Angelika Graswald said, “it felt good knowing he was going to die” in reference to her fiancé, Vincent Viafore, who drowned in the Hudson River after she tampered with his kayak. Graswald murdered her fiancé in order to get a quarter of million dollars from his life insurance policies.
Angelika Graswald confessed “it felt good knowing he was going to die” after police revealed that they still have not found the body of her fiancé, Vincent Viafore.
On April 19, at around 4:00 p.m., New Yorkers – Angelika Graswald and Vincent Viafore – decided to go kayaking from Plum Point to Bannerman Island, where Graswald was a volunteer. The couple spent two hours on Bannerman Island before deciding to return home.
Orange County Assistant District Attorney Julie Mohl explained that just a few miles from Bannerman Island, Mr. Viafore’s kayak inexplicably filled with water causing it to capsize.
“The victim was holding onto the kayak…he went under water and drowned around 7:15 p.m.,” Mohl said. This is where the story got very strange.
Graswald stayed in her kayak and called for help at 7:40 p.m claiming she could see Viafore, but was unable to help him. She told the operator that her kayak had also capsized, and the conversation was cut off.
When police arrived on the scene, witnesses said Graswald jumped in the water and pretended to drown and never lifted a finger to rescue her lover. When quizzed by the authorities, she confessed to the crime.
“She said she capsized her kayak on purposely, because she wanted authorities to believe she tried to save Viafore. She stated that she tampered with the victim’s kayak…she knew it would contribute to his death,” Mohl shared.
On Wednesday, she was indicted by a grand jury on second-degree murder charges and her bail was set at $3 million or $9 million bond.
According to court documents, Angelika Graswald told the police: “I felt happiness and relief and it felt good knowing he was going to die.”
Graswald, who is originally from Latvia and is in the US with a permanent resident card, claimed that she was depressed, felt trapped in the relationship with the victim and she decided to kill him for the insurance policies.
Graswald, a two-time divorcee, stood to benefit $250,000 from Viafore’s life insurance policies. Graswald’s lawyer, Richard Portale, said his client’s first language is Russian and, therefore, did not understand all of the questions posed by the police. He said the confession is not valid. “What’s changed that has caused the government to now characterize my client’s statements as a confession?…It’s all going to come out and we will get our hands on the statements, and find out whether they were voluntary or forced,” Portale said.
Do you think Angelika Graswald was involved in Vincent Viafore’s death? If yes, what should be her punishment?
I tell my friends stay away from Russian brides.
Poor man, he could the girlfriend from hell.If she was unhappy, why not leave and go find another man? why kill the fiancé?
RIP.
Just be very careful men you never know whats behind that smile..
Sounds to me the police work for the insurance company.. and the insurance company balks at paying.. we are talking a kayak accident as far as I am concerned could happen to anyone.