Birmingham, Ala (WIAT) The murder case against Joran van der Sloot is underway in Peru where a preliminary hearing was held this morning.
Fifteen months after Stephany Flores' corpse was found in Joran van der Sloot's Lima hotel room the biggest question is not who killed her, but why.
Van der Sloot has admitted he killed the 21 year old student. He says it was accidental and he was in a fit of rage after she found material relating to Natalee Holloway on his laptop.
Van der Sloot is still the prime suspect in the disappearance of the Mountain Brook teen on a graduation trip to Aruba. She was last seen leaving a bar with van der Sloot and two friends. He was questioned repeatedly by Aruban authorities but never charged.
In a macabre twist, Flores corpse was found five years to the day of Natalee's disappearance.
But investigators claim their examination of van der Sloot's computer shows the Holloway info was accessed the day before Flores was killed.
The prosecution theory is murder in the course of a robbery and they're asking for a thirty year sentence. But the Flores family still wants different charges that would result in life imprisonment. Peru does not have the death penalty.
Edward Alvarez, the Flores family attorney, wants the charges changed. He told the Lima newspaper El Commercio "it is a possibility that the offense might change."
Under Peruvian law, there are fifteen days to amend the charge or begin the trial.
Defense lawyers are arguing that manslaughter would be the more appropriate charge. That would carry a 6-20 year sentence.
Also facing charges in the case are three men accused of helping van der Sloot flee to neighboring Chile after the murder.
Joran van der Sloot was arrested on June 3, 2010 in Chile near the coastal resort of Viña del Mar. He was handed over to the Peruvian authorities two days later and has been in custody in Lima's Castro Castro prison since June 11, 2010.
The three taxi drivers who drove Van der Sloot to the Chilean border will also be indicted on charges of obstructing justice. They face a five-year prison sentence and a fine of 1,250 euros.
Here's the CBS report on today's hearings with some interesting quotes from the Flores family lawyer:
LIMA, Peru (CBS) -- A hearing for Dutch national Joran Van der Sloot who has been charged in Peru of murdering a local woman got underway in Lima Sept. 12.
Van der Sloot did not attend the hearing and neither did his defense lawyers.
Van der Sloot was arrested last June in connection with the slaying of Stephany Flores and officially charged in her death on September 1.
He was also arrested twice in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, a U.S. teenager who went missing while on a trip to Aruba in 2005, but he was never charged.
His defense team is looking to lodge a manslaughter plea which comes with a six to 20 year prison sentence. It says Flores' murder was an act of passion after she allegedly discovered information related to the Holloway case on his laptop.
But prosecutors and Flores' family are seeking a 30-year sentence, arguing the murder and robbing of the young woman was premeditated.
"Van der Sloot was hungry, Van der Sloot hadn't paid the hotel, Van der Sloot met a girl in the casino that he did not find attractive, but that had money. If you accept this evidence which is sustained by the prosecution we start to realize the murder of Stephany Flores was not a sudden reaction to her seeing information on his laptop pertaining to the Natalee Holloway case, we are warning that the prosecution's account shows this was a planned act," the Flores family lawyer, Edward Alvarez said.
Alvarez said there were also some discrepancies with the evidence presented in the case and the official charges of voluntary manslaughter.
"We have said there are inconsistencies in the prosecution's account and its accusations, between the evidence it uses and what it is asking for. These inconsistencies could bring about negative consequences at trial because it could result in a mistrial," Alvarez said.
Following the hearing the court is expected to set a date for the murder trial to begin.
Flores was found dead in a Lima hotel room in May, 2010. Police said the suspect fled to Chile, where he was arrested, after stealing the victim's belongings. He will also be charged with theft.
