Interrogation tape of woman accused of killing her fiance on kayak trip reveals how 'she sabotaged his boat and paddle and wanted him gone... while in her 911 call she told police: 'He's gonna drown'

  • Angelika Graswald, 35, was charged with murder after Vincent Viafore, 46, drowned in the Hudson River when his boat capsized
  • Prosecutors allege Graswald pulled out the stopper on her boyfriend's kayak and left him to die
  • Video of her 11-hour police interview - obtained by CBS - shows her saying: 'I wanted him dead and now he's gone ... And I'm okay with it'
  • Investigators said Graswald told them it 'felt good knowing he would die' and that she knew she stood to benefit $250,000 from his life insurance
  • Her lawyer claims the plug in the kayak had been missing for a long time 
  • Experts say Graswald was manipulated into confessing 
  • The drowning was initially ruled an accident before police said Graswald's story had inconsistencies

A video from inside the interrogation of a New York woman charged with killing her fiance on a kayak trip shows her saying: 'I wanted him dead and now he's gone ... And I'm okay with it.'

The footage, obtained by CBS News program 48 Hours, appears to capture Angelika Graswald confessing to murdering Vincent Viafore, 46 - who drowned in the Hudson River on April 19.

The 11 hours of police interviews came before Graswald was charged in May. Prosecutors allege she pulled out the stopper on Viafore's kayak, causing him to capsize, then moved his paddle out of reach and left him to die as she rowed away.

The release of the video coincides with the release of the 911 call Graswald made from Cornwall, on the Hudson River, after Viafore capsized, in which she can be heard saying: 'I can't paddle to him... He's gonna drown.'

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Angelika Graswald, 35, being questioned by police officers in a still from the video that has now emerged

Angelika Graswald, 35, being questioned by police officers in a still from the video that has now emerged

Investigators maintain Graswald killed her fiance, Vincent Viafore, 46 (pictured with her), because she stood to gain $250,000 in insurance payouts and their relationship had soured

Investigators maintain Graswald killed her fiance, Vincent Viafore, 46 (pictured with her), because she stood to gain $250,000 in insurance payouts and their relationship had soured

A medical examiner has ruled that Viafore was a victim of homicide on April 19 after the drain plug in his boat was 'intentionally removed by other'.

Graswald is accused of waiting 20 minutes before capsizing her own kayak and calling for help, investigators alleged. 

She was rescued by another boater and treated for hypothermia, while Viafore's body was not located for over a month.

In the 911 call - also obtained by CBS - Graswald can be heard saying: 'Hi, I'm, uh, I'm in the Hudson River. My fiance fell in the water. Can you please call anybody?'

She continues: 'I can't get to him. It's very windy and the waves are coming in and I can't - I can't paddle to him.'

Graswald then says: 'He's getting further and further away from me. I - I - I - he's gonna drown.' 

On April 29, ten days after Viafore went missing, Graswald was brought in for questioning, in an interrogation that lasted 11 hours.

Afterwards she was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.  

Angelika Graswald (pictured in court in May) has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in her fiance's death, which was ruled a homicide by an 'intentionally removed drain plug'

Angelika Graswald (pictured in court in May) has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in her fiance's death, which was ruled a homicide by an 'intentionally removed drain plug'

Part of the interrogation will feature as part of a 48 Hours special that will air tomorrow night at 10pm on CBS.

In it Graswald tell the detective: 'All right, I'll give you a (expletive) statement.'

The detective replies: 'What is it?'

Graswald then says: 'I wanted him dead and now he's gone. And I'm okay with it.'

Investigators maintain Graswald killed Viafore because she stood to gain $250,000 in insurance payouts and that their relationship had soured. 

Viafore's body was finally recovered from the Hudson on May 24, 2015.

Throughout the interrogation, Graswald expresses frustration with the process, though also gives the detectives the answers they are seeking.

'Why did you want him to die? How could you best put it?' the detective asks Graswald during the interrogation.

'I wanted to be free.'

'And you feel happy?' he asks.

'Yes,' she says.

'And relieved that it happened? That he's dead,' the detective asks.

'Yes,' she says, according to CBS.  

Images posted online of the couple (above) show them being affectionate with each other

Images posted online of the couple (above) show them being affectionate with each other

Viofore's body was recovered by police from the Hudson River near the Cornwall Yacht Club on May 3 (above)

Viofore's body was recovered by police from the Hudson River near the Cornwall Yacht Club on May 3 (above)

However, Jim Trainum, a former detective with the DC Metropolitan police department and an interrogation expert, viewed all 11 hours of the interrogation tape and told 48 Hours that Graswald may have been manipulated into confessing.

