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California mother jailed for stabbing her three children to death to stop her estranged British husband taking custody is found dead at psychiatric hospital
Theresa Riggi, 50, was found at Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire in the early hours of this morning.
California mother jailed for stabbing her three children to death to stop her estranged British husband taking custody is found dead at psychiatric hospital
Theresa Riggi, 50, was found at Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire in the early hours of this morning.
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| Days before the killings, Riggi told a friend things were so bad he would ‘hear about it on the national news’. |
Riggi was jailed at Edinburgh High Court for 16 years for killing her eight-year-old twins Austin and Luke and her five-year-old daughter Cecilia at their home in August 2010.
Their bloodstained bodies were discovered lying side by side in the Slateford Road, Edinburgh, property following a gas explosion at the building, each with eight stab wounds.
US-born Riggi was initially charged with murder – but admitted three counts of the lesser charge of culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
She was moved to the high security hospital in 2011.
Police confirmed they were called to the unit today to the death of a woman. They added they were not treating the death as suspicious.
At the time of the case, the court heard the bodies of the three children were found by building manager Derek Knight on the afternoon of August 4, following a loud explosion at the property.
When police entered the house they saw the three children lying side by side on the bedroom floor.
They also found three knives nearby, each covered in blood, and noted large amounts of blood in numerous places throughout the house.
Paramedics who went to the scene believed the children had been dead for some hours.
Pathologists found all three children had multiple bruises and abrasions and died of stab wounds to the chest.
On that day, neighbour Jordan Cochrane, saw Riggi climb on to the balcony after the blast before ‘intentionally’ falling head first.
He managed to break her fall but she was found to have four or five stab wounds, a collapsed lung, cuts to her neck and wrist and fractures.
At a previous hearing, the court heard both Riggi and her husband Pasquale, although separated, were living in Aberdeen before Riggi took the children to live at the Slateford Road property. It was stated she took the children unknown to Mr Riggi.
The court heard how the couple had been involved in a legal action over the children’s custody at the time of the killings.
At the time, Alex Prentice QC, prosecuting, said the couple had been due to appear at a hearing the day before the youngsters’ deaths.
Days before the killings, Riggi told a friend things were so bad he would ‘hear about it on the national news’.
On the evening of August 2, Riggi spoke to her husband on the phone. Mr Prentice said she accused him of being in collusion with their solicitors and asked if he would take the children away.
On being told she ‘left him no choice’, Riggi replied ‘say goodbye then’ and hung up.
The couple had previously lived together in the U.S., the Netherlands and Lowestoft, Suffolk.
The court heard a report into Riggi’s mental state – which identified narcissistic, paranoid and hysterical personality disorders.
Jailing her at the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Bracadale said: ‘You have pled guilty to charges of repeatedly stabbing to death each of your twin sons, Austin and Luke, and your daughter Cecilia, aged five years.
‘The result of these acts is a devastating family tragedy. The father of the children, Pasquale Riggi, and the wider family have been left utterly bereft by the loss of the children.
‘And you, who had a genuine but abnormal and possessive love of your children, have lost them and are brought to this sorry pass.’
He added: ‘You, and others, must understand that while your responsibility is diminished, you are still responsible for your actions.
‘The effect of the diminished responsibility is to reduce these crimes from what would have been exceptionally wicked crimes of murder to what are still very serious crimes of culpable homicide.
Outside court, Pasquale Riggi stood as a statement was read out on his behalf. It spoke of his ‘wonderful, energetic, bright and happy’ children who were taken away by a ‘selfish, brutal and murderous’ act.
In the statement read by David Sinclair, of Victim Support Scotland, Mr Riggi said: ‘I will never forget Austin, Luke and Cecilia. They left everlasting impressions on me. I think about them at least 100 times each day. They are in my thoughts when I wake in the morning and before I go to sleep at night.
‘They were such wonderful energetic, bright and happy children. Those of us who had the pleasure of knowing Cecilia, Luke and Austin, looked forward to watching them grow while they independently navigate through their unique life journeys.
‘We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to know and love them and the memories that we made together, allowing us to cherish them so dearly now.”
He added: “The horrific manner in which my children died will leave an indelible mark on the rest of my life. As a father, my natural instincts were geared towards safeguarding my children from the dangers of this world.
‘It pains me to the core that I was unable to protect them from the selfish, brutal and murderous act that ended their lives so unfairly.
‘There is no justification for this heinous crime, repeated three times, nor is there any sentence that can provide justice for the overwhelming loss of three lives and the subsequent painful grief and devastation caused to surviving family and friends.’
