Willem van Eijk was born in 1941 in the small village of Korteraar, South Holland, then under the German occupation of the Netherlands.
[1] During his time at an elementary school in Ter Aar, he was an outcast and referred to as "Gekke Willempie" (Dutch for "crazy little Willem"), something he later used to justify his outrageous actions.
During this time of extreme bullying, van Eijk started to collect morbid items, such as dead insects and dried frogs.
He soon gained notoriety in his home village for his cruelty towards animals; he would enjoy torturing dogs, drowning cats and kicking ducks until they died.
Psychiatric reports explained that van Eijk had severe childhood trauma as a result of (mostly female) bullying and rejection by women.
During his therapy at the Van Mesdagkliniek in Groningen, psychiatrists speculated that his deviant behaviour was the result of brain damage sustained during his birth.
Psychiatrists believed that his relationship with Adri would prevent him from re-offending, but warned that subsequent female rejections could trigger a relapse.
Between his release and his second arrest, there were eight prostitutes, and several other young women murdered in and around the area of van Eijk's residence.
When van Eijk was officially declared a suspect in murdering Shirley, Willem Anker dropped his client.