Scarborough Country, Beth Twitty: “It does concern me that Paulus van der Sloot has tied up many loose ends”.

‘Scarborough Country’ for February 7, 2006 (Guest: Beth Twitty)

Beth Twitty’s reaction to the Van der Sloots GMA interview. It can be summed up best by Beth Twitty’s comment.

Joe, I have not done the damage to Joran. All I have done is share information that Joran has given voluntarily to witnesses, and officials, police officials, interrogators. You know, Joran caused the damage to himself.

Rest of the interview:

Now, we are going to hear from Beth Twitty live in just a minute.

But first, listen to Joran’s parents on American television this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, “GOOD MORNING AMERICA”)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have said in the past that Beth Holloway is always welcome here.

PAUL VAN DER SLOOT, FATHER OF JORAN VAN DER SLOOT: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you still feel that way?

P. VAN DER SLOOT: I think, when she wants to talk, we will talk. But of course she has to explain something. I think she has done a lot of damage to Joran and our family.

That she’s not giving up for her girl that, that we understood. But that she is calling our son a rapist, that’s awful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCARBOROUGH: I want to welcome back to SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY, Natalee Holloway’s mom, Beth Holloway Twitty, who joins us live from Birmingham.

Beth, respond to the charges by Paulus van der Sloot that you have—quote—"done a lot of damage.”

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, MOTHER OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY: Joe, I have not done the damage to Joran. All I have done is share information that Joran has given voluntarily to witnesses, and officials, police officials, interrogators. You know, Joran caused the damage to himself.

SCARBOROUGH: So what was your reaction watching this family on TV this morning?

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: Well, I think my first thought is, I don’t know why they’re coming out now, you know, almost nine months later.

And, you know, we have pleaded with them to come out in the media earlier. I lived on the island of Aruba for four months. And I would have done anything to have had an opportunity to meet with Paulus. After all, I initiated that one meeting at his home. And, you know, I would have never denied him a meeting or Anita.

I think that it was something that I was desperately trying to do and keep myself available while I was living there.

SCARBOROUGH: You met them up close obviously at that meeting. Tell me, what were they like? Compare those parents that you met back then to what you saw this morning on television.

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: Well, really, the most significant one that’s changed of course is Paulus van der Sloot. He’s a completely different man than the one that was seated before me during the month of June.

And there are so many things that are different. This was a man that, Joe, I had to call him from the bushes. He could not even maintain eye contact with me. He was tremoring just pretty significantly, sweating to where his wife had to wipe it from the table.

This is not the same man that was seated before me. This seems to be now a much more confident man. And that’s a concern of mine.

SCARBOROUGH: Would you say he’s cold and calculated, that remember—obviously, you remember better than anybody when we heard that he reportedly said to the boys, no body, no crime. You think that he thinks that he got rid of the body, so he and the boys are in the clear?

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: It does concern me that Paulus van der Sloot has tied up many loose ends.

And we have to look at what’s going on right now on the island. They have sworn him in as an attorney. And not only that, he’s joined the law firm of his son’s attorney, the 19 that represented Joran. And I just feel that these loose ends are being tied with a tight knot. And he must be getting backing from the government. He just—it is concerning me that he seems to be moving past things.

SCARBOROUGH: Talk about the mother, if you will. You seemed before to have more of an affinity for her. What can you tell us about her?

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: Well, I really think that Anita van der Sloot is just in denial from her son. I don’t think that—you know, I just think that, you know, she just cannot accept the fact that Joran has lived this lifestyle, has been gambling senselessly since he was probably 15, 16.

He’s had a VIP pass at Carlos ‘n Charlie’s since he was at least 16. She sees the pictures that he displays on the Web sites, you know, where he has young girls, you know, licking him in certain positions. I mean, she just is in complete denial of who her son really is.

SCARBOROUGH: And when we talked to her right after Natalee disappeared, this is what she said in June when I asked her if Joran had said anything about Natalee in the days following her disappearance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANITA VAN DER SLOOT, MOTHER OF JORAN VAN DER SLOOT: On the Monday, he went to school, like any normal boy. And he wasn’t aware of—he was totally surprised when the police asked him to come to the—or picked him up for interrogation. He was totally surprised. He really thought that the girl would be safe in the hotel and there was no reason to talk about her at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCARBOROUGH: Beth, it appears that she was lied to then. Do you think that she has now gotten on board, possibly, with the husband and the whole family, and now she’s lying to cover up for the misdeeds of her son?

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: No, I don’t, Joe.

And the reason why is, look who is pushed out forward. Look who has most of the comments when they do the interviews. It’s Anita. She’s the one that he pushes for, because she does seem to not—she just doesn’t seem to have the information.

And after all she was in Holland when this happened. You know, I don’t even know when she returned from Holland. It was certainly not within the first couple of days. But it would be interesting to see when she actually departed and arrived in Aruba. So, she has no knowledge of what—of if Joran went to school or the things that happened.

She just—they have just kept her out. Otherwise, Paulus van der Sloot would not be pushing her forward during these interviews.

(CROSSTALK)

SCARBOROUGH: So, you think they have lied? You think that Paul has lied to her and is now using her as his front person?

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: Well, it appears to me that she’s always the one who’s the most verbal and gives the most information during these interviews. When you think about it, most of the statements are coming from her.

And he’s always tended to push her out in the forefront of this because I think that she doesn’t seem to have the knowledge that he and Joran van der Sloot possess.

SCARBOROUGH: Have you had any contact with either of these people since June?

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: No.

I have not been able to have contact with them since—it was probably the middle of June. That was the last time. And they had specifically stated that they would not meet with me again.

SCARBOROUGH: But it looks like that may have changed.

Would you be willing to meet with them if they decided to change their mind and invite you?

(CROSSTALK)

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: You know, Joe, I think it’s nine months too late. And I don’t really think there’s anything that we could discuss and come up with any type of resolution.

I think that I was there early on. They knew that I was willing to meet with them. I desperately tried. I live there for four months. It’s nine months too late now, Joe.

SCARBOROUGH: All right, Beth, hey, thanks a lot for being with us tonight.

And know, as always—everybody—people always come up to me and ask about you. And you obviously know that you have so many people in America and across the world thinking of you and praying for you and your family. So, thanks for being with us.

HOLLOWAY TWITTY: Thank you, Joe.