Riggi was held at Cornton Vale Prison, near Stirling, but after a string of alleged attacks from other inmates in 2011 she was moved to Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire.
Riggi was found dead at the unit today.
A Nottinghamshire Police spokeswoman said: ‘We can confirm that we were called to Rampton in the early hours of this morning to the death of a woman.
‘It’s not being treated as suspicious and we are preparing a file for the coroner.
Their bloodstained bodies were discovered lying side by side in the Slateford Road, Edinburgh, property following a gas explosion at the building, each with eight stab wounds.
US-born Riggi was initially charged with murder – but admitted three counts of the lesser charge of culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
She was moved to the high security hospital in 2011.
Police confirmed they were called to the unit today to the death of a woman. They added they were not treating the death as suspicious.
At the time of the case, the court heard the bodies of the three children were found by building manager Derek Knight on the afternoon of August 4, following a loud explosion at the property.
When police entered the house they saw the three children lying side by side on the bedroom floor.
They also found three knives nearby, each covered in blood, and noted large amounts of blood in numerous places throughout the house.
Paramedics who went to the scene believed the children had been dead for some hours.
Pathologists found all three children had multiple bruises and abrasions and died of stab wounds to the chest.
On that day, neighbour Jordan Cochrane, saw Riggi climb on to the balcony after the blast before ‘intentionally’ falling head first.
He managed to break her fall but she was found to have four or five stab wounds, a collapsed lung, cuts to her neck and wrist and fractures.
At a previous hearing, the court heard both Riggi and her husband Pasquale, although separated, were living in Aberdeen before Riggi took the children to live at the Slateford Road property. It was stated she took the children unknown to Mr Riggi.
The court heard how the couple had been involved in a legal action over the children’s custody at the time of the killings.
At the time, Alex Prentice QC, prosecuting, said the couple had been due to appear at a hearing the day before the youngsters’ deaths.
Days before the killings, Riggi told a friend things were so bad he would ‘hear about it on the national news’.
On the evening of August 2, Riggi spoke to her husband on the phone. Mr Prentice said she accused him of being in collusion with their solicitors and asked if he would take the children away.
On being told she ‘left him no choice’, Riggi replied ‘say goodbye then’ and hung up.
The couple had previously lived together in the U.S., the Netherlands and Lowestoft, Suffolk.
The court heard a report into Riggi’s mental state – which identified narcissistic, paranoid and hysterical personality disorders.
Jailing her at the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Bracadale said: ‘You have pled guilty to charges of repeatedly stabbing to death each of your twin sons, Austin and Luke, and your daughter Cecilia, aged five years.
‘The result of these acts is a devastating family tragedy. The father of the children, Pasquale Riggi, and the wider family have been left utterly bereft by the loss of the children.
‘And you, who had a genuine but abnormal and possessive love of your children, have lost them and are brought to this sorry pass.’
He added: ‘You, and others, must understand that while your responsibility is diminished, you are still responsible for your actions.
‘The effect of the diminished responsibility is to reduce these crimes from what would have been exceptionally wicked crimes of murder to what are still very serious crimes of culpable homicide.
Outside court, Pasquale Riggi stood as a statement was read out on his behalf. It spoke of his ‘wonderful, energetic, bright and happy’ children who were taken away by a ‘selfish, brutal and murderous’ act.
In the statement read by David Sinclair, of Victim Support Scotland, Mr Riggi said: ‘I will never forget Austin, Luke and Cecilia. They left everlasting impressions on me. I think about them at least 100 times each day. They are in my thoughts when I wake in the morning and before I go to sleep at night.
‘They were such wonderful energetic, bright and happy children. Those of us who had the pleasure of knowing Cecilia, Luke and Austin, looked forward to watching them grow while they independently navigate through their unique life journeys.
‘We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to know and love them and the memories that we made together, allowing us to cherish them so dearly now.”
He added: “The horrific manner in which my children died will leave an indelible mark on the rest of my life. As a father, my natural instincts were geared towards safeguarding my children from the dangers of this world.
‘It pains me to the core that I was unable to protect them from the selfish, brutal and murderous act that ended their lives so unfairly.
‘There is no justification for this heinous crime, repeated three times, nor is there any sentence that can provide justice for the overwhelming loss of three lives and the subsequent painful grief and devastation caused to surviving family and friends.’
Riggi was held at Cornton Vale Prison, near Stirling, but after a string of alleged attacks from other inmates in 2011 she was moved to Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire.
Riggi was found dead at the unit today.
A Nottinghamshire Police spokeswoman said: ‘We can confirm that we were called to Rampton in the early hours of this morning to the death of a woman.
‘It’s not being treated as suspicious and we are preparing a file for the coroner.
