'The Real Prime Suspect: The Family Annihilator' Airs Tonight

A new true crime tells the horrific case of Theresa Riggi, the mother who killed her three children in amid a bitter court battle.

The Real Prime Suspect, which airs on CBS Reality (Sky channel 146), is lead by retired detective Jackie Malton who uses her unparalleled list of contacts to get access to ten of Britain's most infamous murder cases.

Jackie, the inspiration behind multi-award winning drama Prime Suspect character DCI Jane Tennison, played by Helen Mirren, rings in help from former colleagues to revisit investigations with police, detectives, and other professionals who were there at the time of the cases.

Episode eight revisits a case from August 2010, which started with emergency services responding to a gas explosion in the quiet neighbourhood of Slateford, Edinburgh.

There, California-born Theresa Riggi's three children, eight-year-old twins Austin and Luke, and five-year-old Cecilia, were found dead.

But what at first seemed like a tragic accident turned out to be something far more sinister.

Riggi, who was embroiled in a bitter custody battle with the children's father, Pasquale Riggi, had stabbed each of her three children eight times after their father had told her he'd be fighting for full custody.

The evil mother then tried to cover up their deaths with a gas explosion, before throwing herself off the balcony of the posh townhouse head first, unbelievably surviving the 40 foot fall.

Riggi was then sentenced to 16 years in prison after admitting culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

She was disfigured for life by a fellow in mate in 2012 while serving her time at Cornton Vale women's prison near Stirling. She later committed suicide in prison in March 2014.

Viewers will follow detective Jackie Malton as she meets with former Senior Investigating Officer Keith Hardie who worked on the case.

She'll also meet retired family liaison officer Dianne Smith, who advised the family during the divorce, and one of the first CID officers on the scene, Neil Spowart.

Previous episodes of The Real Prime Suspect include that of the case of Louise Woodward, the 19-year-old British au pair who was convicted of the involuntary manslaughter of an eight-month old baby while he was in her care.

Episode eight of The Real Prime Suspect premieres at 10pm on Tuesday October 22nd on CBS Reality.

Featured Image Credit: CBS

Topics: Entertainment News, True Crime, TV Entertainment

Ciara Sheppard

Ciara is a freelance journalist working for Tyla. After graduating from the University of Sussex, Ciara worked as a writer at GLAMOUR Magazine and later as the Assistant Editor of Yahoo Style UK.

@ciarasheppard