48 Hours - Death on the Hudson

Episode Date: September 13, 2015

New information in the case of a woman accused of killing her fiance during a kayaking trip may prove her innocence.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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people, real crimes, real life drama. The Hudson River Valley is just outside of New York City. It's a beautiful place. There's all sorts of activities to enjoy on the Hudson. It's a great place to kayak. But the Hudson River needs to be respected. There's a number of very strong currents in the Hudson. The Hudson can be dangerous.

On April 19th, late in the afternoon, Angelica and Vince go kayaking on the Hudson River. They were kayakers. They enjoyed the outdoors. They were outdoors enthusiasts. You could tell that they were in love, that you saw the glisten in their eyes. He couldn't keep his hands off of her. He just loved her.

April 19th was one of the first nice days. Milky skies, but otherwise nice this afternoon. High 66. So they set out for what people call Bannerman's Island. There's a castle on it that was modeled after the castles in Scotland. Shortly after 7 p.m., when they went to return home, things changed. Thoughts will thicken tonight, though, and it's going to get windy later on. It was rough. We know that the waves are 3 to 5 feet.

How high are you above the water right now? Maybe 4 inches. So if a 2-foot wave is coming across here, what's happening? The wave's going to come and just come right into my lap, and then over you'll go. Midway through their paddle back to shore, Vince ran into trouble. His kayak capsized. He went into the water.

He wasn't wearing a life vest. It was cold. It was 46 degrees. It was windy. It was getting dark. It was a dangerous place to be. Shortly after going into the water, he instructed Angelica to call 911. Hi, I'm in the Hudson River. My fiance found me in the water. Can you please call anybody? I can't get to him.

It's very windy and the waves are coming in and I can't paddle to him. He's getting further and further away from me. He's going to drown. The body of Vincent Villafor is yet to be located. The search for him remains ongoing. On April 29th, the New York State Police, they interrogated her for over 11 hours.

You're lying to me and you're lying to yourself. And then they arrested her for the crime of murder in the second degree. You killed Vinny. You took that plug out to kill him. The alleged motive for the crime, two life insurance policies totaling a quarter million dollars and a souring relationship. The police theory of this case is really outrageous. My name is Michael Archer. I'm a forensic scientist.

I was retained to assist in Angelica's defense. They say that she pulled a plug, a drain plug from the kayak, and that caused the kayak to sink. I took it out before. Yes. A long time ago. Because you wanted him to die.

Yes. Do you believe that Angelica Graswald may have given a false confession? Yes. In that she admitted to a crime that was probably nothing but an accident. I want to believe she didn't do it, but then again

the police know something that I don't know. I wanted him dead and now he's gone. I'm Peter Van Sant. Tonight on 48 Hours, Death on the Hudson. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman. But did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, wherever you get your podcasts.

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I don't know where you're at. He's got a job. Please call somebody. He's got help on the way. Approximately 7.30, I got a phone call that there was a situation, a capsizing of a kayak. Wait for it. Very strong. I can see it. Don't see it.

It can't. Okay. Hold on, baby. It did get choppy out. Three to four foot swells. I would never be out there. Jeff Schock is Commodore at the Cornwall Yacht Club in New York's Hudson Valley. They immediately went into the work boat to help rescue this person.

I can't see him anymore. You don't see him? No. Angelica's call for help first obtained by 48 hours. The sun was setting, the river turning dark. They pulled her out of the water. They never saw another person in the water. Vincent Villafor's body had been swallowed up by the river. It all appeared to be a tragic accident. But within days, investigators began hearing disturbing reports that Angelica Graswald seemed oddly unaffected by his death. She agreed to be questioned. Tonight, you'll see the dramatic police interrogation...

You wanted him dead. ...where Angelica's own words turned her from a grieving fiancé into a murder suspect. She was always very nice, bright and clever and perky. Joel Goss has known Angelica for almost seven years. He saw Angelica toiling in local restaurants, but knew she had bigger dreams. Photography. She really wanted to do photography. Absolutely blissful when she was doing that.

