Greta interview with Joran March 1-3, 2006

Greta Van Susteren (interviewer) and Joran van der Sloot Televised March 1, 2 and 3rd 2006
(Begin interview)

Interviewer: Joran, what's it like for you here in Aruba?

Joran van der Sloot: For me in Aruba, it's great. I mean, it's the place where I grew up. It's the place I love. It's... you know, it's a wonderful island.

Interviewer: Have people been treating you well here? I mean, what's been the impact of your arrest and your release, and now you're off in school?

Joran van der Sloot: Oh, everyone here has always treated me well. I mean, everybody knows what's going on, probably more than the people in the States do. And everyone here has always treated me with respect and treated me right.

Interviewer: So when you walk down the street, people say things to you here?

Joran van der Sloot: Well, of course, you know, it's not fun that everyone on the street notices you. I mean, you want to just to be able to walk and no one notice you and for it to be normal, but I can't change anything about that now. It's like that already. So I just, you know, try to adapt and it and do the best I to for that.

Interviewer: Has Aruba been affected by Natalee's disappearance?

Joran van der Sloot: I think it has been affected, been affected quite a lot, and that's one thing that hurts me a lot. I mean, the Aruban people did everything, everything to try and... to try and solve this case. They did. They sent F sixteen jets from Holland over to take pictures. They've interrogated, I don't know how many people. They have dive teams from all over the world have come to dive into the oceans and look in the oceans. They sent the whole marines to search the entire island.

I mean, the government, the Aruban government, even gave all the people that work for the government a day off to go search the island. I mean, a lot has been done, and everyone just wants to get this case solved and get it done with. That's what everybody wants.

Interviewer: Is that what you want?

Joran van der Sloot: Of course, that's what I want. That's the one thing that will clear me, and that's the one thing that will clear anyone else involved with it that doesn't deserve to be.

Interviewer: Why did you agree to talk to us?

Joran van der Sloot: I agreed to talk to you because I thought it was important to hear another side of the story, as well. I look at it in one way that, you know, there's one side of the story, there's another side of the story, and then there's the truth. And I'm telling you the truth and everything that happened and not just one side from the story. I'm not going to tell you I'm a good person. I'm not going to tell you that I'm an angel or that I've done good things, no, because it's not like that. But I'm here to tell the truth and to let people know what happened and exactly what went on.

Interviewer: How old are you?

Joran van der Sloot: I'm eighteen now.

Interviewer: What's the impact been on you?

Joran van der Sloot: Well, I mean, I was arrested at seventeen and it's... I always felt myself that I was... you know, that I was a lot older, but... that's what I've always felt for myself. But I mean, of course, it has... it's had... it's had a lot of impact on me, too. I spent ninety days in jail. And it's had a lot of impact on everyone, on my family, on Aruba. It's had an impact on everyone I love.

Interviewer: What impact on your mother and father? Is there a way to describe it?

Joran van der Sloot: There's no way to describe that. That's the worst thing there is. I mean, for me to see my mom and my dad, that's horrible. I mean, they didn't deserve any of this. I know it was my fault that they came into... that they were brought into this. And it's part of their life, too, now, and there's nothing that I can do to make that better towards them. But that's horrible for them.

Interviewer: Have you watched Beth Holloway Twitty on TV at all, or do you think about the impact on her and her family?

Joran van der Sloot: I mean, I've seen... I've seen so much stuff on TV and on the Internet and... I mean, like I probably said from the beginning, I don't hold any grudges against her at all or her family at all because if they... I mean, if I were in their position and there was some kid that was with someone I loved last, I mean, and all this happened, he lied to the police, you name it, I mean, I'd be... I'd be pissed. I'd be... I'd probably go to that kid, and you know, I'm someone that I'd probably beat him up until he tells me everything he knows.

And I mean, I think they've gone about this in a wrong way in a lot of senses, too. But that they blame me, I don't blame them for or hold any grudges against them for at all.

Interviewer: In terms of going about it in the wrong way, what... in which way is it the wrong way that they've done this?

Joran van der Sloot: I think they've done a lot of things that have hurt a lot of people that don't deserve to be hurt, a lot of people that are really good. I mean, one example is boycotting an island. That's something you can't do. I mean, Aruba's done everything, everything to try and solve the case. And that's something that really bothers me, that you could just go on TV and say, I'm going to boycott an island and get a government to agree to that, that's something that I really... I think that's absolutely wrong.

I mean, the Aruban people are great people. They've done everything, everything to try and solve this case, and that's something that just really... you know, it... that pisses me off. That they go towards me and blame me is something I can understand. But to go towards my family and my friends and Aruba and everyone I love, that's something that really hurts me.

Interviewer: Take me back to May twenty-ninth. Do you remember when you first saw Natalee?

Joran van der Sloot: I remember... I remember when I first saw her. I went there, I went to the casino, the Excelsior casino at the Holiday Inn, to play a free poker tournament. I remember walking in there and sitting at a... playing a... first playing a poker tournament, then afterwards, when I was done, going to a blackjack table and sitting down. And I remember her and her friends coming up to the table. They sat down. They wanted to play blackjack.

And I didn't even notice Natalee from that beginning, from that (unintelligible). I didn't even pay any attention to her. There was a friend of hers that was sitting next to me that said she'd lost... she'd lost a hundred dollars or a hundred and twenty dollars of her father's money, and she wanted to win it back. And I said, You know what? I'll help you. I'll help you try and win back your money. I'll tell you when to hit and when to stay. And that's what I did.

You know, we were just talking socially. It was just... it was just... it was just talking with nothing... nothing else involved. And then they ended up asking me if... they ended up telling me it was their last night and asked if I wanted to go to Carlos 'n Charlie's.

Interviewer: Had you been to Carlos 'n Charlie's before? You know the place?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, I know the place. I went there on weekends a lot. It's just... it's a place where I know... it's fun place. It's a place where people go and hang out and have fun. I mean...

Interviewer: You say a free poker game. What does that mean, for those who don't know what that is here?

