For a long time, there were rumours that Hertogs had protection from high-level individuals. In the book
Zuidwal, which tells the story of the serial killer, it is claimed that Hertogs was protected by Cornelis Stolk, an important judge and vice president of the court, however, both men denied the claims. In 2009 crime reporter
Peter R. de Vries started a sting operation, trying to reveal if Hertogs murdered more people or if the claims made in the book were true. While being filmed with hidden cameras, Hertogs, talking with a 'dear' friend, who turned out to be an infiltrator working for De Vries, made some notable admissions. • He admitted he kidnapped and murdered the three girls. • With the murder of Edith Post he had an accomplice. • Three times he had plans to murder someone, however, the plans weren't carried out or failed. • Claimed a man he planned to kill who he had an argument with fled inside a pool hall before Hertogs could kill him. • Claimed he planned to kill a director of a juvenile prison, however, the man died before Hertogs could carry out his plan. • Hertogs lured an inmate into a trap, however, a guard got suspicious and locked him up. • Confessed knowing who murdered the two
Swedish women Gun-Ingeborg Johannesson (18) and Ann Jönsson (19) in a forest near
La Roche-en-Ardenne. • Confessed he had a special bond with judge Cornelis Stolk. Stolk paid for the driver's license of Hertogs and after an earlier conviction, Stolk placed him under the care of a 'befriended' psychiatrist, who later turned out to be the ex-wife of Stolk. At the end of the television show, it was revealed that Hertogs, in return, offered sexual services (oral sex) and child pornography to Cornelis Stolk. Mr. Cornelis Stolk died on 10 June 2004, aged 87. ==See also==