Suspect in Natalee Holloway case expected to enter plea in extortion charge

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The chief suspect in Natalee Holloway’s 2005 disappearance is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. He is expected to plead guilty to trying to extort money from her mother and provide new information about what happened to the missing teen. Joran van der Sloot, 36, charged with extortion and wire fraud, will appear before a federal judge in Birmingham, Alabama, for a plea and sentencing hearing. Attorney John Q. Kelly, who represented Holloway’s mother during the alleged extortion attempt, says the plea deal was contingent on van der Sloot providing details about what happened to Holloway. Van der Sloot is not charged in Holloway’s death.