Joran van der Sloot: It's a... it's just... it's a tournament, you know, of poker, Texas hold 'em poker. It's a... they just have tournaments here that people play. And at the end, if you win a tournament, you win money.

Interviewer: Were you there earlier with your father that day, or had he left or...

Joran van der Sloot: My father doesn't like casinos at all. He doesn't want me playing in casinos at all, either. But I convinced him to come that day to the casino and play that tournament because he... because it was a free tournament. I said, I have the chance... I want you to come with me and you can just play one time and see how it is. So you see, you know, why I go play, too, because it's just a social thing. It's a... it was a fun thing to do.

And yes, so my dad had come with me. And halfway through, he... because my mom at the time was in Holland, halfway through, he had to go back home to my little brother because he was home alone. And I took his place at the poker tournament because I had lost earlier. So I went in and I took his place and I played for him.

Interviewer: So you were there alone. You didn't... later on, you caught up with Satish and Deepak, but at that point, you were there alone, playing poker?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, I was there alone. I was there alone, playing cards.

Interviewer: Anything catch your attention about Natalee or her friends, anything you recall?

Joran van der Sloot: I mean, no, nothing... nothing to catch my attention. They seemed like normal girls. I mean, I talked to them... I talked to them normally. I mean, they... yes, nothing of them was out of the ordinary at all.

Interviewer: Interested in any of them at... at the poker table?

Joran van der Sloot: Interested? No, not really. I was more talking... the girl that was sitting next to me, I was... I thought she was pretty and I was talking to her. And when I went... what the point was for going to Carlos 'n Charlie's was I wanted to actually meet up with her.

Interviewer: Do you remember her name?

Joran van der Sloot: I don't... I didn't remember it, but I remember it now because I heard it afterwards. I think her name was Kathleen.

Interviewer: So about what time... did you leave the blackjack table first, or did the young women, the girls from Mountain Brook, leave the table first?

Joran van der Sloot: When she'd won back... Kathleen, who was sitting next to me, when she'd won about a hundred dollars, me and her friends convinced her to go cash the money. So that's when they went to go cash... they went to go cash their chips.

Interviewer: So did they all leave together, sort of like a herd of girls, do you remember?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, I think they left in a group. They all stayed together.

Interviewer: Did they...

Joran van der Sloot: And I remember afterwards going into... right behind that casino is a little bar, and I remember watching... walking in there. And there was a baseball game on TV, and again, the group of girls was sitting there. And they said, Oh, yes, don't forget to come out tonight. And I told them that on Sunday, it wasn't a good night to go out. It wasn't fun. It wasn't... and... but they said, You know, if you want to come, come. And I ended up deciding that, yes, I might as well go and have fun.

Interviewer: Were you drinking at that point?

Joran van der Sloot: No, at that point, I wasn't drinking. I'd had a drink at the... during the poker tournament, but at that point, I hadn't taken a drink. They were drinking, however.

Interviewer: Could you feel the effect of that one drink, at that point?

Joran van der Sloot: No, not at all.

Interviewer: Ok. Ok. And were they acting like they had been drinking quite liberally and freely? Could you tell whether they were?

Joran van der Sloot: I mean, yes, they were drinking liberally and freely, but I mean, I think they had every right to. I mean, they had graduated. They just finished their high school. You know, they'd just been... they'd finished their high school, and I think they had every right to come to Aruba and have... and you know, and celebrate their graduation. I mean, they worked for that their whole life. And I've met tons of people that do the same thing.

And I mean, one problem I might have seen with it is the drinking age in the United States is twenty-one, and the drinking age in Aruba is eighteen. And you know, I've met a lot of people that when they're... you know, whose parents don't let them drink or do anything like that, and when they... you know, when they come to Aruba and they get a chance to drink, they go... you know, they go overboard, and that's something that's... that's bad, something that shouldn't happen.

Interviewer: About what time did you walk out of the Holiday Inn casino for the evening?

Joran van der Sloot: I don't remember exactly what time it was.

Interviewer: Can you give me an estimate?

Joran van der Sloot: It was probably ten, I think... nine, ten.

Interviewer: And they were already gone at that point, do you remember?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, they were sitting in a bar behind the casino.

Interviewer: And where did you go when you left the casino?

Joran van der Sloot: And I called another friend of mine and asked him if he wanted to go out, and he said he had to work the next day, so he couldn't go out. And at that point, I called my dad and asked him if he could pick me up. And he said he'd pick me up at the McDonald's, so I walked over to the McDonald's, where he picked me up and took me home.

Interviewer: So it's a cell phone call to your house.

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, a cell phone call to my house.

Interviewer: Any reason why the McDonald's? Did you get something to eat or...

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, because I wanted to get something to eat, too. I hadn't eaten anything. So I got something to eat at the McDonald's.

Interviewer: How far is the walk from Holiday Inn to McDonald's, about?

Joran van der Sloot: Five minutes, probably.

Interviewer: So you got to the McDonald's. Was your father already there, or did you wait for him?

Joran van der Sloot: No, he wasn't there yet. I got something to eat, and while I was eating it, he arrived.

Interviewer: Any idea what time he arrived?

Joran van der Sloot: No. Probably ten minutes after I called him, twenty minutes after I called him.

Interviewer: At the point where you called him, were you intending to go to Carlos and Charlie's at that point? Had you made up your mind?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, I'd made up my mind that I was going to go there, and I'd also made up my mind that I wasn't going to tell him that I was going to go there because I know he would have said no. He would have said that I couldn't go. So I had made up my own mind that I was going to go out without him knowing.

Interviewer: How were you going to do that? Did you... at that point, had you called anybody else besides the one friend that turned you down?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes. Then walking... when I kept walking, I called Deepak and I asked him if he wanted to go out. And he said, Sure. Sure, I'd like to go out. I don't have to work the next day until three in the afternoon, so of course.

Interviewer: How old is Deepak? How much older is he than you are?

Joran van der Sloot: Deepak's twenty-one.

Interviewer: How do you know him?

