Child-killer Theresa Riggi believed she would be reunited with her “angels” after she died, according to a series of letters she wrote from jail.
Riggi stabbed her three children to death nearly four years ago, after becoming convinced her estranged husband Pasquale was going to try and take them away from her.
The 50-year-old, who fled from the family home in Skene, Aberdeenshire to Edinburgh with eight-year-old twins Gianluca and Austin and five-year-old Cecilia, then tried to kill herself.
It was the first of several attempts she made on her life – and in letters to a friend in England, Riggi repeatedly wrote of her desire to die, but said she was sure her children were protecting her and saving her from suicide.
In another letter, she said: “It must not be doubted that I adore my children with all my being and always have. I should be with them and have tried many times.
“My survival is nothing short of miraculous, so I must believe that God and my children have something to do with that.”
But nowhere in the hundreds of pages did she express any remorse for killing the youngsters – although she did admit she had lost control amidst fears of losing them.
The devout Catholic, originally from California, was found dead in her room at high-security Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire two weeks ago. A post-mortem examination found Riggi – who had a history of eating disorders – died of natural causes.
She was jailed for 16 years after admitting three charges of culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and began her sentence at Cornton Vale, Stirling where she was allegedly attacked.
She was later moved to a secure unit in Edinburgh, before being secretly moved to Nottinghamshire late last year for her own protection.
Last night her friend, who declined to be named, said Riggi’s spirits rose when she moved to a secure hospital environment, adding: “Not only was she a danger to herself, she was in constant danger from all the other prisoners.”
Referring to her crime, he said: “Theresa told me that she had lost her mind that day but she would not take responsibility for what she had done.
“She blamed everyone else and made out that she was driven to it.
“I could not accept that. I felt sickened by what she did, but I still felt sorry for her as a human being.”