Another (probable) Tragedy

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20150420/rescuers-press-search-for-poughkeepsie-man-missing-after-hudson-river-kayak-accident



Apparently, he wasn’t wearing a PFD and is missing since capsizing his kayak on Sunday evening on the Hudson River in New York.



I’m probably 50 miles south of that but Sunday was nice here with temperatures in the mid 70s. Around 4pm though, a front came through and it became cloudy, cool and windy. I’m guessing the weather caught him out, but it certainly doesn’t look like he was well prepared.


very sad
Hope he made it safely to shore somewhere and they don’t know. I’ve paddled across to Bannerman’s Castle a few years back and camped in a small section on the water trail with a friend. It was nice out but crossing the Hudson was a bit uneasy for me. Maybe having a heavy load in my boat was good that day. Still don’t know why they don’t wear PFD’s?

very sad
I’m familiar with the Cornwall section of the Hudson having worked on the river for a couple of years back in the 1960’s.

A north wind and a strong flood tide can make for a very nasty chop.

Hudson
It is not called the Mighty Hudson for nothing. It is tidal, wide, and windy. I kayak from the same point and it is a place where great care and planning is required.



Very sad news. When I saw it on the news and they said the man went under I knew no pfd was being worn. I would then suspect that no dry suit was worn either.



We just had the lakes here free from ice about 2 weeks ago. My local lake was frozen for opening day of trout season 4/1.



Tragic for the man, his girlfriend and their families.

Really a discussion forum topic.

there were witnesses
According to this report:



http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Missing-Kayaker-Death-Murder-Angelika-Graswald-New-York-301826811.html



Someone, a woman who lived overlooking the scene and who knew them personally, saw them launch and the alleged “murderer” texted photos of the island to her before the capsize. Seems fishy to me that this is a “crime” – why would you deliberately enter the water with ill intent when you knew somebody who could identify you was watching? Shots of the boats reveal they were short wide rec boats (why am I not surprised?)



Unless they can retrieve the body and prove she poisoned him or bopped him on the head, it is hard to imagine how this was a premeditated murder.

Who Habeus Corpus, Angel?
Lizzy Borden took an axe,

Angelika chose kayaks.

In choppy waves of history

we’re often short on facts.



When supposition’s chewed over

like gristly mutton stew,

the cyber sport paddles in court

of the corpus kangaroo.

Otis had his Doggie PFD
but met his demise on a wok!

Interesting!
I just find it interesting that they have charged and jailed her but won’t give out any information on evidence or motive.



Some reports suggest she may have tampered with her fiance’s kayak; what could she have done to it? I’m sure there is much more on this to come.

More
A report I read said that the woman was laying flowers on the island they had been visiting. While doing that, she spoke to some detectives who were on the island investigating the case. The report said that during the conversation she gave a different version of events and made some other self-incriminating statements. No details of the conversation was given.

different versions
I’ve been involved in wilderness rescue situations and have noted that traumatized (and hypothermic) victims are not always reliable witnesses. Despite the fact that law enforcement seems to have an operating principle that the most immediate narrative is probably the most accurate, I don’t think that is always the case. Survivors often go through a phase of self-blame out of a sense of guilt or to deal with grief.



I don’t usually “vultch” on high profile personal crimes that the media latches onto, but this one is so strange, and related as it is to an activity I love, I can’t help but be curious about the outcome.

2 cents
As a former Rescue Specialist and current Law Enforcement, for what it’s worth I’ll offer my observation. Ftr, I have not read any of the links, and more current info could have been released.

Anyway, proving murder without a body is tougher but nowhere near impossible nor inappropriate in and of itself.

The biggest reason I would bring forth a charge of homicide in that circumstance would be because I caught her in a lie in the interview and followed it towards the truth. Inconsistencies are one thing, and are somewhat expected. Lies are something totally different.

Sad ending
Saw on news today that they found his body. Seems like his “girlfriend’s” name was on his insurance policy for app $250,000. she admitted to tampering with his boat. I wonder if an autopsy will reveal something else in his system. How sad, my condolences goes out to his family. May he rest in peace.

Wow, she did kill him after all!

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/crime/2017/07/24/angelika-graswald-pleads-guilty/505991001/

@Rookie, I really don’t think she did.

The prosecution’s understanding of kayaking is laughable. Read the story…

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/interrogation-video-raises-key-questions-in-new-york-kayak-murder-case/

I think she accepted a much lesser charge and took the plea because she’s been in jail for over 2 years already and this way she gets out at the end of the year.

If the prosecution had such an open and shut case, then why didn’t they just go to trial for murder?

This was a totally stupid prosecution, but I think once they started they didn’t know how to stop. All indications are the guy could not swim well enough to handle some of the currents around Bannerman’s, which do exist. The Hudson River is tidal all the way up to the dam in Troy, way north of this incident.

The problem is that the woman involved did not come off as sympathetic, at all. And the whole situation was screwy from day one. No way to tell if she had any intent at all or if they were just two extremely ill-prepared paddlers.

Yeah, I agree with above that she just accepted something tomake it end.

@kfbrady said:

If the prosecution had such an open and shut case, then why didn’t they just go to trial for murder?

After reading the entirety of your link, I’d have to ask the same question of the defense team. Looks like their expert had enough to create a good case of reasonable doubt. Why not go forward with the trial? While taking a plea makes her immediately eligible for parole, she now has a criminal record. And possibly deportation.

So much murkiness in this case. Only two people know the truth and one of them is dead.

I guess the moral of this sordid story is don’t drink and paddle and always wear your PFD.

Why not go forward with the trial? Maybe the defense team thinks she’s been railroaded from day one and after being in jail for so long, another few months with no risk of longer incarceration seems like a good idea.

As for parole, a criminal record, and deportation, I don’t think there’s anything keeping her here. She’ll go back home to Europe first chance she gets. I certainly would!

I agree with your conclusion though. No drinking and paddling, or not wearing a PFD for me! B)