Joran van der Sloot: I met him a long time ago through a friend of mine. And now... and since then, we've been friends... never best friends or anything like that, but you know, we've... we hung out together and sometimes we went out together and stuff like that.

Interviewer: What's a long time ago to you, in terms of... you're only seventeen, at this point.

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, I know that.

Interviewer: So what's a long time ago?

Joran van der Sloot: From that point, that day, I think three months earlier, two months earlier I'd met him.

Interviewer: So he was a friend of three months.

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, three or four months...

Interviewer: Did you know Satish at that point?

Joran van der Sloot: No. I met... I met Deepak first, and then I met Satish.

Interviewer: But you knew Satish before that night...

(CROSSTALK)

Joran van der Sloot: Before that night, I had-met him before, yes.

Interviewer: What... so where... where'd you ever gone with Deepak? I mean, what kind of stuff did you guys do? How well do you know him?

Joran van der Sloot: You know, we hung out together sometimes. We'd go out to Carlos and Charlie's together sometimes, but I don't know him that well.

Interviewer: Did he go to school with you?

Joran van der Sloot: No, he didn't go to school with me.

Interviewer: So he wasn't a classmate.

Joran van der Sloot: No, he wasn't a class...

Interviewer: And neither was Satish?

Joran van der Sloot: No.

Interviewer: Do you know where they went to school?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, they went to a local school, and I went to the international school here.

Interviewer: Did Deepak... Deepak had a job at... when... this was a year ago. Where was he working?

Joran van der Sloot: He was working at an Internet cafe.

Interviewer: Had you ever called him sort of late at night or ten o'clock at night, eleven o'clock at night before and said, Let's go out?

Joran van der Sloot: Oh, yes. I'd done that before, you know, because I don't have a car. I don't... didn't have a driver's license and I'm not allowed to drive. So if I want to go out, yes, I'm dependent on... on friends, that... you know, that have a car. So I'd give him a call sometimes, or another friend of mine, you know, Let's go out.

Interviewer: What's the driving age here?

Joran van der Sloot: The driving age is eighteen.

Interviewer: So did any of your classmates... I take it your classmates at the international school didn't have a driver's license.

Joran van der Sloot: No, some... a couple kids in my class went, because I was in my senior year. A couple kids of them had a driver's license, but not all of them, no.

Interviewer: So when you're walking from the Holiday Inn to the McDonald's, you made the phone call. Deepak says he'll go out. Did you make sort of the plans how you were going to... you know, where's he going to pick you up because you didn't want your father to know?

Joran van der Sloot: No. I have an apartment in my house, so it's, like, away, kind of away from the house. And I called him, and he just came into my room with his brother. I didn't know at that point his brother was coming with him. But he came at that point in my room with his brother, and I was just printing out some work for school for the next day that I had to hand in. And I just finished that up. So I came into my room, and then they were there.

Interviewer: So they came through the gate. I mean, they actually...

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, they just...

Interviewer: ... came through the gate...

Joran van der Sloot: ... walked through my... through my gate and went into my room.

Interviewer: They didn't drive through the gate, so your father wouldn't have noticed that.

Joran van der Sloot: No, no. Whenever friends come by, they park their car right outside the house.

Interviewer: So about what time do you think or estimate that they arrived at your house?

Joran van der Sloot: Probably, I don't know, eleven forty-five, twelve.

Interviewer: How far away does Deepak live from you?

Joran van der Sloot: About twenty minutes, I think.

Interviewer: By car?

Joran van der Sloot: By car.

Interviewer: From your house... if you're going to drive from your house to Carlos and Charlie's, about how long does that take?

Joran van der Sloot: About fifteen minutes, I think.

Interviewer: Did you tell Deepak that night that you had met these... these...

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, I told him... that's exactly... that's exactly what I told him. I told him I met a couple of girls, and they asked if I wanted to go out. So that's... yes, that's what I plan to do.

Interviewer: You tell him anything else about the girls, whether or not you thought they'd be fun or they'd be, you know, something that Deepak might want to hook up with, or Satish might want to...

Joran van der Sloot: Oh, no, no, no. No, no.

Interviewer: No details?

Joran van der Sloot: No details.

Interviewer: When they picked you up, did you go straight from your home to Carlos and Charlie's?

Joran van der Sloot: When they picked me up, we went straight there, straight to Carlos and Charlie's.

Interviewer: When you arrived at Carlos 'n Charlie's, any idea about what time it is?

Joran van der Sloot: It was probably, you know, twelve-fifteen, I think, twelve-thirty maybe.

Interviewer: How late does it stay open?

Joran van der Sloot: That night it was open until one a m.

Interviewer: Is that usual? I mean, every...

Joran van der Sloot: Every... during weekdays, it's open until one a m, yes.

Interviewer: And were the girls from Mountain Brook already there?

Joran van der Sloot: They were already there. I walked in, and I... when I walked in, I saw one of them on the left-hand side and she just said... she said, Hi. And I said, Hi, back. And then I walked in with them and was going to go to the bar with them and get a drink. And that's when... right when I walked in, I saw Natalee was standing on the dance floor. She was dancing, and she screamed at me to go dance with her. She was dancing on the stage. There was, like, a podium there.

Interviewer: Did she know your name? Did she know you well enough to know your name at that point?

Joran van der Sloot: No, I don't think she knew my name. She just screamed to me to go dance with her. And at that point, I didn't. I went to go get a drink with Deepak and Satish.

Joran van der Sloot: Where... the one that you sat next that you thought was attractive at the casino, did you see her there?

Joran van der Sloot: No. I saw one of her friends there.

Interviewer: So she never appeared anyplace that you remember that night.

Joran van der Sloot: No, maybe that I did see her, but I don't think I spoke to her.

Interviewer: What... you went up to the bar and got a drink. What were you drinking?

Joran van der Sloot: A yard is a drink you can there, and, yes, that's what we got.

Interviewer: So, drink number two is separated by several hours.

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: Ok. What happened next with...

Joran van der Sloot: So next, we walked down again to the stage. We were just looking at people... the people who were dancing on stage. And then again, she said to me to... she told me to go dance with her, and I said no.

