Graswald
GOSHEN – Angelika Graswald of Poughkeepsie pled guilty in Orange County Court on Monday to a charge of criminally negligent homicide in connection with the drowning death of her fiancé, Vincent Viafore, while they were kayaking on the Hudson River near New Windsor on April 19, 2015. He was 46 at the time of his death.
She faces 1 1/3 to four years in state prison, the maximum allowed under the law, when sentenced in November. She has already spent 27 months in jail.
Graswald, 37, admitted she caused Viafore’s drowning death by removing the plug from his kayak. She also admitted she knew that the locking clip to his kayak paddle was missing, that he was not wearing a life vest or a wet suit, and knowing that the waters in the Hudson River where they were kayaking were dangerously cold and rough at the time.
“This plea agreement was entered into after extensive consultation
with the victim’s family, who understand the reasons for the plea
agreement,” said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler.
“The only evidence in the case came from Miss Graswald’s own
statements that she made to the police during extensive interviews over
a lengthy period of time and I think given all that, the two assistant
DA’s that handled the case extremely well and reached a reasonable
outcome given what the evidence was.”
Graswald, who was wearing a life jacket, admitted her actions constituted a gross deviation from the standard conduct that a reasonable person would have observed in the situation and that her actions caused Viafore’s death.
The couple was kayaking in separate vessels on April 19, 2015 when Viafore’s overturned. His body was not recovered until May 23, 2015.
Judge Robert Freehill found that the interests of justice would be served by the plea agreement and that he believed it to be an appropriate disposition.
“While no outcome can compensate for the loss of a beloved son, brother and uncle, this disposition will hopefully bring a measure of closure to the Viafore family,” Hoovler said. “This plea ensures that the defendant will be held criminally liable for her actions. By pleading guilty the defendant has acknowledged that Vincent Viafore’s death was not simply a traffic accident, but the result of this defendant’s criminal conduct.”
