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LIMA, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Prosecutors in Peru charged Joran van der Sloot with murder in the 2010 death of a Peruvian woman and said they'll seek a 30-year prison sentence for him. Van der Sloot, 24, who was a key figure in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, was arrested in June 2010 as a suspect in the death of Stephany Flores but was not formally charged until Thursday, CNN reported.
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Flores, who was 21, was found dead in van der Sloot's hotel room in May 2010. Van der Sloot allegedly stole money and bank cards from the woman's wallet and made a getaway to Chile where he was arrested several days later.
Prosecutors are seeking a 30-year sentence along with a $73,000 payment to Flores' family. Van der Sloot was also charged with theft.
"We think 30 years is too much for this crime since it was an isolated incident without any further acts of violence. We have had cases in Peru under similar circumstances that have gotten less than 25 years," said Luis Jimenez Navarro, van der Sloot's attorney
Flores' family had recently urged prosecutors to charge van der Sloot in August, fearing he could be released. Peruvian law requires a suspect's release if trial does not begin within 18 months of arrest.
No trial date has been set but a hearing for the defense to present a formal response is set for Sept. 12 in Lima.
Three cab drivers were charged in the case for allegedly helping van der Sloot flee to Chile. Prosecutors are seeking five-year senences for them.
The Holloway case received non-stop coverage for months by the news media in the United States.
Van der Sloot was arrested twice but never charged by Aruban authorities.
The 18-year-old Holloway disappeared during a high school graduation trip to Aruba. She was never found.
Flores' body was found five years, to the day, after Holloway vanished, CBS reported.