Interviewer: Do you dance?

Joran van der Sloot: Sometimes, yes, but not really dancing.

Interviewer: Ok.

Joran van der Sloot: I'm not really a dancing person. And then she came down off the stage and grabbed me by my hand and said, Come with me. And she took me to the bar, which is on the other... on the left-hand side. And she jumped on the... she jumped on the bar, so sitting on the bar.

Interviewer: Sitting or lying down?

Joran van der Sloot: Sitting first, and then she said, Are you going to take a jelly shot off me?

Interviewer: What is that?

Joran van der Sloot: It's just something... a jelly shot is what you put on your belly button, or a body shot, I mean, and then you... you take it off... off of the belly button.

Interviewer: And you did that?

Joran van der Sloot: And I did that.

Interviewer: What was that... what were you drinking then in the shot, do you remember?

Joran van der Sloot: I don't have no clue what it is.

Interviewer: Is there a way to describe her, I mean, and whether she seemed or appeared to be, you know, drinking? Did she seem to be drunk?

Joran van der Sloot: Oh... she'd been drinking, but she wasn't drunk. I mean, she knew what she was doing. And you know, all the people there were drinking, as well. I mean, that's just... that's normal when you go out and have a drink with your friends.

Interviewer: Any interest in her, at that point?

Joran van der Sloot: At that point, when she got my hand and took me to the bar, yes.

Interviewer: So what happened next?

Joran van der Sloot: Well, so next, then she said Ok, so let's take another shot, is what she told me. So she wanted to take a shot with me. But it was probably close to one a m there then, and the bar was closing. So I said, Ok, well, we can go to the other bar. And then I asked her, What do you want to drink? And she's, like, Whatever. So she said, yes (unintelligible) What do you suggest. And I said, Baccardi one fifty-one. That's a shot I normally take with my friends. And we took a shot together. And after that, we just were talking a while. And I saw Satish, and Satish said... said, Let's go. And then... Deepak, I don't know where he was. I didn't see him in Carlos and Charlie's after that.

Interviewer: How old is Satish, at this point?

Joran van der Sloot: How old is...

Interviewer: Yes, how old is he then, at... this night?

Joran van der Sloot: I think he was eighteen or nineteen. I don't know.

Interviewer: So he's an adult, too, I mean, legally can drink, Satish can?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: Was he drinking?

Joran van der Sloot: The only drink I seen him (unintelligible) was that one we got together.

Interviewer: Could you feel the alcohol, at this point?

Joran van der Sloot: No, not at all.

Interviewer: At any time throughout the night, could you feel the alcohol at all that you drank?

Joran van der Sloot: No.

Interviewer: How tall are you?

Joran van der Sloot: Probably six four or six three.

Interviewer: How much do you weigh?

Joran van der Sloot: Two twenty, I think.

Interviewer: Ok, so you're big.

Joran van der Sloot: Uh-huh.

Interviewer: Ok.

Joran van der Sloot: ... if I had a big house or not. And then... then she said... I said, So you want to see my house? And she's, like, yes.

Interviewer: At what point did you leave Carlos 'n Charlie's?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, when it was... when it was closing, when everyone started leaving and you saw the groups of people leaving.

Interviewer: Were they throwing you out and turning the lights on and off?

Joran van der Sloot: Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

Interviewer: Or what was the sign that it was time to go?

Joran van der Sloot: No, it was just, yes, it was just they turn off the music and they turn off everything and it was just time to go, yes.

Interviewer: Had you made any agreement or arrangement with Natalee at that point to leave with her or anything?

Joran van der Sloot: No, not at all. That came very spontaneously. She's like, "Ok, you want me to go with you?" And I was like "Ok." And I saw her go up to some of her friends. I don't know what she said to them. And then, yes, then we... then we ended up leaving. The plan was to go to my house.

Interviewer: Any other conversation with her before you left Carlos 'n Charlie's, remember anything that you guys talked about, said, or anything?

Joran van der Sloot: Not really. It was more like, no, just your normal, casual talk.

Interviewer: Did she say where she was from, for instance?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, she said that she was from Alabama and she said... she said she wanted to become a doctor and, yes...

Interviewer: Did she ask you about yourself?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, she asked me about myself too.

Interviewer: What did you tell her?

Joran van der Sloot: I told her I was nineteen, when I was actually seventeen, but, yes.

Interviewer: Did you say where, you know, your plans or anything like that what you wanted to do? I mean was there that much of a dialog between you?

Joran van der Sloot: Not really. I mean I never really got to actually know her. I really didn't actually ever get, you know, to know her like you know a friend or you know someone like that. It was just casual talking. You know a little about each other and that's all it was.

Interviewer: Was it the kind of bar situation where it's loud, you're talking over loud music or could you ever, was it... could you have a conversation?

Joran van der Sloot: It was loud music but you could have a conversation.

Interviewer: So, what time do you think you stepped foot out of Carlos 'nCharlie's?

Joran van der Sloot: Probably, yes probably one a.m.

Interviewer: Did you walk... you walked out with Natalee?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, I walked out with her.

Interviewer: And she had your hand or you had her hand?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, we had each other hand and Satish was there as well with us.

Interviewer: Where was Deepak?

Joran van der Sloot: He was waiting at his car.

Interviewer: Any reason why he went out ahead?

Joran van der Sloot: I don't know. You have to ask him that.

Interviewer: Is he sort of, I mean a guy who enjoys the bar scene?

Joran van der Sloot: I don't know. Again, you'll have to ask him that I mean.

Interviewer: How about the girls, they like him?

Joran van der Sloot: I don't know. You'll have to ask him that.

Interviewer: But when you were out with him or something did he talk to them? Was he friendly?

Joran van der Sloot: No, he didn't talk to them. He didn't really talk to any of them.

Interviewer: How about Satish did he?

Joran van der Sloot: No.

Interviewer: How far was the car parked from Carlos 'nCharlie's?

Joran van der Sloot: It was parked right behind it.

Interviewer: So, Deepak's at the car. Satish is in front of you?

Joran van der Sloot: Satish was with us.