She would always take pictures of the sky or something, you know, flowers. She always found beauty in that. Sherry Party tended the bar. I felt that she had a good heart. You know, I don't have friends that don't have good hearts, you know. She was born Angelika Lipska in Latvia

when it was still part of the Soviet Union. When the Iron Curtain lifted, Angelika sought opportunity, a nanny job bringing her to the United States. And by the time she met Vincent Viafor, Angelika had been married and divorced twice. But then, so had he. It was love at first sight. Nearly 11 years older than Angelica, 46-year-old Vincent Viafor was a project manager with the state of New York and one of Sherry's closest friends. What was it about her personality that he fell in love with? She's very spunky like him. They just knew that they wanted to be together.

Amanda Hoistrat was Vincent's roommate at the time. He loved her. He wanted to be around her all the time. Within weeks, Angelica moved in. Did he want to marry Angelica? Yeah. He was even talking about having kids. Yeah. And he hadn't done that before. One, two, cut, cut.

Known for his barbecue ribs, his dance moves, and his partying, Vincent was as generous and fun as they come. And Vinny had a lot of friends. A lot of friends. Like the party's here, let's take a shot. You guys want a shot? His other little nickname is Vinny Shot. Vinny Shot.

Like in this photo, on Saturday night, April 18th, Vincent was out to party with his friends. It was just 24 hours before he would go kayaking. Vinny wanted to stay out having drinks with us because that was like we hadn't gotten together in a couple weeks. Maybe even go to a strip club. But Angelica wasn't interested. She wanted to go home. She was quiet. You know, she wasn't really talking to anyone. Before Vincent took her home, he told Sherry's boyfriend, Monty, he had wanted to go kayaking. I was like, what are you crazy? Look behind you. The water was

choppy. It was really cold. You can't go in this water. Don't even think about it. You can't talk Vinny out of anything. He's, he's. He's very, you know, he loves adventure. Angelica herself would take police through the very same Saturday night in this interrogation first obtained by 48 Hours. Did you guys get past him? Did you get past him? That Saturday night? Yeah.

Yeah, he did. That Saturday night? Yeah. Yeah, he did. Angelica tells the investigator things between her and Vincent were tense. They argued, but then made up. Had the fight and... Now I was going to bed. Nothing.

The next day, Sunday, April 19th, Vincent was determined, she says, to go kayaking. We're going. We're going. Year after year, it was something of a spring ritual for the couple, kayaking on the Hudson. The days were warming, but the river still cold. That day, Angelica says Vincent packed their gear. Traffic cameras caught his vehicle heading out. I had my life vest. I had my purse. But Angelica says Vincent didn't take a life vest for himself.

Their plan this trip was to head to Bannerman's Castle in the middle of the Hudson River, where Angelica would change into something sexy for photos. Just after 4 p.m., they launched, bringing alcohol, the beer seen in this evidence photo. And when they arrived, they headed up these stairs. But because it was very cold and windy, Angelica says they decided to start the journey home around 7 p.m. At first, Angelica says Vincent was enjoying the rough water, playing around.

Then he pulled forward in front of me and said, baby, this is an adventure of a lifetime. Angelica tells police she knew Vincent's kayak was missing this plug. It's supposed to cover a hole in his kayak. And she says while Vincent's kayak worked fine without it on the way out to the island in a calmer river, now, with the waves, she was concerned about it. The waves are doing their thing up and down like that. But then I saw that it started to fill up and I knew that the flood wasn't there. Then Vincent was suddenly in the water, holding this seat cushion that floats, she says, his kayak and a dry bag. Angelica took his paddle and hooked it to her kayak. She's in the water. I'm not supposed to paddle.

And I keep the weight pulling me away from him further and further. And that's when he yells, call 911. Hold on, baby! I don't see him anymore! Okay, where are you exactly right now? In the minutes and hours following that 911 call, Angelica's every action would be closely scrutinized. It was Monday morning when Sherry heard the news. Called Angelica. She picks up.

