Joran van der Sloot will serve 28 years in one of the world's toughest prisons
"You have been sentenced. Do you have anything to say?"
"I have been told to say nothing," said van der Sloot.
Van der Sloot pled guilty earlier this week to murdering 21-year-old Stefany Flores, who he met at a casino, yet managed to laugh and joke with his attorneys.
There was no laughter Friday. He appeared in the stifling courtroom in a sweat-stained green tee-shirt and denim jeans. He repeatedly wiped his brow with a sleeve and sat fanning himself with his hand.
He is not eligible for release until the year 2038 when he will be a 52-year-old middle-aged man
His sentencing comes just as an Alabama court officially declared Natalee Holloway dead—six years after she disappeared on the island of Aruba.
Holloway's mother, Beth, says she still hopes van der Sloot will one day face justice in a U.S court.