Interviewer: With you and then you and Natalee holding hands walked to the car?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: Any discussion between Carlos 'nCharlie's and the car between you and Satish or you and Natalee?

Joran van der Sloot: No, just between me and Natalee. We were speaking English to each other and I asked her if she wanted to go back to her hotel and that's when she said that she wanted to... she asked me if I -- if I had a big house or not and then... then she said... I said to her, "Do you want to see my house?" And she's like, "Yes, I want to go to your house."

Interviewer: All right, so the plan I assume was that, I mean you were interested in her at least I assume, correct me if I'm wrong, that you would take her back and have some sort of relationship with her at that point?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: Ever talk about it, about whether you were going to have sex or anything like that?

Joran van der Sloot: No, not actually talk about it, no, but not like she said no. "Do you want to have sex?" No, it wasn't anything like that.

Interviewer: That was your intention and you were hopeful that was her intention?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: Did she ever say anything at all sexual to you at that point walking to the car, any hints, anything?

Joran van der Sloot: No, it was just we were holding hands and we walked to the car.

Interviewer: When you got to the car who drove?

Joran van der Sloot: It was Deepak driving the car.

Interviewer: It's his car?

Joran van der Sloot: It's his car.

Interviewer: He likes his car?

Joran van der Sloot: I think so.

Interviewer: I hear that he paid a lot of attention to his car.

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, I think so too.

Interviewer: Does he let Satish drive it?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, sometimes. Yes, Satish drives it sometimes.

Interviewer: What kind of car is it?

Joran van der Sloot: It's a Honda Civic, a gray one.

Interviewer: Had you driven in it before?

Joran van der Sloot: No, no.

Interviewer: You'd never been in his car before?

Joran van der Sloot: Oh, drove with him, yes.

Interviewer: Yes, yes.

Joran van der Sloot: Driven it myself, no.

Interviewer: Ok but you'd been in the car.

Interviewer: So you leave Carlos 'nCharlie's and your intention was to head to your house. Did you actually head to your house?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, we did. We actually did end up heading to my house because that's what she was... that's what she wanted to, so I was fine with it. And then during the car ride she was... she had her hand on my... on my leg and I had my hand on her leg and we were both in the back. We were kissing each other and so I took (unintelligible) in a... in a positive not in a bad way.

Interviewer: Did you ever actually make it to your house?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, we did. We actually did stop in front of my house. We got to my house and then, yes then I... then she said she wanted to go see sharks.

Interviewer: Why sharks?

Joran van der Sloot: I have no idea why she wanted to go see sharks and so I was laughing and telling her there's no sharks.

Interviewer: Did you actually go into your house with her?

Joran van der Sloot: No, no, no. We never even got out of the car there.

Interviewer: She had no interest in going into your house? She didn't say anything?

Joran van der Sloot: No, at that point she wanted... she wanted to go see sharks is what she said and then she came with a strange story that her mom was Hitler's sister or Hitler's sister's daughter and she was sorry to me for that because... because I don't know if she thought I was German or something and I'm like "I'm Dutch, so I don't really care about anything like that." And I asked, "You're joking right?" And she said, "No, no, no, no, I'm serious. I'm serious."

Just another example of that is, you know, that's a strange story. That makes absolutely no sense. Why would you say something like that if it's not true? But there's actually police reports of one of her friends that says she told her the same thing.

Interviewer: Now, the whole time you're in the car driving from Carlos 'nCharlie's, stopping for a short time at your house and talking to Natalee, did Deepak and Satish join in the conversation? Are they talking?

Joran van der Sloot: Not really. We had music on. There was one remark she did make like she told me, she asked me if they were my slaves because they were driving around but Deepak and Satish never ended up hearing that. I told them that afterwards. So, yes, she said in Alabama we consider black people slaves.

Interviewer: All right, so you drive from your house and where is your next, where is the next point you stop the car?

Joran van der Sloot: The next point we stopped the car was at the beach where we ended up going to. We were driving. The point was to drive to her hotel then but we drove... we drove right by that and she said, yes, because she didn't want to go to her hotel. She wanted to go see sharks.

Interviewer: About how long did it take from the point of your house to drive to the beach?

Joran van der Sloot: That probably takes around five minutes.

Interviewer: Did you drive past her hotel at that point or just drive right to the beach?

Joran van der Sloot: No, we drove past her... past her hotel and then took the road right next to her hotel.

Interviewer: And so when you go to the beach you then move down to the Marriott is that right? You went farther north of the Marriott?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, the Marriott is right next to it.

Interviewer: Had you ever been to the Marriott beach before?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, tons of times, lots of times.

Interviewer: I guess as a kid you played soccer there right?

Joran van der Sloot: I played soccer on the beach there. I went with my friends to the beach there. I mean I've been there probably a thousand times.

Interviewer: Why that beach? I mean there's an awful lot of beaches in this... on this island, why that beach?

Joran van der Sloot: Because we were driving towards her hotel. That's just... and that was just the one place I wanted to get out.

Interviewer: Had you ever been to the beach before with Deepak and Satish?

Joran van der Sloot: With them alone, no.

Interviewer: So where did you park?

Joran van der Sloot: If you drive by right by the last Marriott Hotel so we took a left and you can drive right to the end of the road there and we stopped there, so you're basically still at the hotel and that's where... where we got out of the car and I told Deepak that "I'll call you later to pick me up" and he said "Ok," and he left and we walked on the beach.

And, I mean there were people there. There were couples there on the beach as well. I mean we walked by other couples. It's not... that beach is... it's a very busy beach. There's a lot of people there even at nighttime.

Interviewer: On the beach you weren't directly in front of the Marriott, you were a little bit north of the Marriott is that right, you call it the Marriott beach but you weren't directly in front of the hotel?

Joran van der Sloot: At that point, we were basically almost directly in front of the Marriott Hotel.

Interviewer: Did you cut through the hotel to the beach?

Joran van der Sloot: No, no. You didn't really cut because you're right at the... the right side of the Marriott Hotel, all the way at the right. She didn't really cut through... through the hotel but you were walking on the hotel property where there's beach chairs and all that stuff.

