Ex-wife of liquidated top criminal Stanley Hillis: 'He would kill my entire family'
Stanley Hillis' ex-wife Apolonia makes some shocking revelations in her book about her life with the notorious underworld boss.

Crime
Panorama Editorial
Apr 17, 2025 | 3:15 PM



Stanley Hillis, aka 'The Old Man', was one of the biggest Dutch criminals the Netherlands has ever known. Bank robberies, prison escapes, drug trafficking. Hillis did it all. Until he was liquidated in Amsterdam in 2011. Now, 14 years after the death of 'The Old Man', his ex-wife Apolonia is publishing a book: From Dark to Light - My Life with Stanley Hillis .

In it, she speaks candidly about her relationship with the top criminal, whom she met after he escaped from prison. They got married, but had a 'complex' relationship. She also experienced the underworld up close. Her life became intertwined with that of Hillis, his criminal friends and his illegal activities. At some point they broke up, but 'The Old Man' did not leave his ex alone.

Display of power
From Darkness to Light – My Life with Stanley Hillis :

"He was disappointed in so many people who had betrayed him, or who he thought had betrayed him. Many of his friends were in prison or dead. He was lonely, paranoid, did a lot of coke and drank heavily. With all his displays of power he tried to keep control over everything and everyone. He had made it clear to me in no uncertain terms that if I ever said anything about him, or testified against him, he would kill my entire family. And then he would continue with my friends. I would never feel safe again. And from that day on I didn't. He had complete control over me and for the first time in my life I was afraid of him."

The above anecdote is just one of the many impressive stories that the ex-wife of the top criminal tells. Want to read more? The book is now available in stores. Would you rather check out a pre-publication first? Then order Panorama 15 or visit Panorama.nl next weekend.

Who was Stanley Hillis?
Born in The Hague, 'Stan' grew up without a father and ended up in a youth TBR institution in Rekken at the age of 14. Three years later he was placed with a foster family in Amsterdam.

After serving in the Foreign Legion in France for a while, where he became a tough man, he returned to Amsterdam. There he started his criminal career. That began in the 70s, when he robbed banks as the leader of a large gang. With success, because when the gang was finally busted, the Amsterdam chief commissioner stated that the crime rate in the capital had dropped by no less than 60 percent.

Stanley Hillis, the 'biggest Dutch criminal of all time' | Panorama
From the edition of Tuesday, June 23, 2020: Ten years ago, Stanley Hillis was liquidated at the age of 64. He is called the greatest Dutch criminal of all time. Powerful and elusive. A portrait of the man and three questions surrounding his sensational liquidation. “Stanley always had an army ready.”

Escapes
But that was not the end of Hillis' criminal career. Especially the fact that he escaped twice from the prison in Scheveningen, once from the Arnhem Koepelgevangenis and several times from the Bijlmerbajes, made him a well-known name in the underworld.

After his last escape from the Bijlmerbajes, in January 1985, he contacted presenter Sonja Barend. What followed was a legendary interview at a secret location. Why did Stanley let himself be interviewed? According to him, he was dismissed as a trigger-happy criminal and was afraid that the police would shoot him. Not long after the interview, he was put in handcuffs. And at the end of the 80s, Hillis was released again.

Drug trafficking
After the notorious Klaas Bruinsma was shot dead in the 90s, Hilles took over the empire together with two other criminals. He then earned millions with the drug trade. Where other underworld figures were mainly active within the Netherlands, Hillis expanded his trade abroad. "Everyone played in the premier league, but that Ouwe was Champions League", according to an insider in the circle.