A month and a half after 46-year-old kayaker Vincent Viafore drowned in freezing Hudson river waters his fiance, 35-year-old Angelika Graswald, has pled not guilty of his murder. The two were on a kayaking trip together when his boat capsized mysteriously. But what would drive a woman to kill the man she's supposed to marry in a romantic wedding on the Baltic Sea?
Prosecutors say Graswald pulled a plug out of Viafore's kayak, causing it to fill with water and then capsize. When he reached for his paddle, she pulled it away, they claim. And while the boat capsized at 7:15 p.m. Graswald waited until 7:40 to call for help. Viafore's body wasn't found until over a month later.
Her motive? Viafore's $250,000 in life insurance policies, prosecutors say.
Graswald was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter based on her own written and oral statements to police.
But Graswald's attorney says she didn't do it, suggesting to People magazine that her words could have been manipulated by investigators. Her legal team will examine Viafore's body. "We expect to see it was an accidental drowning, hypothermia and acute alcohol poisoning, but we don't have it yet," says Richard Portale. "I think it was clear they were drinking, at least a couple beers."
Regardless of how Viafore died, it's a tragedy. But we'll be interested to see how this case progresses. It's hard to imagine a woman killing her future husband -- sure hope she really isn't guilty!
Can you imagine a woman killing her fiance for $250,000?
Image via New York State Police