Superior Court Judge Carlos Morales visited the 22-year-old Dutchman at the maximum-security prison in eastern Lima where Van der Sloot has been held since being charged with first-degree murder in the May 30 killing of a young woman he met playing poker in Peru's capital.

But Van der Sloot would not talk, citing his lawyer's petition to declare his confession void in the death of 21-year-old Stephany Flores, the court said in a statement.

The lawyer, Maximo Altez, contends the confession isn't valid because the defense lawyer present when Van der Sloot made it was state-appointed.

Van der Sloot, who is also the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance in Aruba of U.S. teen Natalee Holloway, was quoted by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf on Monday as saying he signed a confession only because he was intimidated by police.

He said they promised him he would be transferred to the Netherlands if he confessed.

"I was very scared and confused during the interrogations and wanted to get away," the paper quoted him as saying. "In my blind panic, I signed everything, but didn't even know what it said."

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