[elfsight_social_share_buttons id=”1″] 

Wednesday, the nearly two-decade saga surrounding the disappearance of Natalee Holloway ended.

In a stunning confession, Joran van der Sloot admitted to murdering the 18-year-old in Aruba after she fought back against his advances. He was 17 at the time and disposed of her body in the Ocean. For years, van der Sloot denied the murder for years despite being the lead suspect in the case.

His confession came as part of a plea related to a federal extortion charge linked to Holloway’s disappearance. In 2010, van der Sloot tried to extort the Holloway family for a quarter million dollars in exchange for false information about where the body was located.

He was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison for extortion and wire fraud. He is currently serving time in Peru for a separate murder charge. Natalee’s mother is calling the confession a victory for her daughter.