Natalee Holloway: A Case That Captivated The Nation

A Troubled Kid

While Joran van der Sloot was a star athlete at school, playing both soccer and tennis, stories from his family reveal that he was a rather troubled young man. He was an honor student who hoped to play tennis for Saint Leo University, but the young van der Sloot also had a reputation for getting into trouble.

According to van der Sloot’s mother, he was an accomplished liar and fabricated stories on a regular basis. He also had a gambling problem, and would often sneak out of the house in the middle of the night in order to go to casinos.