Psychological & Behavioral Intelligence

Austin Riggi, Luke Riggi, and others Murdered by Theresa Riggi, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, Scotland

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Human-reviewed analysis

Psychological & Behavioral Intelligence

This source-based behavioral analysis does not establish a clinical diagnosis, motive, or legal finding.

Case Overview

The source presents Theresa Riggi through court findings, expert commentary, family information and later letters rather than a direct clinical assessment by the current documentary team. Reported themes include possessiveness toward the children, fear of losing control, conflict with Pasquale, perceived victimhood, blame shifting and deliberate behavior surrounding the killings. The analysis does not establish that any psychological construct alone caused the offense.

Relationship Dynamics

The central relationship dynamic was a deteriorating marriage combined with a dispute over access, residence and custody of the children. The source describes Theresa as treating the children as uniquely dependent on her and as excluding Pasquale from their care, while Pasquale reportedly sought a greater custodial role. Expert commentary interpreted the reported threat and subsequent killings as involving control, resentment and possible revenge, but the precise motive remains source-limited.

Escalation Summary

The reported pathway moved from marital separation and custody conflict to perceived loss of the children, a threatening telephone exchange, the children's deaths, Theresa's self-harm and a later diminished-responsibility conviction. The reported use of separate knives and the claimed waiting period were interpreted by experts as evidence of planning rather than an entirely impulsive act.

Observed Patterns and Case-Specific Context

Each entry separates the reported behavior or state from the analytical strength of the available narration.

Behavior / construct	Person / subject	Detailed case context	Evidence
Possessiveness or monitoring Control dynamics	Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim	Investigators reportedly learned that Theresa placed alarms on the children and monitored them closely. A court-appointed psychologist was said to favor Pasquale having care, which may have intensified Theresa's perceived loss of control. The source presents possessiveness as a central relationship stressor but does not establish that it alone caused the killings. Context or trigger: Theresa's relationship with the children and the marital conflict over Pasquale's access and possible custody. Reported expression: The source reports that Theresa used alarms to monitor the children's proximity and checked their welfare when they moved beyond a stated radius. Family liaison evidence and later judicial commentary described her care as unusually possessive. This suggests a control-oriented attachment pattern, although the behavior was reportedly not recognized as an imminent warning by those around her.	Explicitly reported Confidence: High
Separation or abandonment threat Loss or threat	Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim	The documentary identifies the telephone call two days before the deaths as an important escalation point. Theresa's reported question framed custody as the removal of her children from her. The subsequent statement was interpreted by commentators as a warning, although the source does not provide a full recording or independent account of the call. Context or trigger: The separation, threatened loss of custody and possibility that Pasquale would receive care of the children. Reported expression: Theresa reportedly asked whether Pasquale was going to take the children away from her and then said goodbye after his response. The wording indicates an acute perception of separation and loss. It is a reported statement, not proof of her complete internal state.	Explicitly reported Confidence: High
Chronic interpersonal conflict Relationship stressor	Theresa Riggi and Pasquale Riggi	The couple's conflict was not described as a single isolated argument. It reportedly involved divorce, court processes, access and competing views of who should care for the children. This prolonged conflict created a context in which custody was experienced as a central threat and grievance. Context or trigger: Marital separation, divorce discussions, visitation difficulties and the dispute over residence or custody. Reported expression: The source describes sustained friction between the couple and a distressing separation involving arguments over the children. Pasquale reportedly struggled to obtain visitation, while Theresa was described as excluding him from the children's care. The relationship conflict formed the immediate interpersonal background to the homicide.	Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: High
Family opposition or interference Family dynamics	Theresa Riggi and Pasquale Riggi	The residence-order process introduced an external authority into the parents' conflict. Diane Smith characterized the report as favoring Pasquale's care, while later commentary connected the custody threat to Theresa's fear of losing the children. This is a relationship-system factor rather than a clinical conclusion. Context or trigger: The court-appointed psychologist's reported preference for Pasquale having care of the children. Reported expression: The source says a psychologist observed the children with both parents and produced a report favoring Pasquale having their care. This formal assessment reportedly increased the relevance of custody and may have challenged Theresa's perceived parental authority. The source does not show how Theresa directly responded to the report before the killings.	Explicitly reported Confidence: Moderate
Premeditation and planning Planning or impulsivity	Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim	The reported use of three separate knives and the positioning of the bodies were treated by the expert as signs of ritualized or deliberate behavior. The claimed waiting period further supported an interpretation of preparation. These details are documentary claims and should be distinguished from independently established trial evidence. Context or trigger: The reported interval after the telephone exchange and the reported arrangement of the crime scene. Reported expression: The documentary states that Theresa waited a full day, made a special recording for the children and used separate knives before placing them beside the bodies. A forensic psychologist interpreted these details as ordered and calculated rather than purely frenzied. The source does not provide a complete planning chronology.	Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: Moderate
Moral disengagement Cognitive pattern	Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim	The letters were interpreted as showing limited self-blame and a tendency to portray Theresa as harmed by Pasquale or by circumstances. The documentary connects this with a broader family-annihilator narrative of presenting the offender as the victim. This remains an interpretation of reported correspondence rather than a formal psychological assessment. Context or trigger: Later letters and retrospective discussion after her conviction and imprisonment. Reported expression: Marion Scott reported that Theresa did not express remorse in the letters she reviewed, blamed Pasquale and presented herself as a victim. The source also describes her as attributing events to others and invoking forgiveness or divine guidance. These reports suggest blame shifting and self-justification, but the letters are not reproduced in full.	Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: Moderate
Anger or resentment Emotional state	Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim	The documentary repeatedly frames Pasquale's involvement and custody claims as central to Theresa's resentment. Dr. Boone interpreted the killings as potentially affecting Pasquale as well as the children. This indicates a possible interpersonal grievance pathway, while the legal outcome focused on diminished responsibility rather than a definitive psychological motive. Context or trigger: The deteriorating marriage, Pasquale's custody efforts and the perceived exclusion of Theresa from control over the children. Reported expression: Expert commentary described bitterness, resentment and a possible revenge element directed toward Pasquale. The reported telephone exchange and later interpretation of the children being used against him support a grievance-centered account. The source does not establish the intensity or duration of Theresa's anger through direct contemporaneous assessment.	Analytical inference Confidence: Moderate
Suicidal ideation or behavior Suicidal behavior	Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim	The self-harm occurred in the same reported episode as the children's deaths. Theresa survived and was treated in hospital under police guard. Later expert commentary attributed additional meaning to her survival, but those interpretations are not independently verifiable from the supplied transcript. Context or trigger: The incident at the flat after the reported killings. Reported expression: Theresa was found with self-inflicted stab wounds, a collapsed lung and multiple fractures after falling or jumping from the building. The expert discussion calls this a suicide attempt that she survived. The source does not establish whether the act was intended only as self-destruction, escape, or part of a broader sequence.	Explicitly reported Confidence: High
Other supported factor Other	Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim	The psychiatric evidence affected the legal classification of the conduct and led to a culpable-homicide conviction rather than a murder conviction. Dr. Boone discussed reported histrionic personality features and ritualized behavior. No current clinical evaluation is possible from the transcript, and the reported diagnosis should not be generalized beyond this case. Context or trigger: Psychiatric assessments conducted after the killings and before trial. Reported expression: The source reports that multiple psychiatrists or psychologists concluded that Theresa was not of sound mind at the time of the crime and that the court accepted diminished responsibility. It also reports a personality-disorder formulation rather than a conventional mental-illness finding. The documentary's terminology is retrospective and does not provide the complete clinical records. Diagnosis reported by source: Reported personality disorder, including a histrionic formulation in expert commentary; diminished responsibility was accepted by the court.	Documented clinical condition Confidence: Moderate

