Annapolis, MD – An Anne Arundel County woman involved in an unusual love triangle has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for the murders of her husband and the mistress they shared, court officials reported. The murders of Anthony Anastasi Jr. 40 and Jacqueline Riggs, 25, occurred on Oct. 4, 2015. Police found Anthony Anastasi shot to death and Riggs stabbed to death in the basement of their house in Lothian. Ann Anastasi, 44, and her teenage daughter’s boyfriend—identified in court records as Gabriel Ezekiel Struss, 19 of Annapolis—were charged with the killings. The Anastasis, their daughter and Riggs all resided at the house on West Bay Front Road.
On Dec. 7, Ann Anastasi entered an Alford plea in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court to two counts of first-degree murder and a single count of firearm use in a felony/violent crime. On Tuesday, May 9 she was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Last June Struss pleaded guilty to two counts each of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and one count of use of a firearm in a violent crime.
The Anastasis’ teenage daughter was remanded to the custody of juvenile authorities after Ann Anastasi and Struss were arrested and charged.
An Anne Arundel County Police Department report stated, “Riggs had been an associate of the family and had been romantically involved with Anthony and Ann.” She moved into the Lothian house during the summer of 2015, “which caused tension within the residence,” investigators reported.
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Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com