The flimsy case against accused kayak killer Angelika Graswald may be worst than circumstantial, say some experts in the field.
The 35-year-old Latvian national remains in an upstate New York jail in lieu of $3-million bond for the “intentional” drowning death of her fiancé this spring while the two were paddling the Hudson River.
At the time of her arrest, Graswald “implicated herself” when speaking with detectives, leading to the suspicion that she’d tampered with the victim’s kayak, causing it to become imbalanced and to thereby sink “without its plug” installed.
Prosecutors further contend that, despite her urgent 911 call asking a dispatcher to send help that evening, Graswald herself repeatedly refused to aid Vincent Viafore as he desperately struggled in 40-degree waters to stay afloat.
During the double boating-mishap, the defendant somehow became separated from her own kayak as well; but she was rescued from the frigid river by a passing boater and transported by paramedics to a hospital for treatment of hypothermia.
Her defense attorney has repeatedly asserted that the murder and manslaughter charges against his foreign-born client stem from awkwardly worded statements she made as a result of her language barrier, and possibly even entrapment.
English is the second language of Angelika Graswald -- although, judging from April’s 911 recording, she appears to speak it fluently, even under stress:
“Oh my God. I'm in a red kayak, but he fell in. I couldn't swim to him. I couldn't paddle to him,” Graswald told the operator. “He's getting farther and farther away from me -- he's going to drown -- please call somebody!”
Investigators found it additionally suspect that neither Graswald or her beau, who were both experienced outdoorsmen, were wearing life vests on the day of their accident.
Some experts, however, have challenged police theories concerning the missing kayak plug, which the defendant is accused of stealing in advance of April’s doomed Hudson River crossing.
They’ve stated that a kayak’s missing stopper wouldn’t cause it to capsize or make the buoyant vessel sink either, even in high winds and treacherous currents.
Prosecutors are convinced otherwise, and continue to insist Graswald wanted her older and wealthy fiancé dead to collect on his insurance policies. They also argue she resented Viafore for forcing her to participate in threesomes with other women.
