Emile Cilliers tried to murder his wife Victoria by sabotaging her parachute, but that was not his first attempt to kill her. Emile had a long history of lying, stealing, and having extramarital affairs. He also had a temper. Victoria knew that her husband was often dishonest and emotionally closed off, but she desperately wanted to keep her family together for the sake of their children. She could not even imagine that the father of her children would want her dead.

Join us at the quiet end for The Parachute Murder Plot. Things were far from ideal in the Cilliers marriage, but Victoria was in love and unaware of much of what was going on behind her back. Emile liked to spend money on anonymous sex, frivolous luxuries, and vacations with his girlfriend. He took out high interest payday loans and skimmed money from Victoria’s bank account, all the while gaslighting her into thinking she was emotionally unstable. But as Victoria worried about her troubled marriage, Emile gave her bits of hope. He used her love for her family as a weapon against her and set her up for a terrifying death.

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Sources

Chute to Kill: Jealous Belgian Skydiver Convicted of Murder, Time, Leo Cendrowicz, 11/30/2019

Els Clottemans, Belgian Skydiver Who Doctored Parachute of Love Rival Gets 30 Years, The Huffington Post, Robert Wielaard, 10/21/2010

The Fall: Skydive Murder Plot, Channel4UK, 5/28/2024

How Often do Parachutes Fail? Skydive Monroe, https://skydivemonroe.com/blog/parachute-fails-to-open-when-skydiving/, 8/23/2023

Inside the world of parachute murder plotter who was jailed for life for trying to kill his wife, https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/parachute-murder-channel-4-documentary-victoria-cilliers-emile-skydive-the-fall/, 6/11/2024

I Survived by Victoria Cilliers 2020

The Parachute Murder Plot, All3Media, with Fiona, 2018 

Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma related to gravitational challenge: systematic review of randomised controlled trials. BMJ, GC Smith & JP Pell, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC300808/, 12/20/2003

Sex, lies and payday loans: The parachute murder plot, BBC.com, Bethen Bell, 6/15/2028