NEW YORK — An Orange County Grand Jury has indicted Angelika Graswald, 35, of Poughkeepsie, for the charges of Murder in the Second Degree and Manslaughter in the Second Degree in connection with the death of her fiancé, Vincent Viafore.
Prosecutors say 35 year-old Angelika Graswald intentionally killed her fiancé, Vincent Viafore, 46, by removing a plug from his kayak so that it would fill with water, and tampering with his paddle. (Full release below)
The woman allegedly moved the paddle away from the victim as he was struggling to stay afloat with water temperatures in the 40 degree range, and failed to render him assistance including timely calls for help.
The suspect then posted some really weird photos of herself and her “missing” fiance.
On April 19, 2015, the Orange County 911 Center received a call that Viafore’s kayak had capsized during a kayaking trip on the Hudson River. The New York State Police and other first responders searched the river for Viafore, eventually recovering his kayak, and that of Graswald, who had been taken aboard a private vessel.
On April 30, 2015, the New York State Police charged Graswald with Murder in the Second Degree for intentionally killing Viafore. Graswald is currently being held in the Orange County Jail.
On Saturday May 23, 2015, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit were notified about a body floating in the Hudson River in the vicinity of West Point. They located and secured the body until the New York State Police could respond and recover the body from the river. The body was positively identified as that of Mr. Viafore. Additional testing and examinations of Mr. Viafore’s body are being conducted by the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The indictment alleges that Graswald intentionally killed Mr. Viafore. The allegations include that Graswald killed her fiancé by, among other ways, removing a plug from his kayak so that it would fill with water, and tampering with his paddle. It is also alleged that she moved the paddle away from him as he was struggling to stay afloat with water temperatures in the 40 degree range, and failed to render him assistance including timely calls for help.