Interviewer: So, Satish... I mean Deepak just dropped you off.

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: And he was willing... he indicated he was willing to come back and pick you up at some point?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: He didn't mind? He wasn't going to go home and sleep for an hour and be annoyed by your call? He didn't indicate like, "Don't wake me up" or anything like that?

Joran van der Sloot: No.

Interviewer: He had no complaints at all?

Joran van der Sloot: No.

Interviewer: What was your intention at that point to have sex with her?

Joran van der Sloot: That was my, yes, that was my intention, yes. That was my first intention.

Interviewer: And where did you think Deepak and Satish were going?

Joran van der Sloot: At home.

Interviewer: You thought they'd go all the way home and come back and get you?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, it's not that far of a drive.

Interviewer: Why would they do that for you?

Joran van der Sloot: I don't know. They're friends I think, yes. They would have done that.

Interviewer: Had they ever done that before for you?

Joran van der Sloot: That, no, but I don't have a... I don't have a car, so how else would I have gotten home? I mean I could have paid a taxicab to have gotten home but, no, they said... he was fine with that. He said "That's fine." He would pick me up and bring me home.

Interviewer: So you got out of the car. Did you have sex with Natalee?

Joran van der Sloot: No, no, not...

Interviewer: How come?

Joran van der Sloot: Well, we got at the beach. We walked up. I took off my shoes. We walked to the... to the ocean and that's where we sat down as well. That's where I left my shoes and then we started walking. And I asked her, you know, let's... we can walk toward your hotel because there were a lot of people there too. And she wanted to walk the other way, so towards the... starting to go towards the lighthouse.

And, so we started walking... walking in that direction, more towards the fisherman's hut and, yes, we were holding hands, talking and kissing, just having a good time.

Interviewer: Do you have any idea what time you actually got out of Deepak's car? Can you estimate that?

Joran van der Sloot: I can't say exactly when. I don't know exactly when. The only thing I can say for sure is when I was home because that's... you know you said it yourself to me that the most important thing is to look at facts and, you know, those are facts that you can actually say what time you got home, by video footage what time you left Carlos 'n Charlie's. Those are things you can actually, you know, actually really prove.

Interviewer: All right, well let me jump ahead. What time did you get home so we have this time frame?

Joran van der Sloot: It was three thirty-five I think, or three forty-five and we had... I had ABC look at the pieces there. Well, they had the pieces too, so that's one thing I can be sure of.

Interviewer: Are you able to... are you able to estimate how long you were on the beach with Natalee?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, it was probably an hour, maybe not even an hour.

Interviewer: So, besides walking north in the direction away from her hotel what else were you doing?

Joran van der Sloot: Nothing really just holding hands and talking about, yes, everything.

Interviewer: What was her condition?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, to me she seemed like she had... she had something to drink but she seemed fine. You know she knew... she knew what she was doing.

Interviewer: What did you guys talk about?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, we talked about... she said about that she was going to school and she didn't want to leave Aruba because she loved it so much. She was... she thought it was the best place in the world and, yes, that's stuff we talked about.

Interviewer: What kind of stuff were you saying?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, I told her that... I lied to her that I was nineteen. I said that I was going to go study in the states at St. Leo (ph) University and, you know, I was just... we were just having casual talk talking about stuff.

Interviewer: So you never had intercourse right?

Joran van der Sloot: No, never.

Interviewer: How come? I mean that was your intention and...

Joran van der Sloot: Well, I mean when... when actually at the point that it did get down to that I didn't have a condom with me and I've heard... I've heard people say "Oh, that's strange. Oh, that makes absolutely no... no sense. Any eighteen year-old, or seventeen year-old then, when he doesn't have a condom, would have sex anyway." And I mean that's the truth though.

I didn't have a condom with me, and that's why I didn't have sex with her, because I won't have sex with a girl without a condom. I mean I've never... I've never done that before and I'm never going to do that either. It's just something that... that I've always kept myself to. That's important for me too.

Interviewer: Did you discuss that with her at all?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, that's what I told her then that I... that I wouldn't have sex, that I didn't have a condom and I wouldn't have sex without a condom. I usually have one in my wallet I always carry around with me in my wallet and I didn't have one with me then.

Interviewer: And what was her reaction to all this?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, she understood that and she didn't want to do it without a condom either.

Interviewer: So, but there was some sort of... I mean you had some sort of sexual contact at some point is that right?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: Was that in the car or was that on the beach?

Joran van der Sloot: That was on the beach too.

Interviewer: And at this point Satish and Deepak they're long gone in the car?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: Other people walking on the beach?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, there was... the time that I started walking the other direction there was only one couple that I walked by because most of them were at the actual Marriott Hotel. At that (unintelligible), there was only one couple that I actually walked by.

Interviewer: What was it that was sort of the... why did you leave, I mean what happened? Did the conversation end or how did you happen to leave?

Leave the beach. At some point you and Natalee separated according to you is that right?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: How did that come about?

Joran van der Sloot: Well, I mean I had... I had to go to school the next day. I was close to my exams to do my final exams and, you know, the bus was picking me up at six forty a m I mean I had to go home and I didn't want my dad to go into my room and see I'm not there or anything like that, so I mean I had to go home. So, yes, at one point I told her, you know, it's time to go back to your hotel and she was just like, "No, let's stay here. Let's look at the stars." She was just saying, you know, "Stay here with me. Just stay here with me the whole night. Tomorrow I have to go back anyway" and, you know, that's... that's what we were talking about.

Interviewer: And what did you say? I mean how does the conversation go back and forth between the two of you on this?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, so she was asking me to stay and I told her I really had to go so, you know, for me to bring her back to her hotel and then I said at the end, I said "Ok, well I'm going to call Deepak to come pick me up." And so, I walked right there.

There's the fisherman's hut. There's a little... because there's a lot of wind there on the beach, so I walked right next to that and that's where I called him from. And I... I asked him... I asked him to come pick me up. Then it was his brother that came to pick me up but I asked him to come pick me up.

