Legal Commentary

Report: Joran Van Der Sloot to be Represented by Fujimori's Lawyer

By Jeralyn

El Commercio and Peru 21 are reporting that Joran Van der Sloot is getting a new attorney -- Cesar Nakasaki, attorney for former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori. Nakasaki says he cannot confirm the information.

Joran also has a judge, Carlos Morales Cordova, of the Fourth Circuit Court for Prison Inmates. He has received the complaint against him, charging simple murder and theft. Reportedly, Joran will go to court on Friday for his first appearance. [More...]

Peru 21 reports Joran's former U.S. lawyer, Joe Tacopina, who obtained the dismissal of the Holloway family's civil suit for wrongful death against him on jurisdictional grounds, is presumed to be going to Peru. That sounds like a rumor to me, he's probably just trying to help Joran obtain new counsel. Dutch News is reporting the same.

And, there may be a new witness: Another "friend of Joran's", Erick Cabrera Cabrera, who reportedly was present in the casino the day Joran and Stephany Flores played poker together.

As for the Flores' family contention that the charges should be upped to murder with robbery as a motive, I don't think that will pan out. The casino video shows Stephany cashing out her chips, totaling 676 soles, which is around 300 Euros. If he took her money and credit cards after she died, and didn't kill her for that purpose, I don't think the greater charge applies. Check out the video below at 3 minutes, 15 seconds in:

Full post as published by TalkLeft on June 15, 2010 (boomark / email).