Woman who almost died in ‘most extraordinary murder of all time’ shares chilling thoughts as she fell to her death

A woman who narrowly survived “the most extraordinary murder plot in history” has revealed what she was thinking as she stepped off the plane in the face of what would have been her death.

Victoria Cilliers came close to death on Easter Sunday 2015 when she parachuted and didn’t know that her husband Emile had sabotaged her parachute in an attempt to murder her.

She fell to the ground from 4,000 feet and hit the ground at 60 miles per hour, landing in a soft, freshly plowed field where she suffered serious injuries, including a broken spine and a shattered pelvis.

It’s possible that a slightly gentler landing saved her life, and it wasn’t the first time her husband had tried to murder her this week.

Just days earlier, he had tried to kill Victoria by causing a gas leak.

Emile tried but failed to kill his wife and mother of two children, who miraculously survived, although her road to recovery was long.

Victoria Cilliers shared her thoughts when she fell to the ground and her parachute failed. (Channel 4)

Victoria is taking part in a new Channel 4 docudrama The Fall: Skydiving Murder Plotwhich describes the attempt on her life, and MyAnna Buring plays her in dramatic reconstructions of certain moments.

The 44-year-old recalled the memorable Easter Sunday in 2015 when she jumped out of a plane and had no idea that it was part of an attempt on her life by her own husband.

When she fell to the ground from over 15,000 feet and discovered that both her parachute and reserve parachute were inoperable, one thought ran through her mind: “My children need me.”

She had previously made over 2,600 successful jumps from planes, but when she fell, near death, she thought of her children.

Victoria said, “As the ground got closer and closer, I forced myself to put the fear out of my mind.

“I have to fix this,” I told myself as I fought for my life. My children need me.”

Her husband tried to murder her twice, the second time he sabotaged her parachute. (ITV)

In 2018, Emile was sentenced to life in prison, and the judge told him he would have to spend at least another 18 years behind bars before he had a chance at freedom.

Judge Sweeney said the man was a “danger to society”.

The judge said: “This was a vile crime of exceptional gravity. You have shown yourself to be an exceptionally callous person who will stop at nothing to satisfy his own desires, material or otherwise.”

Victoria’s story is told in a Channel 4 documentary The Fall: Skydiving Murder Plot which will air in three episodes starting tonight (June 11) and continuing tomorrow and Thursday.

Featured image: Source: Channel 4/ITV

Topics: Crime, True Crime, Channel 4, TV & Film, Documentaries