Charges may come in Peruvian hotel death

LIMA, June 15 (UPI) -- Dutch national Joran van der Sloot could be formally charged in the death of a woman at a hotel in Lima, Peru, now that he has a lawyer, court officials said.

Charges accusing van der Sloot of killing Stephany Flores in May 2010 could be filed Wednesday, CNN reported.

Van der Sloot and his new attorney were in court Tuesday for a closed-door preliminary hearing at the Castro Castro prison outside Lima. The hearing was postponed last week because van der Sloot did not have legal representation after his previous attorney resigned, citing differences in strategy.

Van der Sloot has been the prime suspect in the disappearance U.S. teenager Natalee Holloway, who vanished at age 18 while on a high school graduation trip to the island of Aruba. He was arrested twice but never charged in her disappearance.

Van der Sloot was arrested in May 2010 after Flores' body was found in a hotel room registered in his name. Police said van der Sloot stole money and bank cards from the woman and fled to Chile, where he was arrested several days later.