Behavioral Escalation Pathway

Select a stage to expand it; scroll horizontally to follow the full sequence.

Narrative sequence

1 Marital breakdown Theresa Riggi and Pasquale Riggi Chronic interpersonal conflict Narrative-supported psychological state

The source describes a marriage that deteriorated after the family settled in Edinburgh. The couple separated and became involved in divorce, visitation and residence disputes concerning the children.

Narrative-supported psychological state · High confidence

2 Custody threat Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim Separation or abandonment threat Explicitly reported

A court-appointed psychologist reportedly favored Pasquale having care of the children. This introduced a concrete possibility that Theresa would lose control over their residence and daily care.

Explicitly reported · Moderate confidence

3 Reported warning call Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim Fear or perceived threat Explicitly reported

Two days before the deaths, Theresa reportedly asked Pasquale whether he would take the children away and then told him to say goodbye. The source presents this as a warning and as evidence of perceived custody loss.

Explicitly reported · High confidence

4 Deliberate preparation Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim Premeditation and planning Narrative-supported psychological state

The documentary reports a waiting period, a special recording, separate knives and the later positioning of the bodies. An expert interpreted these reported details as deliberate and ordered behavior.

Narrative-supported psychological state · Moderate confidence

5 Focal homicide Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim Instrumental aggression Analytical inference

The children were killed in the family flat. Expert commentary suggested that the killings may also have been intended to affect Pasquale, but the source does not establish that interpretation as the sole motive.

Analytical inference · Moderate confidence

6 Self-harm after the killings Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim Suicidal ideation or behavior Explicitly reported

Theresa was found severely injured after falling or jumping from the building and was reported to have self-inflicted stab wounds. She survived and was taken to hospital under police guard.

Explicitly reported · High confidence

7 Psychiatric assessment Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim Other supported factor Documented clinical condition

Multiple psychiatric and psychological assessments were reportedly completed while Theresa was in custody. The source says the assessments supported diminished responsibility, which shaped the legal outcome.

Documented clinical condition · Moderate confidence

8 Post-incident blame and conviction Theresa Riggi OffenderVictim Moral disengagement Narrative-supported psychological state

Later letters were interpreted as showing blame toward Pasquale and limited remorse. Theresa was eventually convicted of culpable homicide through diminished responsibility and sentenced to 16 years.

Narrative-supported psychological state · Moderate confidence

Arrows show the sequence described in the source narrative; they do not prove that one psychological state caused the next event.

Source Limits and Cautions

The source is a documentary transcript with interviews and retrospective commentary, not the complete investigative or clinical record. Some statements are opinions, some are second-hand, and the transcript contains inconsistent names and procedural descriptions. No independent diagnosis can be made from the source, and psychological interpretation cannot prove motive, intent or legal responsibility.

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