Trainum said the answers seen in the video could more about Graswald's exasperation about being questioned for such a long amount of time rather than truth. 

Viafore's autopsy, obtained this week by the New York Times, states that the official cause of death for 46-year-old Viafore, who was not wearing a life jacket, was by drowning. 

Richard Portale, Graswald's lawyer, argues that the medical examiner, identified as Jennifer L. Roman, was influenced by 'false information provided by the New York State Police'. 

'She ruled this a homicide without a scintilla of medical evidence,' he said, arguing that Roman did not conduct a 'meaningful investigation' on her own. 

Portale has also stated that the drain plug for Viafore's kayak had been missing for some time before the trip. 

Graswald also said in her interrogation that plug was taken out some time ago. 

Kayaking experts told the Times that a kayak would not necessarily sink in the absence of the drain plug, which closes a small hole at the top of the vessel and is designed to help rid the boat of excess water on dry land.

A spokesman for the Orange County executive's office said a medical examiner is allowed by state law to use facts outside of the autopsy when determining cause and manner of death. 

'The autopsy is only one aspect of the medical examiner's examination into the cause of death,' said Justin Rodriguez. 

'The coroners and medical examiners have been doing this for over 100 years.'  

Police said Graswald (pictured with her fiance on his Facebook page) was inconsistent and her seemingly carefree behavior on social media accounts after his death also raised suspicions 

Police said Graswald (pictured with her fiance on his Facebook page) was inconsistent and her seemingly carefree behavior on social media accounts after his death also raised suspicions 

Graswald, who hails from Latvia, was kayaking with Viafore at the time
She initially told police she had tried to save Viafore after his kayak capsized in the choppy water

Graswald (left and, right, with Viafore), who hails from Latvia, initially told police she had tried to save Viafore after his kayak capsized in the choppy water

Police classified Viafore's drowning as an accident for more than a week after his boat capsized on April 19, 50 miles north of New York City near Bannerman Island. 

But police said Graswald's story became inconsistent and her seemingly carefree behavior on social media accounts afterwards also raised suspicions.

Assistant District Attorney Julie Mohl said at a bail hearing in May that Graswald had admitted to tampering with her fiance's kayak and confessed to investigators 'it felt good knowing he would die'. 

Mohl said Graswald, who is from Latvia, felt trapped and stood to benefit by $250,000 from life insurance policies.

Portale said Graswald's statements had been coerced and also blamed the language barrier.   

He told the Poughkeepsie Journal that Graswald is 'very confident sounding, so even if she doesn't understand what you're saying, she'll answer in an affirmative tone. 

'She was suffering from hypothermia and the loss of her fiance, and there was a very clear language barrier.' 

In the days leading up to her arrest, Graswald had been active on Facebook, sharing cellphone videos of her playing with a kitten and uploading a dozen romantic photos of her and Viafore 

In the days leading up to her arrest, Graswald had been active on Facebook, sharing cellphone videos of her playing with a kitten and uploading a dozen romantic photos of her and Viafore 

Images posted online show an active, affectionate pair spending time outdoors, particularly on the water, and a message about their plans to be married at a spot on the Baltic Sea.

Graswald told People earlier this month that she felt tricked by police and made a mistake when she continued to talk to them after being read her Miranda Rights to remain silent.

She told the news outlet she and Viafore had been planning an August beach wedding and that she had hoped to have children with him. 

Graswald formerly lived in Connecticut, where records show she married twice there and divorced at least once.

In the days leading up to her arrest, Graswald had been active on Facebook, sharing cellphone videos of her playing with a kitten and uploading a dozen romantic photos of her and Viafore.

About four days after Viafore's disappearance, Graswald posted a striking image of her kayaking, accompanied by the caption: 'If only I could have paddled harder, dammit...'

Two days before her arrest she shared a picture of the happy couple at a lakeside cabin, accompanied by the caption: 'I miss you, my love...'

Just one day before her arrest, Graswald posted a cellphone video of herself driving with a friend to the Cornwall Yacht Club.

'What a beautiful day,' she casually remarked. Graswald then looks at the dashboard and takes note of the time: 9.22am. ' She added: 'Nine-Twenty Two is the date that we met.' 

 

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