Joshua Roberts/Reuters
Natalee Holloway’s mother was in the courtroom Friday when the prime suspect in her missing daughter’s death, Joran van der Sloot, pleaded not guilty to charges he tried to extort her. “The wheels of justice have finally begun for our family and we are getting our long-awaited day in court,” Beth Holloway said in a statement after she left the Birmingham courthouse. “Joran van der Sloot’s not guilty plea is not disheartening to us—it simply means his legal team is going to try to make the state prove the case.” Natalee Holloway vanished in Aruba in 2005. Van der Sloot was serving time for another murder when he was extradited to the U.S. to face federal charges for allegedly selling bogus information to the family about where the teen’s remains were stashed. “I am trusting that this prosecution will lead us to the truth about Natalee,” her father, Dave Holloway, said in a statement.