joy Behar Show” soon after details surrounding Flores’ death started to emerge; discussing the viciousness of the attack, his blatant disregard and obvious hatred towards women, and the fact that he shows little remorse for his actions; his erratic personality shows classic signs of ASPD. Along with truTV’s “In Session” correspondent Jean Casarez, and forensic psychologist Dr. Brian Russell, she breaks down the components.
“On January 13, 2012, Joran van der Sloot was sentenced to 28 years in prison for the murder of Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramirez. Within hours, he was transferred to maximum security prison Piedras Gordas, located north of Lima” (Joran van der Sloot, Wikipedia, par. 48).
To date, the body of Natalee Holloway has never been found. No one has ever been charged in any way whatsoever for her disappearance. She is linked forever with Stephany Flores through Joran van der Sloot; he was the last person to be seen with both of these beautiful young women when their lives came to an abrupt end on the very same day exactly 5 years apart. What might have happened if Joran’s parents had seen the warning signs of the path he was heading down? Would diagnosing him with Anti-Social Personality Disorder have saved the lives of Natalee and Stephany? Sadly, we will never know the answer to that question, for I believe Joran will never tell the truth.
Works Cited:
“Anti-Social Personality Disorder.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Online. 15 Mar 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisocial_personality_disorder.
Goode, Jennifer L., Inciardi, James A. “Oxycontin: A Prescription For Disaster.” Readings In Deviant Behavior. p. 223, par. 1. Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, Addrain Conyers. Boston: Pearson, 2010.
“Joran van der Sloot.” 2012. Biography.com. 24 Mar 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/joran-van-der-sloot-573934.
“Joran van der Sloot.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Online. 17 Mar 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joran_van_der_Sloot.
“Natalee Holloway.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Online. 23 Mar 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalee_Holloway.
Peralta, Robert L. “Hey Don’t Blame Me….Blame the Booze.”
Readings In Deviant Behavior. p. 217, par. 1. Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, Addrain Conyers. Boston: Pearson, 2010.
Pulitzer, Lisa and Thompson, Cole. Portrait of a Monster: Joran van der Sloot, a Murder in Peru, and the Natalee Holloway Mystery. 1st ed. New York: St. Martins, 2011.
“Scoring Drugs: Drugs That Cause The Most Harm.”http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/11/drugs_cause_most_harm
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ReplyDeleteI would have liked to hear a little more about why people have anti-social behavior. The story line is thorough with information about the case. I remember looking at many of these photos because she was well known on news stories.
It seems that he got a thrill out of overpowering his victims. It's the power struggle people have that we discussed in class. The need for the dominant to have power over others.
Erin Kellett
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ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog and found the illness you chose very interesting. I liked how you focused on a particular example of this disease throughout your post. I really enjoyed the images that you included with the post. I remember seeing this on the news, how horrible. However, I think that you should have included more of an explanation of why people have this illness. Other than that I think you did a great job!
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ReplyDeleteI think this was a good psychological case study rather than a sociological analysis of anti-social personality disorder. I think you would have done better if you focused on the illness itself rather than one specific case of somebody with the disorder. Do some people get diagnosed with this before they kill someone or is this diagnosis usually a result of trying to explain why someone acted outed so violently? How does race play into diagnosis - more white people diagnosed? Once labeled with having anti-social personality disorder how are people then perceived by society? Does society see this as something that can be treated or should people with this problem just be locked away? I think these are all questions in which the answers to would have given your blog a more sociological content.
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ReplyDeleteYou did a very thorough job of detailing the case study that you used as an example of anti-social personality disorder. I was shocked to hear much Van der Sloot got away with, and the extent of his lies. He is an obvious candidate for this disorder. Your writing is clear and concise, and your citations were perfectly in place. However (ugh, I hate dishing out criticism!), more focus in your blog on the mental illness itself (history, causal theories, various treatments, etc.) and how it relates to deviance may have been more appropriate for the assignment. A sociological approach to examining the offender's actions and behavior would have given the reader a better understanding of how the illness "works". On a side note, I find it interesting how much media coverage there has been on this case and am curious if her status as a young, white, blonde, attractive female plays a part in the attention it's received.
Jaime