Interviewer: Do you know where... so you actually, you had actually called him and reached him on your cell phone?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, on a cell phone.

Interviewer: And said "Come pick me up," and what did he say?

Joran van der Sloot: And he said, "Yes, Ok. Ok, sure." He said he was on his computer talking to friends.

Interviewer: So, at... so about how much later did Satish show up driving his car?

Joran van der Sloot: Probably fifteen minutes later, ten minutes later.

Interviewer: Deepak wasn't there?

Joran van der Sloot: No.

Interviewer: He wasn't in the car?

Joran van der Sloot: No, wasn't in the car.

Interviewer: Did you see Deepak at all again that night?

Joran van der Sloot: No, no until the next day, that night.

Interviewer: Did Satish pick you up in his car or his mother's car?

Joran van der Sloot: In Deepak's car.

Interviewer: So, it's the same car that dropped you off?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: Did you say "Where's Deepak"?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, that was... of course that was the first reaction when I... when I came there. I walked over and I sat in the car and I was like, you know, "Where's Deepak"? He said, "Oh, he's at home on his computer." And that's when I, you know, I told him, you know, the girl's still on the beach and, you know, she wanted me to stay there with her and, you know, I want to go. I want to go home. What do you do?

And he reacted like, you know, Ok (unintelligible) "Let's go, you know, let's go fast and let's leave, you know, like, you know, not really caring about her. Let's just go and leave her there." And, I was like, "Ok" so (unintelligible) we really went without even saying goodbye to her or without even really seeing her and telling her at that point that we were going to go.

Interviewer: Did Satish ever get out of the car when he picked you up?

Joran van der Sloot: No, no, no. Never. He stayed behind the wheel the whole time.

Interviewer: Did you point in the general area where Natalee was?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, I said that (unintelligible) right there, and that... you know, that... you know, he said, yes, let's screw it. Let's... let's go home.

Interviewer: So about how far away was Natalee, at that point, from the car when Satish picked you up?

Joran van der Sloot: Probably 300 yards.

Interviewer: So about 900 feet. I mean...

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: ... quite a distance. I mean, at least... I mean...

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, there's... I don't know... I didn't even know it was...

Interviewer: So you couldn't see her, basically.

Joran van der Sloot: No, you couldn't see her. I don't know if it was that far, actually, because you have a road that goes there, along with the beach, where he drove by. And his car is kind of fixed up, and you know, his muffler from this car is really loud, so it made a lot of noise. So that's the first thing I heard when he came with his car. That's the first thing I heard was the muffler from the car making sounds. So I actually... I knew... I knew he was coming.

Interviewer: So when you were with Natalee... you were actually with Natalee when you heard the sound of the muffler?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes.

Interviewer: What did you say to Natalee, at that point?

Joran van der Sloot: At that point, I was with her still at the beach, and I told her that I had to take her... to take her back to her hotel, that really... she really had to go back to her hotel because I really had to go... I really had to go to school the next day. And she was just, like... she thought that I would stay there with her, and that's what she... and that's (unintelligible) probably what I... what I should have done. That's the one thing that I did... that I did wrong, you know, to leave her there without her... without actually saying I was going to leave her there. And yes, it just...

Interviewer: You left without your shoes. How do you... how do you explain that?

Joran van der Sloot: We walked onto the... on the beach in the beginning, and where we sat down there, then, I had taken off my shoes. And because, when you walk in, it was the exact same shoes that I'm wearing now.

Interviewer: Same kind?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, exactly.

Interviewer: Or those aren't the shoes?

Joran van der Sloot: No, no. Those aren't the shoes...

Interviewer: Those are the same kind.

Joran van der Sloot: ... but those are the exact same kinds.

Interviewer: All right.

Joran van der Sloot: The same size, too. And... no, and so when I was on the beach, I had taken them off there, not to get sand into them. And that's where... you know, where we... were we started walking the other way. I always thought we'd go back, and that's where I'd left my shoes. And then the point in the car when we said, You know, we're going to leave, then, yes, we just left and I didn't really care about my shoes anymore.

Interviewer: You hadn't realized... I mean, in order to... I mean, to walk that 900 feet that's... you know, you're walking through the sand and a little bit on pavement, where the car is, right?

Joran van der Sloot: No, it's just sand, and then it comes right to the pavement. So no, I knew I didn't have my shoes with me. That's (unintelligible)

Interviewer: It didn't bother you?

Joran van der Sloot: It didn't bother me. I mean, when he said... I wasn't planning on leaving right away. It was that action that took place there that we're, like, Ok, you know, let's go. And then that's when we left.

Interviewer: Did you... you didn't say to Satish, Look, I got to go get my shoes?

Joran van der Sloot: No, that's when... of course, I should have, but no.

Interviewer: Did Natalee take off her shoes?

Joran van der Sloot: I don't remember. I think she had sandals on. I don't know. I think she was wearing... yes. yes, she did.

Interviewer: She did.

Joran van der Sloot: She had her... yes, she left her sandals there, too.

Interviewer: Did she walk in the water with you?

Joran van der Sloot: We didn't walk in the water, we walked on the beach the whole time.

Interviewer: Ok. So you took them off because you didn't want to get sand in, not because you didn't want to get them wet.

Joran van der Sloot: Yes. No, no, no, because I didn't want to get sand in them.

Interviewer: And so it wasn't the least bit peculiar to you that you left the shoes behind and got in the car?

Joran van der Sloot: Of course... well, of course, it was peculiar, but I mean, it wasn't like — I didn't really care about them at that point. I was... it was more (unintelligible) the conversation moment, like, You know, let's go. Let's... you know, Let's go because he was, like, yes, you know, screw her Let's go home. And I knew if I would have gone back, she would have been, like, again, Let's go... let's go back. Let's stay here... blah, blah, blah.

And at that point, when I called him between that, there was actually a point where I'd picked her to... you know, in a joking way, Like, Ok, then I'm going to take you back to your hotel, if you don't want to go back. And she said, No, put me down. And so I put her down again. And then I was just talking to her, and yes, I explained to her why I had to go home. And she was, Oh, you know, please stay with me. Please stay with me until the next day.

