Kayaker Accused of Murdering Fiancé on Hudson River was 'Calm' after His Kayak Capsized: Reports

Pretrial Hearings Underway For Angelika Graswald, Charged in Drowning Death of Vincent Viafore Last Year

Photo: Allyse Pulliam/Times Herald-Record/AP

During pre-trial hearings today for kayaker Angelika Graswald, accused of murdering her fiance while on the Hudson River, a state police investigator said he was “in shock” when Graswald told another investigator she had “pulled a plug” on his kayak, according to The Poughkeepsie Journal and ABC News.

The hearings began Monday in an Orange County, New York court to determine if statements she made to investigators can be used by prosecutors, according to several news outlets.

Graswald, 36, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the drowning death of her fiancé, Vincent Viafore, on April 19, 2015.

Prosecutors say that Graswald killed her fianc by moving his paddle away as he fought for his life in frigid waters, and by “removing a plug from his kayak so that it would fill with water.”

Graswald’s lawyer, Richard Portale, has said Viafore’s death was a tragic accident due to Viafore’s not wearing a life jacket, along with rough river conditions and the water’s frigid temperature.

Another witness testified Monday that Graswald seemed ‘calm’ when a rescue boat brought her to shore, according to The Times-Herald Record.

“Matter-of-fact….didn’t show any emotion,” Cornwall, New York Police Officer Stephen Bedetti testified, according to The Poughkeepsie Journal.

Ten days after the incident, investigators interrogated Graswald for 11 hours, and Portale will be arguing to suppress the video during these pre-trial hearings, Portale said during a February conference.

Viafore’s mother and other relatives attended the hearing, and declined comment according to reports.

The hearings resume tomorrow.