Angelika Graswald has pleaded guilty to killing her fiancé by sabotaging his kayak in the Hudson River.
Graswald was charged with second degree murder for allegedly sabotaging Vincent Viafore's kayak in April 2015, causing him to drown. Prosecutors argued that Graswald admitted to a state police investigator that she tampered with the kayak; however, the defense said she was coerced into confessing.
On Monday, Graswald pleaded guilty before Judge Robert Freehill to one count of criminally negligent homicide, according to a press release from Orange County DA David Hoovler's office. She is scheduled to be sentenced November 1.
"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 in a statement. "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 tragic accident, but the result of this defendant’s criminal conduct."
According to the DA's office, the plea deal "mandates that she be sentenced to one and one-third to four years in state prison," which is the maximum sentence for criminally negligent homicide. Portale said her time served in the county jail will count toward her time in state prison.
“You can see by her struggling today that she cared very much for Mr. Viafore. Never in her wildest dreams did she anticipate that her actions could cause his death," said Graswald's attorney, Richard Portale.