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Woman Allegedly Confesses To Fatally Tampering With Fiance's Kayak

Rebecca Fishbein

Published May 14, 2015

Modified May 14, 2015

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Rebecca Fishbein

Published May 14, 2015

Modified May 14, 2015

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A woman accused of murdering her fiance after he disappeared while kayaking in the Hudson River last month has allegedly confessed to tampering with his boat, and prosecutors claim she said it had “felt good knowing he was going to die.”

Orange County resident Angelika Graswald, 35, is accused of killing her 46-year-old fiance, Vincent Viafore, during a kayaking trip on April 19th. Initially, Graswald claimed both her's and Viafore's kayaks accidentally overturned in the water, and that she saw him struggling to swim before he drowned. But investigators questioned Graswald and arrested her soon after; on Wednesday, prosecutors in Orange County said Graswald admitted to tampering with his kayak and watching him drown.

Graswald, a Latvian native, reportedly waited a full 25 minutes before contacting 911 after Viafore capsized. She also allegedly capsized her own kayak so it would look like she had tried to help him. Prosecutors say she stood to benefit from a $250,000 life insurance policy, and multiple reports suggested she had an unhappy relationship with Viafore, citing a diary entry about him wanting to have a threesome, "and that she wished he were dead," according to the Times. An ex-boyfriend told reporters she acted strangely when it came to relationships, once lying down behind his car after they broke up.

Her attorney, meanwhile, claims that her statements are misleading, thanks to her poor grasp of English. "She’s very confident sounding, and so even if she doesn’t know what you’re saying, she’ll answer in an affirmative tone,” he said in court. “You think you’re communicating effectively, but you’re really not because she’s not getting what you’re saying.”

Friends and neighbors, however, say the couple "were so in love," and have come together to support Graswald with an online defense fund. "I know her and I don’t believe she’s capable of doing such a thing," one supporter told CBS 2.

Graswald, who has been charged with second-degree murder, is being held on $3 million cash bail.

Tagged

angelika graswald

hudson river

kayak

murder

vincent viafore

Rebecca Fishbein

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