I said, I'm freaking out. I'm like, Angelica, what's going on? Is there something wrong? She's like, Vinny's missing. But Angelica, she says, was bizarrely calm. While divers searched for Vincent's body, Angelica posted this video of herself doing cartwheels. I thought it was a little insensitive. She also posted an old picture of herself kayaking in bad weather. Kind of creepy that she's there alone on a stormy day.

It was kind of freaky. But Joel Goss didn't see Angelica in the same light. I believe she was absolutely in pain that Vincent was gone. He says Angelica was really trying to put on a happy, brave face. So she was very hopeful. There's still a chance. There's still a chance they'll find him. I should put flowers where I last saw him.

I should put flowers there. So, ten days after her fiancé went missing, Angelica went back with flowers in hand to Bannerman's Island. Police were there too, not to comfort Angelica, but to confront her. I don't want to admit that I killed him. Okay, I understand that. But you did. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn.

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A state police marine boat with sonar spent the day in the rain, fog, and choppy water conditions searching for a missing kayaker. For days on end, the scenic river where Vincent Viafort loved to fish and kayak teemed with rescue boats and helicopters looking for his body. I prayed every day to help us find him, whether he was alive or not, to bring him home. Vincent's mother, Mary Ann. You woke up anxious, you know, hopefully is this the day you're going to find him? While search crews combed the waters, Vincent Villafor's loved ones got news that left them reeling. What first seemed like an accident now appears to be something much more sinister. Stunningly, police now believe Vincent was murdered on the river and that his fiancée, Angelica Grasswald, killed him.

Investigators say that when they questioned Angelica on Bannerman's Island, she gave them some extremely incriminating answers. She made statements that implicated herself in this crime. Authorities say Angelica admitted she removed the drain plug, like this one, from Vincent's kayak. Investigators believe that caused the boat to fill up with water. They also believe that she tampered with his paddle, removing a ring like this one, which helps keep the paddle securely together. And then, when Vincent went into the water, they say that Angelica took the paddle away from him so he couldn't use it as a flotation device. It was a complete shock. And I was devastated that she would do that to my son, who was so good to her.

35-year-old Angelica Graswold was charged with second-degree murder and later manslaughter. If somebody told me this was in her future, I wouldn't have believed it for a second. Michael Colvin, who lived with Angelica in 2009, cannot imagine that his ex-girlfriend is a killer. But he does remember she had a dark side. Did Angelica have a temper? Absolutely.

She certainly had an anger streak. Colvin witnessed that anger right here in his driveway shortly after they broke up. It involved Mietka, the cat they had adopted together. She insisted on getting the cat and threatened to break into the house if I didn't give it to her. The car is running. I'm getting into the car. She laid down just like this in the driveway, flat like this.

Give me the kit. Give me the kit. To which, of course, I, you know, finally at this point, she's laying down in my driveway. I'm not going to run her over. So I gave the cat to her. The woman definitely has a way of reacting

when she feels threatened. There's no question about that. Colvin's wife, Heather. To lay behind the car, to threaten to break in, and you don't even have a place to house this cat, that's the extreme side, I think. Vincent's friend, Sherry Party, says Angelica could violently turn on him when she was drunk.

She would smack him so hard across his face, and he would just look at her and be like, he would not get mad. And she'd do it again and she'd do it again. Just two weeks before his kayak capsized, Amanda Hoistrat says Vince texted her, expressing some doubts about his relationship with Angelica. You know, he didn't think it was going to work. But the very next day, she says, he changed his mind. He's like, oh, well, she must be really afraid of losing me because she wants me to stay home and we're going to make up. Do you think he ever expressed that to Angelica, that maybe we're having some problems or maybe

we shouldn't do this? Yeah, I think so. or maybe we shouldn't do this. Yeah, I think so. In fact, in the 11-hour interrogation, Angelica told police they were having problems. She said Vincent was pressuring her for things she wasn't comfortable with. He pushed for everything.

