Hans Van Zon

Background

Hans van Zon was born in Utrecht, Holland, in April 1942. He was described as a lethargic child and as a very quiet child who would drift away into a fantasy world. He was also described as selfish, and his mother was described as being to blame by making him feel as though he was the center of the universe.

His scholastic record was described as far from outstanding, and his working life was described as less-than-average and “littered with dismissals.” Those dismissals were described as linked to his outstanding flaw: dishonesty. People he met during adulthood said he claimed to work for, among others, the C.I.A. Other occupations Hans claimed included fashion designer, private detective, movie star, and a tycoon. He was described as attractive, and with looks came trust. He was described as bisexual and as “playing for both sides,” with affairs with men and women alike. He preferred younger playmates and had exaggerated courtesy toward adults.

An account described that at age 16 he moved to Amsterdam and bought himself a new, expensive wardrobe, settling down to make his way as a con man and swindler. His favorite trick was to pose as a student and bilk sympathetic strangers of cash for a “trip home.” He was dismissed from several jobs for petty theft and lived increasingly in a fantasy world of his own creation.

The offence

Hans van Zon was described as having a crime spree from 1964 to 1967, involving multiple killings.

His first known victim was Elly Hager-Segov, murdered after a date on July 22, 1964. According to the account, Elly had taken Hans to bed once that night. When she rejected his new advances, he choked her unconscious, stripped her, and cut her throat with a bread knife. Another version described that after their first date in July 1964, Hans pretended he had missed the last train home and begged her to let him stay the night; she agreed. He then strangled Elly and cut her throat with a bread knife.

In 1965, Hans reportedly murdered homosexual film director Claude Berkeley in Amsterdam. A confession to both crimes was later recanted, with Hans asserting that he derived his intimate knowledge of the murders from “psychic visions.” Another part of the account described that Hans killed Claude Berkely in Amsterdam in 1965 and that the details of how Claude was killed were not known in the narrative.

After that, Hans tried unsuccessfully to kill his wife, Cloroline Gigi. She went to the police following the failed attempt. The narrative stated that there was no evidence and that a few weeks later Hans went on to kill his girlfriend, Coby van der Voort. The narrative described the method used against Coby van der Voort: Hans loaded her up on barbiturates, destroyed her with a lead pipe, followed this with sexual abuse, and finished her off with a few stabs with a knife.

Hans also attacked Jan Donse with the lead pipe in May 1967, killing her with no motive. Another section stated that on May 31, 1967, Hans entered the fireworks shop run by 80-year-old Jan Donse, clubbed him to death with his favorite lead pipe, then looted the till and divided the proceeds with Nol.

In August 1967, Hans went out and killed farmer Reyer de Bruin with the same metal pipe. The narrative described that he crushed Reyer’s skull with the pipe and then slashed his throat for good measure. The narrative then stated that Hans struck an old lady—spelled as “Woortmeyer” and including a Woortmeyer in her name—with his preferred murder weapon (described as the murder weapon he had “favourite” by that point) over the head, but he did not hit her hard enough to kill her. When she woke up, she was able to alert police who found him not long afterwards. This old lady was described as a widow, and her prior relationship included being romanced by Oude Nol, and she later survived Hans’s clubbing and fingered him for police. The narrative indicated that she was a former “lady-friend” of Old Nol that Old Nol wanted revenge on.

A separate account stated that Hans murdered Coby Van der Voort on April 19, 1967. That account described that he murdered his occasional mistress by first drugging her with a supposed aphrodisiac, then bludgeoning her with a lead pipe, stripping her body, and stabbing her with a bread knife. It further said that an unsuccessful attempt to rape the corpse occurred, and that Hans bragged of the crime to an acquaintance, ex-convict Oude Nol, leading to blackmail. In that version, Oude Nol demanded that Hans “assist” in the murder and robbery of selected victims, and in return for his continued silence Nol demanded Hans assist.

That same account described Hans as clubbing Jan Donse to death with his favorite lead pipe, looting the till, and dividing the proceeds with Nol. It described the crime spree as ending soon after when widow Woortmeyer survived and fingered Hans to police, and in custody Hans implicated Nol.

The narrative also described that Hans attempted to rape a corpse and that he had sexual abuse connected to the killing of Coby van der Voort. It described the offences as including sexual abuse and robbery elements tied to “selected victims,” and it described Hans as a bisexual slayer who killed two female lovers, one gay man, and two male robbery victims.

Investigation and arrest

After Hans’s failed attempt to kill his wife, Cloroline Gigi, she went to the police. The narrative described that there was no evidence and that Hans spent a month in jail for violating his probation on earlier charges before they were reconciled.

After the attack on widow Woortmeyer, she alerted police, and police found Hans not long afterwards. In custody, Hans implicated Nol.

Both Hans van Zon and Oude Nol were held for trial.

Trial

At his trial Hans van Zon explained that all of his murders were not planned by him, and that some of them were set up by another man, Old Nol (also written as Oude Nol). The narrative stated that Hans got drunk with Old Nol and told him about his first murder. It further stated that Old Nol blackmailed him into doing his bidding.

The narrative also stated that Woortmeyer was a former “lady-friend” of Old Nol that he wanted revenge on. Hans received life for his crimes, while Old Nol received 7 years in prison.

Another account described the disposition as a life term for Hans in 1967 and a seven-year term for robbery accomplice Oude Nol.

Sentencing

Hans van Zon was sentenced to life in prison in 1967. Oude Nol drew a term of seven years in prison.

Appeals

No appeal information was included.

Outcome

Hans van Zon was released in 1986. He died May 11, 1998.

Other details

Verbatim statements and quotations

Hans van Zon asserted: “psychic visions.”

Oude Nol demanded that Hans “assist” in the murder and robbery of selected victims.