Van der Sloot’s ‘angel’ pays his bills, made CD for him

55-year-old Florida radiologist says she loves accused killer ‘unconditionally’

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>>> an unlikely source of help for accused murderer joran van der sloot as he prepares to go on trial for the death of a young woman in peru . michelle kosinski is here to explain.

>> reporter: just days in a letter, he referred to her as his guardian angel . not his mother who has yet to visit him in jail, but a doctor in florida who says she is not in love with him, she just wants to help him, as she puts it, evolve.

>> my guardian angel , mary. i've got a tear in my eye as i write this letter. and he goes on to say, i love you, joran .

>> reporter: yes, joran van der sloot . florida radiologist mary hamer sent him care packages, visited him three times in jail in peru .

>> it was wonderful. we were nervous.

>> reporter: most recently, this month. she has paid his legal bills. her nickname for him, buddha for what she calls his new focus on philosophy.

>> the more i know joran , the more i see there's a beautiful person there.

>> reporter: hamer , 55 and divorced, insists it is not romantic. she considers herself his spiritual guide, and advocate.

>> he's hurting. he's struggling. he's trying to improve.

>> you're not worried that this guy is going to completely take advantage of your kindness?

>> no. no, no, i'm not. even if he did, again, i'm an unconditional person.

>> reporter: for a year-and-a-half, van der sloot has sat in jail, accused of beating and suffocating stephany flores after they played poker and the five-year anniversary of natalie holloway 's disappearance in aruba. video shows him going into the hotel room , but only he left. her body was found inside. he later confessed. friends said he was tricked into doing so.

>> you think he's innocent.

>> i know he's innocent.

>> reporter: but hamer says while they talk about everything from justin bieber and van der sloot 's love for kiss co, martin luther king and gandy, they never discuss his case.

>> you've never been curious to say, joran , what happened with natalie holloway ?

>> no. no, it's not my role.

>> reporter: to date, she says she has spent at least $20,000 on him. recorded a cd of her song to raise money i will rescue you

>> reporter: ann hamer says she would move to peru . she may be his sole supporter. the 24-year-old once evaluated as antisocial and indifferent to others. her goal, to help joran van der sloot to move forward.

>> it's not pity that got me involved, it's compassion. it's love for someone.

>> if he did beat this young woman to death, would that change your opinion of him as a person?

>> i love him unconditionally.

>> and she says it's not just joran van der sloot . that she likes difficult causes of all kinds and plans to be there when his trial starts in peru early next month. she says the ultimate goal is to help him make peace with both the flores and holloway family. we did not hear back from van der sloot 's attorneys for comments on this guardian angel . carl?

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By Michael Inbar

TODAY contributor

updated 12/21/2011 9:37:29 AM ET

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Infamous accused killer Joran van der Sloot has yet to receive a visit from his own mother as he sits awaiting trial in a Peruvian prison, but an American stranger has made the 5,200-mile round trip to van der Sloot’s prison cell — three times.

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Not only that: 55-year-old Florida radiologist Mary Hamer has also helped foot van der Sloot’s legal bills; recorded a CD to raise money for his defense; sent him care packages, and written him missives that some might call love letters, but she insists are more spiritual in nature.

“The more I know Joran, the more I see there’s a beautiful person there,” Hamer told NBC’s Michelle Kosinski in a report that aired on TODAY Wednesday.

Story: Van der Sloot’s lawyer: ‘There is no evidence’

It’s a strange case of a middle-aged American divorcee bonding with a 24-year-old who’s one of the most notorious men in the world. Van der Sloot was twice arrested in the sensational case of Natalee Holloway, the American girl who disappeared in Aruba in May 2005; then in June 2010, he was arrested for the murder of student Stephany Flores in Lima, Peru, while still facing charges in the Holloway case. Van der Sloot was last seen with Flores on May 30, 2010, the five-year anniversary of Holloway’s disappearance.

TODAY

Joran van der Sloot, center, confessed to killing Stephany Flores, left, in a Lima, Peru, hotel room. The young Dutchman has long been a suspect in the 2005 disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway, right.

‘My Guardian Angel’
While van der Sloot has been described as anti-social by authorities, he’s downright emotional in the letters he writes to Hamer from his cell at Miguel Castro Castro maximum security prison in Lima.

Hamer showed Kosinski a letter van der Sloot had written her, reading “My Guardian Angel, Mary … I’ve got a tear in my eye as I write this letter… I love you … Joran.”

But Hamer says people shouldn’t misconstrue Joran’s words as amorous.

“He’s hurting, he’s struggling, he’s trying to improve,” she told Kosinski.

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Hamer, who said she has spent $20,000 on van der Sloot to date, plans to up that tally by attending court in court in Peru when van der Sloot’s trial for the slaying of Flores begins next month. And she believes that if justice is served, he will go free. “I know he’s innocent,” she said.

Story: Holloway attorney details van der Sloot sting

According to Hamer, though she and van der Sloot discuss topics far and wide, from their love of music to spiritual leaders Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, the one thing they have never spoken about is his court cases.

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Kosinski asked Hamer if she’s ever been tempted to ask van der Sloot what really happened with Natalee Holloway. “No, that’s not my role,” she replied.

Video: Woman pays bills, writes song for van der Sloot (on this page)

Instead, Hamer sees herself as brokering peace between the accused killer and the families of Holloway and Flores. She says she’s reached out to both families, but has yet to receive a reply.

And also insists it isn’t a case of simply reaching out to a lonely detainee awaiting his day in court: “It’s not pity that got me involved; it’s compassion. It’s love for someone.”

Story: Natalee Holloway’s family surprised by arrests

But does she worry that van der Sloot is simply stringing her along for emotional and financial support?

“No, no, I’m not,” she told Kosinski. “Even if he did, I’m an unconditional person.

“I love him unconditionally.”