He pushed for sex, for sexual stuff. He always wanted sex and he didn't do sexual things? Well, yeah. He wanted sexual things? Well, yeah. Okay. He wanted three things, porn, everything. Angelica said they fought about it.

How does it make you feel? Angry. I was angry. Very angry? Yeah. And admitted that she often felt trapped in the relationship,

sometimes wishing Vincent was dead. Why did you want him to die? How could you best put it? I wanted to be free. I wanted to be free. As startling as that admission was, Angelica made even more disturbing comments to investigators.

And you feel happy and relieved that it happened, that he's dead? Yes. When you washed him in the water, was a part of you saying, my worries are going away now and I'm free? And were you almost... Euphoric? Euphoric that he was going to be gone? I was.

You felt that way? I still do. Along with anger, prosecutors say Angelica's other motive for murder was money. Angelica stood to gain $250,000 from two of Vincent's life insurance policies, a financial windfall for someone who had no money of her own. Did you really admit those things that prosecutors said in court? Angelica Graswold pleaded not guilty and was now on her way to jail to await trial. Her bond, $9 million.

Prosecutors considered the Latvian native a serious flight risk, and a judge agreed. serious flight risk, and a judge agreed. It's like, how dare you feel that you can play God to decide when somebody's time is up? But defense expert Michael Archer says Angelica's alleged confession during that lengthy interrogation is meaningless. He says the forensic evidence tells the true story. I haven't seen all the evidence, but the evidence I've seen certainly does not support the homicide. This is, by all accounts, a tragic accident. And Archer says he can prove what really caused Vincent's kayak to capsize. Fire it up, Skipper, and let's go.

Peter, come look at how our weight fills this boat. The water is somewhere around 46 degrees at the warmest. You know, this is very cold water. It's frigid water. It's getting dark. It's windy. The waves are three to five feet high. He has no life vest on, and he has some level of impairment by alcohol. All of those fit that this is an accidental death. Forensic scientist Michael Archer grew up in the Hudson Valley and knows this beautiful river can be treacherous.

I'm not going to blame Mr. Viafort, but he certainly wasn't as cautious as he should have been. So what's your plan for today? Sure. So we have the gentleman who operates the kayak. Archer, working for the defense, has spent months examining the prosecutor's evidence against Angelica. Buddy, how much do you weigh? About 180, 185. So Peter, here's a gentleman who's significantly smaller than Mr. Viafor, and I just want you to see how low that kayak is in the water.

And I'm not gonna say this water's like glass, but it's pretty calm today. Archer asked Buddy Bainey of Mountaintop's Outfitters to paddle out on the Hudson River in the same model kayak as Vincent Viafort did. Bainey is an experienced kayaker. If you were in rougher water, would you be struggling to remain upright? Absolutely, yeah. Just the wake from that boat had me a little tipsy, a little nervous at one point. It's definitely more designed for, you know, small ponds, lakes, things that, you know, water that's generally calm all the time.

Buddy paddled from Bannerman's Island to the area where Vincent and Angelica launched, about a mile away, with the drain plug open. Remember, Angelica is accused of removing the plug from Vincent's kayak. Do you feel the boat is filling with water because the plug is out? If there's any water getting in there at all, it's very minimal. I don't feel it. I don't notice it. I don't see anything. That may sound surprising until you take a closer look. This is the kayak. This photo is taken by the New York State Police. This is the kayak that Vinny was in?

Yes, that Mr. Vifor was in. So he's sitting here. The plug is on the top of the boat. And So he's sitting here. The plug is on the top of the boat. And the point of the plug... The plug is on the top of the boat. The plug is on the top of the boat. Well, how can it fill up with water if the plug is on top? It doesn't.

