The Parachute Murder Plot

In March 2018, Emile Cilliers was convicted of the attempted murder of his wife Victoria. She had jumped out of a plane at 4,000 feet, when her parachute catastrophically failed and she crashed to the ground. Miraculously she survived but in court she refused to testify against her husband, even though he’d tried to kill her. Twice. It was one of the most riveting stories of Fiona Bruce’s journalistic career. Now she’s returning to her roots as a crime reporter to re-examine the case. With exclusive access to over 12 hours of previously unseen police tapes, thousands of the couple’s intimate text messages, unseen home movies and interviews with key people, some of whom are speaking publicly for the first time, Fiona will go beyond the headlines, shedding new light on the crime itself, the investigation and the subsequent prosecution as Emile sought to use his extraordinary charm to evade justice, and very nearly succeeded. What made the police so determined to convict him? And what does this case tell us about the hidden epidemic of domestic violence?