1851 - 1878
Summary
Name:
Hendrik Jacobus JutYears Active:
1872Birth:
July 19, 1851Status:
DeceasedClass:
MurdererVictims:
2Method:
Shooting / StabbingDeath:
June 12, 1878Nationality:
Netherlands1851 - 1878
Summary: Murderer
Name:
Hendrik Jacobus JutStatus:
DeceasedVictims:
2Method:
Shooting / StabbingNationality:
NetherlandsBirth:
July 19, 1851Death:
June 12, 1878Years Active:
1872Hendrik Jacobus Jut was born on July 19, 1851, in The Hague, Netherlands. Historical sources describe him as a waiter or servant from The Hague. By the early 1870s, Jut was involved with Christina Goedvolk, who had previously worked in the household of wealthy widow Maximiliana Theodora van der Kouwen-ten Cate. Through Christina, Jut learned that the widow possessed valuable property and money. Their financial pressure and plans for marriage were later described as central motives behind the robbery.
On December 13, 1872, Hendrik Jacobus Jut and Christina Goedvolk went to the home of Maximiliana Theodora van der Kouwen-ten Cate in The Hague. The household included the widow and her maid, Leentje Beeloo. Christina had previously worked there, which gave her knowledge of the home and the widow’s possessions.
The motive was robbery. Historical accounts state that Jut and Christina intended to steal from the widow. After gaining entry, the two victims were killed inside the home. Some records summarize the method as shooting, while other Dutch accounts describe cutting or stabbing injuries, including the killing of the maid with a blade. Because historical descriptions differ, the method is best recorded as shooting and stabbing/cutting injuries reported in contemporary and later accounts.
The murders caused public outrage in the Netherlands. Jut and Christina left the area and were not arrested until April 1875. Jut was eventually convicted of the double murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1876. Christina was convicted in connection with the crime and received a twelve-year prison sentence.
Jut was sent to the prison in Leeuwarden. He died there on June 12, 1878, at age 26, less than two years after receiving his life sentence. The case entered Dutch popular culture through the expression and carnival attraction “Kop van Jut” or “Head of Jut,” a strength-testing game where a person strikes a target with a mallet. The phrase later became associated with being a scapegoat or target of public anger.