What's more... The plug is about the size of my pinky. About this big? About that big. This big around? Yes. What's funny is when the case first came about, I had believed also

that the drain plug was in the bottom of the kayak. Jeff Chartier is one of angelica's defense attorneys he says the fusion 124 model kayak was designed with the plug on top so once back on land it can be easily flipped and drained where do you believe the water actually came into this boat? Well, I think it's pretty clear. And look at this big, giant hole. This is what led to the tragedy. Absolutely. No doubt.

That's the defense theory. And while Archer can't recreate the exact conditions of Vincent's drowning, he did design an experiment to prove the defense's point. We're going to restore this kayak to the way Vince used it that day on April 19th. Strapping the kayak to the back of a boat and then creating an artificial wave. With the plug out. The plug out. And the cockpit area here wide open. We're going to see how much of that wake comes in and how much water gets in the cockpit area and how much water gets in the plug area. Got the plug. Fire it up, up skipper and let's go.

Peter, come look at how our wake fills this boat. And that was about a three footer coming into this. And that's just one wave coming in here. Take a look at this. This looks to me to be a quarter full with just one wave. Archer then devised a test to see how much water could actually enter the kayak through that tiny hole. So Peter, what I want to do is I'm going to dry the boat out. So we put a cockpit seal over top. We've sealed up the cockpit area. We've taped it up so it's on there good. It's tight. And we've left the plug open. And we're going to have the water come over the kayak and see just how much water goes into the plug. Sounds good. Let's check it out and see how much water we got inside.

What do you see? There's not that much, Peter. Let's get that five-gallon bucket and see if we can fill it up. Okay. Can I have an empty water bottle? Nice and slow. Sure. This bottle is 16.9 ounces. That's... Less than an ounce.

It? That's it. What does this tell you? That for what wouldn't fill a shot glass, a woman sitting in jail being charged with a murder. But Angelica is also accused of tampering with Vincent's paddle, removing this ring that police believe holds the two sides of the paddle together. Archer asked Buddy to paddle the journey with the ring removed. How is it holding up?

It's fine, yeah. No problem? No problem. You don't need the ring to use the paddle. The other damning allegation against Angelica is that she took the paddle from Vincent after he went into the river, denying him something to hang on to.

But could it have saved his life? I've taped a four-pound brick to the paddle, and we're going to see whether or not it sinks or if it floats. If it sinks with a four-pound brick attached, it's certainly not going to support a full-grown man. And there you have it. Another one of their theories that just doesn't hold water. But what this forensic scientist can't explain is what Angelica said to police. But 48 Hours spoke with an interrogation expert

who believes he can. You haven't been hired by the defense team, correct? No, not at all. Do you believe that Angelica Grasswald may have given a false confession. This is your typical police-style interrogation room. Four walls, no windows, and a door. Very sparse, very bare, no clocks, nothing to distract you.

Jim Tranum knows a lot about interrogation rooms. We want to get you into our environment so that we have control over the situation. For 27 years, the former detective for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department conducted hundreds of interviews and interrogations. But there's one interrogation that still haunts him. When he unwittingly got an innocent woman to confess to murder, she later sued him and the police department. We get the person to believe, at least temporarily, that it's in their best interest to tell us what we want to hear. Anybody can fall victim to it, and every single person can potentially give a false confession.

Traynham is now considered a national expert on false confessions, teaching, writing, and testifying in high-profile cases. We asked him to review the case against Angelica. And you've come in with no bias. I have no dog in this fight. He watched every moment of Angelica's 11-hour interrogation. Would you use this to teach other cops how to do a proper interrogation of a suspect? I would use it to teach them how not to. Traynham's investigation began with this document, first obtained by 48 Hours,

a record of what Angelica allegedly told investigators on Bannerman's Island. You've read this document. Any red flags there? A lot of red flags. According to this, Angelica essentially admits tampering with Vincent's paddle and the drain plug to kill him. What did you do to make him drown, they ask. I took the plug out of his kayak, she answers. Precise, perfect questions.

