June 2, 2023
Criminal Defense attorney Rachel Fiset, managing partner of Los Angeles-based Zweiback, Fiset & Zalduendo spoke to Newsweek and said that despite a body not having been found, van der Sloot could still be accused and face charges of homicide.
Speaking about Altez’s comments, Fiset said: “It is simply not true that van der Sloot cannot be charged without authorities finding a body.
“Plenty of cases are charged without the location of a body, for instance, look at the recent murder charges Brian Walshe faces for his wife’s murder or the recent conviction of Paul Flores for the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart where no body was ever found.”
Fiset did note additional evidence would help strengthen a charge against van der Sloot, however.
She added: “In the case of Natalee Holloway it will be difficult to charge van der Sloot with her murder without some new piece of evidence against van der Sloot because the case is so old—but that new evidence certainly does not need to be a body.
“Van der Sloot is being extradited for wire fraud and extortion charges but that does not mean that new evidence connecting him to her murder may not result from the investigation into his newest alleged crimes. If something new is uncovered, it very well could lead to murder charges.”