Interviewer: Did you think it was unusual that Deepak didn't come back and pick you up?

Joran van der Sloot: No (unintelligible) because he was... he told me he was on his computer.

Interviewer: What was the... there was a discrepancy at some point - - I mean, there've been a lot of reports. It's sort of hard to figure out what is and what isn't... that at one point, you said Deepak gave you a ride home. And it changed to Satish. Can you explain that? Or is there not a discrepancy?

Joran van der Sloot: Well, there is a discrepancy there, and I did at one point say that Deepak took me home. But that was at the more point from (unintelligible) we'd always said when we were at our house talking that we'd keep... that we'd keep Satish's little brother out it as much as possible when we'd actually made up the story to say that we dropped her off at the Holiday Inn.

Interviewer: Why did you want to keep Satish out of it?

Joran van der Sloot: I didn't want to. That's what Deepak wanted. He said, yes, you know, whatever, you keep... you know, We'll keep my little brother out of it, and that... yes. That's what we agreed on.

Interviewer: So what... you got home about 3:30, is that right? Is that what you told me, 3:30 you got home?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, something like that. I got home a little earlier, but that's when the message that you logged onto your computer, you know, and you went on your e-mail and you went to the Web sites you went to, and yes, that's when all that is registered.

Interviewer: Was that... so that was computer to computer? Is that the... it wasn't text messaging to text messaging?

Joran van der Sloot: No, it was logging onto your...

Interviewer: Computer.

Joran van der Sloot: ... your MSN messenger at home.

Interviewer: Did... when you sent that message off to Deepak, did he respond?

Joran van der Sloot: He did respond, and then I had sent something back to him, and then he didn't respond back again after that.

Interviewer: But he responded by computer, not by some other hand- held device or anything like that.

Joran van der Sloot: No, by... by computer. I did message him. When I got home, I messaged him that I got home. And then he said... and he messaged me back, Ok.

Interviewer: And then you said what? You sent him another message, which said what?

Joran van der Sloot: No, that was on the computer afterwards. And then we were on the computer, and then I... you know, I was just, like, Hey, what's up? I logged on there, there to the computer, because I got home. I went into my kitchen to get something to eat and something to drink. And then I was going to go to sleep. And then I just wanted to go on line and check if any of my friends were on line, if anyone to talk to. And yes, that's when I typed something to him. He responded once. I typed something back, and he didn't respond, and then I went off line.

Interviewer: Did he indicate... did your computer indicate he was still on line when you sent that second message?

Joran van der Sloot: Oh, I don't know. I don't know.

Interviewer: Because you don't have that ability on your program? It wasn't instant messaging?

Joran van der Sloot: No, I think he was... he was on line, but that doesn't mean he necessarily was in front of his computer.

Interviewer: Right. But I mean, did it say he was on line? I mean, he may not be in front of the computer, but when you sent that second message back...

Joran van der Sloot: Yes. Yes.

Interviewer: ... you thought he was on line, but he never responded.

Joran van der Sloot: He was. He was. Yes, he was.

Interviewer: Ok. Did he ever respond to that second message?

Joran van der Sloot: No.

Interviewer: An hour or two hours, three hours later?

Joran van der Sloot: No. No, because then I... I turned off the computer and I'd gone to sleep.

Interviewer: Do you know... do you have any idea what he did after he answered the first message? Did he ever tell you?

Joran van der Sloot: No, never really talked about that after that. I never got a chance to talk to any of my friends or any of them, really, after that.

Interviewer: So you don't know if he went to sleep or he got back in his car. You don't know.

Joran van der Sloot: No. I mean, I can't say anything that I don't know anything about.

Interviewer: All right. So when was the next time you saw Deepak?

Joran van der Sloot: It was the following night at 12:00 at night.

Interviewer: Where?

Joran van der Sloot: At the casino again.

Interviewer: The same casino.

Joran van der Sloot: No, no, we went to another casino, the Radisson casino, and we were playing a poker tournament that night, as well.

Interviewer: Did he give you a ride, or did you meet him there? How did that work out?

Joran van der Sloot: Oh, he called me and... and... he called me from his work and he's, like, Where are you? And I said, I'm at the Radisson with some friends, because I was there with some friends, playing poker. And he said, Ok, I'm coming to you. And so then, yes, he came there.

Interviewer: Had you ever hung out with him two nights in a row before?

Joran van der Sloot: Two nights in a row? Never, really, because he works a lot and... yes.

Interviewer: When you met up with him on the night of the 29th, the night going into Natalee's disappearance, when was the most recent time before that that you'd spent time with him?

Joran van der Sloot: The most recent time before that?

Interviewer: Yes.

Joran van der Sloot: I don't remember exactly when it was.

Interviewer: More than a week or two weeks? Any idea?

Joran van der Sloot: No, it was probably a week.

Interviewer: So this was... so when he called you the second night, on the night of the 30th, to meet you at the Radisson, that was something different, the two nights in a row where you guys were together.

Joran van der Sloot: Sorry?

Interviewer: That was something different that you guys were together two nights in a row, that he would call you the second night.

Joran van der Sloot: Yes. I guess so. It wasn't really anything. He just called me, asked me where I was, and I said I was at the Radisson. And that's where he came to. Then when we actually... when he came there, and I just finished up and then we were going to play blackjack at another casino. And so we went outside of the... we went out of the... out of the casino and stepped into his car there. And that's exactly when I got a phone call from my dad saying, There's people here in front of their house looking for their daughter.

Interviewer: Up until getting that phone call from your father, did Deepak say anything to you unusual or anything that stands out in your mind?

Joran van der Sloot: No, not really.

Interviewer: Did he act any... any... did he actually like he always acted? I mean, was everything normal?

Joran van der Sloot: Yes, everything was. Yes. Actually, no one... no one knew anything. Everyone — everything... everyone just acted normal. I mean, it was just, you know, I went to school the next day. I just went to school, I took... I took an exam that day and I di