Precise, incriminating answers from Angelica. Right. And you would expect the video interrogation of Angelica to mirror that, but it doesn't. If you compare the statement, it doesn't match the video at all. Police took Angelica from the island and read her her Miranda rights, the right to remain silent and have a lawyer. They tried over and over to get her to repeat on camera what she supposedly told them on the island. What could you have done physically that caused him to drown?

And let's see if you remember what you told me. You said by taking the plug out of the kayak and taking the pad all the way from him. Does that sound correct? Yeah, but I didn't intend to have it happen that way. So there's definitely clear signs of manipulation here. They want a specific answer from her. The investigator tries a gentle approach.

It's therapy for you. Like I said, you'll feel better. The way that they approached her, this is therapy. We're just trying to get to the bottom of this. This is going to help you. Angelica reveals intimate details of her life, claiming Vincent demanded that she participate in a threesome, a demand that made her angry.

By the way he treated you, you taking that plug out was a reaction of... The way he treated you, you taking that plug out, was a reaction of... The way he treated you, right? They've been trying to establish motive the entire time. They're asking numerous leading questions. They're telling her the direction that they want the answer to go. They're often giving her the answer. That was almost like a way to get back at him. I know, yeah.

You see where they think that they have her, that they have an admission, and then three or four questions down the road, she's going, no, I didn't want him dead. You watched him drown. I know it's difficult. I know it's a good either or. No, I didn't just watch him drown.

I tried to do something about it. A second investigator comes in. Typically, this is done because the first interrogator is getting nowhere. And as you'll see, he's more the bad cop, and the first guy is more the good cop. You killed him. Repeatedly trying to get her to own what he believes she did. When did you in your mind make the decision that he needs to die,

and I'm going to take some steps to make sure that happens? Be free. And be free. And be out of this controlling, possessive relationship. I wasn't thinking that at all. What did you want that day? That day, I wanted to be free. And you wanted him to die?

You put it that way. I put it that way. What's the answer? You know what the answer is. What's the answer, Angelica? And that would set you free. I didn't want him like gone, gone. To them, that, you know, that gone part meant you wanted him dead. And I think she means something totally different when she's saying it. She's using the term gone as out of the relationship. Analyzing this video, Trainham believes the investigators had tunnel vision. He says their entire case is built on a false premise.

They think that they know the truth. That she pulled a plug in his kayak and it caused it to flood with water. But Tranum says the investigators are clearly confused, believing the drain plug is on the bottom of the kayak when it's on the top. Where does that plug go on the top? It goes all the way to the back. Like underneath it?

No. No? He thinks it's on the bottom. Yes, and in fact, later on, he again brings it up. And then it's underneath it? No. No, it's on top of it. It's on top.

I think a good defense attorney could have a field day with this. If that plug being out did not cause that kayak to fill up with water, it doesn't mean a damn thing. to fill up with water, it doesn't mean a damn thing. What's more, Angelica insists she removed the plug months before the April incident, in the winter, when her kitten, seen here in Vincent's kayak, was playing with it. It doesn't help their case if she took out that plug so long ago. If she's telling the truth, Trenham asserts, it's hard to argue she planned to kill him. When did you take it out on Sunday?

I did not take it out on Sunday. The plug was already out. The reality is, you took that plug out because you wanted to kill him. You wanted him to be dead. You wanted to be free. I took it out before.

Yes. A long time ago. Because you wanted him to die. Yes. At some point, yes. So in essence, this is exactly what we're saying. We're like talking semantics. They've been twisting her responses.

But hours into the interrogation, Angelica finally sort of agrees with them. I took the blood out April. April, the month the tragedy occurred. Traynham says, don't trust that. Do you believe that every person has a breaking point in an interrogation? Oh, absolutely. Repeatedly throughout the long interrogation, Angelica says she needs to go care for her beloved cat.

She's worried about her cat. She's going to agree to their narrative in order for her to get out of there. Ann Trainham says she does just that. By taking that plug out, you killed Benny, correct? Correct. Correct? Correct. And you wanted that to happen, correct? Correct. And you feel happy and relieved that it happened, that he's dead? Yes.

Angelica has now been in this room almost six hours. You killed Vinny, right? No. I want you to tell me the truth. I am telling you the truth. And what is the answer to that question? I didn't want him. Angelica, what is the true answer to that question? All right, I need a statement.

What is it? I wanted him dead, and now he's gone. And I'm okay with it. I think she's done. She's now getting more and more desperate to get out of that room. I sense the more you watch this, the more you're becoming convinced this is a false confession. Yes. To me, this is a non-crime. This is an accident that they made into a criminal offense because of their gut feelings, because of her not acting appropriately.

48 Hours wanted to question prosecutors about the allegation that the state's case may be founded on a false confession. A spokesman said no comment will be made before trial. Angelica, do you miss Vincent? Should Angelica Groswald be in a jail right now as we speak? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Amanda Hoistrat and Sherry Party have been living a life of torment since the terrible day their friend went missing. The fact that it was so mysterious and nobody could figure it out and we were wishful thinking and going on searches for him

and looking for him. It was like we didn't have a sense of peace. We haven't had that closure that people get when you lose somebody. You know, we haven't had that. And calling the state police for any news became a sad routine for Vincent's mom, Mary Ann. I talked to the state police a couple of times a week. It was hard.

We were all praying. On Saturday morning, May 23, 2015, the agonizing wait came to an end. The victim's body was recovered Saturday, a month after kayaker Vincent Villafor went missing on the Hudson River. I was both sad and happy. Sad that there was no hope and happy that at least we found him and can bring him home. Vincent Villafor's body was found by a boater about a mile downstream from Bannerman's Island. I had an anxiety attack. I had a panic attack.

It was bittersweet. Angelica Grasswald's defense team is hopeful that once an autopsy is performed, the murder charge against her will be dropped. The state police desperately need this to be a homicide, to support their murder charge against her will be dropped. The state police desperately need this to be a homicide, to support their murder charge. And I don't expect her to rule this a homicide because there's no evidence to support that this is a homicide. But just weeks later, the medical examiner's report

confirmed that Vincent Viafor died by drowning and that he had a blood alcohol level of.06, which is considered being impaired. Yet the manner of death was ruled a homicide, the medical examiner noting that the drain plug had been intentionally removed. Angelica's lead defense attorney, Richard Portale, insists that Angelica is not to blame here. Mr. Viafort was responsible for that kayak.

And, you know, you're the captain of your own ship. And he left Plum Point on April 19th, and he had no life vest. He knew what the temperature of that water was. And so he was responsible for his conduct on that day. Vincent's friends are not really sure what to think. You guys, could this be a tragic mistake? A tragic accident? Anything's possible.

I mean, I don't have enough information to even make that decision, you know? That's what's so frustrating. I don't know the right or wrong answer. Like, everything is looking like she did do it. This is where I'm torn. I don't know the right or wrong answer. Like, everything is looking like she did do it. That's where I'm torn. I don't know. Vincent's mother, however, is less conflicted. I do not believe that this was an accident.

I'd like to see justice done for Vinny, as I guess any parent would for their child. His birthday is August 22nd. He would have been 47 years old. His life was cut too short. And she is now forced to honor her son's birthday at his grave. And I know that we'll see each other again one day and I look forward to that day. No matter how this plays out in court, Vincent's loved ones have vowed to keep

his memory and spirit alive. We had so many memories together, just everywhere, just like little things that remind me of him. And sometimes I just laugh to myself, you know, just thinking about him and just thinking about the fun times that we had. So I feel happy that I got to have six years with him. Ready, one, two, three! Yeah!

Angelica has been in jail for more than four months. Her trial is expected to begin spring 2016. Angelica's family says they are giving their life savings to help pay for her defense. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey.