we are the old-timers, you know? you know, they're using their young minds and their whole media thing and doing whole new shows, but still based on social justice because that's our main struggle. ♪ >> we are at vertigo coffee roasters, and we're standing in front of the roastist. tell me about this process and what's going on. >> oh. okay. we roast inside the drum here, and once it's done, it's finished and cooling in the cooling tray. they can get coffee by the bag from our shelf there, or they can get espresso. we do pour-overs, so we brew coffee by the cup. in addition to our coffee, we do make really good wood-fired pizzas. the owner took a lot of time to come up with a really great dough recipe, and it's all wood fired. >> san juan bautista also has lots of antiques stores. so, tell me about your business here in san juan bautista. >> well, we've been in san juan bautista for 11 years now. >> well, how do antiques fit in to this town? >> well, as far as i know, this

town has been an antiquing town for over 50 years, 'cause we just had -- i think it was our 53rd antique fair in august, so we have it every august. this year it's the second sunday of august. so, it's been known for antiques for a long time. we still have eight antiques stores in town, so it is a destination, which there's not very many anymore. i think it fits in with the old buildings. like, my building is the old schoolhouse from 1868, and it was a one-room schoolhouse in the day. and then in the 1940s, it was a drugstore. >> well, mrs. b, tell me about your store here in san juan bautista. >> back in 1998, my husband and i decided to migrate south. we'd had a trucking business for 38 years and wanted to get out of dodge, so we came down here, and people kept asking what i was wearing -- 'cause i never owned a pair of trousers until i moved here. [ both chuckle ] and that's how i got started -- just people asking me what i was wearing and --

>> oh! so, it looks like you're an influencer, a style setter. >> i try to be. this building has been a lot of things -- a gun shop, a bakery. i like the old west. i've always liked westerns, and this is the perfect theme town. i think your hair is your glory, your hat is your crown, and we're all royalty. >> i need a hat. ♪ coming up, we'll go inside one of california's most famous missions.

♪ welcome back to the show. you know, when i'm on the road, i got to tell you, i'm pretty impressed with the cr-v. it has more than 50 technology

features, like full led headlights and a multi-angle rearview camera that lets you choose from three different angles. ♪ >> in san juan bautista, you can step back into time and see one of the most picturesque and pristine missions along the california mission trail. ♪ ♪ growing up in san jose, i remember my first visit to san juan bautista for our 4th-grade mission field trip. and you know what? it's great to be back to see it all again. >> san juan bautista state historic park was the crossroads of california. so, it was home to, basically, the four peoples of california. so, here you would discover the native american people, who lived on this site, the spanish missionaries over at the catholic mission, mexican ranchers who lived in one of our historic adobe structures, and

early american settlers who came here during the gold rush. one of the neat things about the mission of san juan bautista, since they've had a continuous catholic presence on that site, when the current mission was completed in 1812, that mission has been maintained for the last 200 years. and when you walk into their sanctuary today -- it's still an active church -- you get to actually see the original altar wall from the early 1800s that was built by the spanish missionaries, but the entire mission was built by hand by the native people of this land. we have -- one of the highlights of one of the buildings in the state historic park is the plaza hotel. this hotel was a luxury hotel. it would cost you $2.50 a night to stay in their hotel. so, of course, if you're getting the really great accommodations, you're gonna have a saloon, so you can walk right into the saloon to the actual, original bar, and order a root beer and a sarsparilla. ♪ if you want to stay overnight here in san juan bautista, there

are some great options. so, tell me where we are. >> this is hacienda de léal. this is our first boutique hotel. we purchased the property about three years ago and went through a complete remodel, so now we are a spanish-inspired hacienda. we also own a vineyard in town, so we do make all of our own wine here in san benito county. ♪ >> tell me a little bit about the history of the hotel. >> the history of the hotel? well, the history was it was built 25 years ago for my grandfather raf lopez. and it was designed and built by his own bare hands, his own vision, and it was built with a small amount of people -- my family members. >> well, how did he even get the idea to build here in san juan bautista? >> the reason why we're in san juan bautista is because on his honeymoon night with my grandmother, they were driving from big sur back to santa clara, where they lived, and they stopped in san juan bautista, looking for lodging, but there was nowhere to go. so, what did he do? he promised her that he would build her a hotel. he said, "maria, i'm gonna build you a hotel one day." >> and right now we're standing

in the lobby of the la posada hotel, and talk about some of the features here. when someone walks in, what are they gonna see? >> they're gonna see a lot of woodwork. my grandfather loved wood. that was his main thing. you're gonna see the tile. the tile was brought from mexico. he went there with my uncles and hand-picked it himself. >> so, you have recently taken over. >> yes, i have. i got a phone call about a year ago today from my godmother, which is one of the owners, saying, "son, i need your help." and i didn't even ask her what we were doing. i said, "i'll be there. what do you need?" she was like, "we're taking over the hotel." i was like, "oh, man. we're taking over the hotel? all right. i'll still be there." her and my grandfather built it. now me and her are gonna take it to the next level. >> san juan bautista, to me, is very special. i belong here. i've got a feeling that i belong here. we belong here. >> it's a good day trip, for sure, for anybody who wants to just get away. >> as a farmer, it's just a fabulous area to grow in. >> it really is like you've just entered an entirely different dimension.

>> this truly is a california hidden gem. ♪ ♪ >> bye-bye. >> there's so much to explore, so we'll be back with more stories to share. in the meantime, we want to hear from you, so send us your favorite stories, pictures, videos, and places in the bay area. visit us online, join us on facebook, and follow us on twitter. all this fun driven by your northern california honda dealers. >> for more information on the vehicle featured in this episode, visit norcalhondadealers.com. >> thanks for watching. we'll see you next time. ♪ ♪

at&t has a network with thousands of best-in-class security experts. which means... more of the eye balls you want watching the network...

& less of the ones you don't... more experts preventing security issues & less security threats impacting our customers. more of a highly secure network with more security products available for further protection & less per month than comcast for business internet. switch to at&t internet for business. more & less - that's the power of &.

♪ when seeds we sow ♪ give free their fruit ♪ to hands below ♪ as thank you for ♪ the chance to grow pick your free yogurt at chobani.com >> announcer: "20/20" continues. once again, elizabeth vargas. >> reporter: while kayaking on the hudson river, angelika graswald lost the man she says was the love of her life. but even as she helped search for vince viafore's body, her behavior struck some as strange. as cold as the river. vince's mother, mary ann. >> she wasn't sitting there crying, that's for sure. i don't know.

she just went about her business. >> reporter: business like posting a light-hearted video, doing a cartwheel. >> woo! yay! >> reporter: and five days later, at a memorial gathering at a bar, breaking out in a karaoke version of "hotel california." ♪ in the hotel california >> reporter: but that was nothing compared to what police say angelika did ten days after vince disappeared in the river. she had taken flowers to bannerman's island for vince. detectives follow. one of them claims angelika takes him aside and blurts out a jaw-dropping confession. she wanted vince to drown. she pulled the drain plug on his kayak so it would fill with water and sink and removed a ring connecting the two halves of his paddle. but none of that alleged confession was recorded. so police bring angelika to the barracks. at 3:25 in the afternoon, they lead her to the interrogation room, and the unblinking gaze of the camera.

>> got your water, right? >> yeah. >> how you feeling? >> cold. >> cold? >> reporter: angelika is about to talk her way into a jail cell. >> you have the right to remain silent. anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. >> reporter: police say earlier that day, angelika told them she did nothing to help vince. but that's not what she says in the interrogation room. >> you watched him drown. i know it's difficult. i know this. >> no. i didn't just watch him drown. i tried to do something about it. >> now, did you really wanna save him? >> yeah. yeah. somehow. if he did not say call 911, i would have paddled the [ bleep ] out of myself and got to him somehow. >> reporter: while the detective interrogates angelika, defense attorney rich portale says other officers search her and vince's

apartment and find one of his guns is missing. >> and when they realized there was a gun missing, that's when they really cranked it up. 'cause that's when they thought, "well, maybe she shot him." >> reporter: almost three hours into the interrogation, at about 6:20, the detective brings in his partner to play the bad cop. >> how are you? >> hi, how you doing? i'm matt. >> reporter: they want to know about the drain plug on the kayak, and a ring that secures the paddle, both missing from vince's kayak. >> how long before you guys went on your kayaking trip did you take that ring? was it the same day? >> i didn't take the ring. >> you killed him. >> no, i didn't kill him. >> reporter: angelika and the detectives, spending the night in a stuffy little room with no windows and no clock. four hours in, they bring her coffee, pizza, even -- at about 7:00pm, a cigarette. >> cigarette. matches.

ashtray, okay? >> reporter: at times, when she's alone in the interrogation room, unaware there's a camera rolling, angelika loosens up with yoga. even a little hopscotch. but why would angelika want vince gone in the first place? the motive, police say, is a hard-boiled crime classic. >> and he had a life insurance policy. >> yeah. >> and you were on it? >> yeah. >> reporter: she tells police six months before his death, vince added her as a beneficiary to his life insurance. another motive, detectives say, may have been all those demands she says that he made in the bedroom. >> he always wanted sex. >> yeah. >> and you to do sexual things? >> well, yeah. >> okay. >> he wanted threesomes, porn, everything. >> okay. >> and i was not ready. >> reporter: angelika says vince was threatening to call off the wedding if she didn't do the things he wanted. >> did it upset you that he -- >> yes. very much.

>> sort of switched that he did not wanna marry you? >> yeah, of course. who proposes to somebody and then changes their mind? >> reporter: but the thing many find most shocking comes early in the evening, angelika freely admitting vince's death left her feeling relieved. >> when you watched him in the water, was a part of you saying, "my worries are going away now"? >> yeah. >> and, "i'm free?" >> yes. >> and were you almost -- >> euphoric? >> euphoric that he was gonna be gone? >> i just -- i was -- >> you felt that way? >> yes. i still do. >> you still do? >> reporter: then, at about 8:30 that night, she starts talking about her dark side. >> what are your feelings and emotions knowing that this is about to happen? that when you're going -- >> i'm like, ripping in two halves. you know, angels and demons. >> what's the demon side saying? >> the demon side, it's not a good side.

you guys don't want to see that side of me, nobody does. that side was telling me this is gonna happen, let it happen. just let it. but the good side was -- save him, save him, save him. you can do it. you're strong. >> why did the demon side win out? >> well, 'cause of the way he was treating me, you know. >> reporter: just after 9:00 p.m., six hours into the interrogation that would go on for 11 hours total, angelika, bleary-eyed and worn down, blurts out what could be the most incriminating statement of all. >> you killed vinnie. right? >> you're the one telling me. >> no. i'm asking you the question. >> you want me to admit it. >> i want you to, 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. >> no. >> i didn't want him. >> angelika. what is the true answer to that question? >> all right. i'll give you the [ bleep ] statement. >> what is it? >> i wanted him dead and now he's gone. and i'm okay with it. i'm okay with that. >> reporter: that's cold, but is it a confession? if only we could to ask angelika to explain. when "20/20" continues, we'll do just that. >> "i wanted him dead, and now he's gone." why would you say that? why would you say that if you didn't mean it? >> reporter: stay with us. some air fresheners are so overwhelming, they can... send you and your family running. introducing febreze one for fabric and air. no aerosols. no dyes. no heavy perfumes.

it cleans away odors for a pure light freshness... so you can spray and stay. febreze one, breathe happy. jimmy's gotten used to his whole yup, he's gone noseblind. odors. he thinks it smells fine, but his mom smells this...

luckily for all your hard-to-wash fabrics... ...there's febreze fabric refresher. febreze doesn't just mask, it eliminates odors you've... ...gone noseblind to. and try febreze unstopables for fabric. with up to twice the fresh scent power, you'll want to try it... ...again and again and maybe just one more time. indulge in irresistible freshness. febreze unstopables. breathe happy.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ dismissed. >> reporter: graduation day, at the west point military academy. one of the rites of spring. and on the nearby hudson river, another sign of the season. local lore has it that at any

given moment there are 100 bodies in the hudson river, but come spring, those lost souls rise again. >> when someone dies in the hudson over the winter it's usually around that may when their body comes up because of the changes in the weather. >> reporter: on graduation day, 2015, police securing the river for the west point ceremony get an alert. >> they answered a call from another boat that there possibly was a human body floating down the river a little south of bannerman's island. >> reporter: poughkeepsie investigative reporter, nina shutman. >> i raced down to see what i could find out. they had found him. he had been found. >> identified as vincent viafore. >> reporter: vince viafore had drowned while kayaking in the river more than 30 days before.

but he had not gone far, just about a mile down from bannerman's island. angelika is already in jail charged with murder, but disappointingly for investigators, vince's remains provide no incriminating clues, certainly no indication he'd been shot. >> at about 10:40 a.m., an indictment was made public here in orange county court. the indictment names ms. graswald. >> reporter: undaunted, prosecutors charge ahead, orange county new york district attorney david hoovler announcing a grand jury has officially indicted angelika for second-degree manslaughter in addition to second-degree murder. the d.a. says angelika did it by removing the plug from vince's kayak and a connector ring from his paddle. >> the kayak itself as well as an item on the paddle -- >> reporter: angelika's defense attorney rich portale also spoke to the media that day. >> they're trying to paint her as a murderer, you know, when in fact, she was just a fiancee who was very much in love, who was following the person she loved in a kayak across stormy, rough waters. >> reporter: we first met the

angelika graswald in the orange county jail. in a room that also serves as the chapel where she said she regularly attended bible study. it can sometimes be a risky thing for a defendant like yourself to talk publicly before a trial. why did you decide to do this interview? >> well, i just -- i needed a chance to let people know that i'm innocent. i'm being accused of murder, which i'm not capable of doing. >> reporter: i do need to ask you one specific question about something that you did say in the video interrogation. this is after six hours in that room and after you have repeatedly denied doing anything to hurt him. >> all right. i'll give you the [ bleep ] statement. >> what is it? >> i wanted him dead and now he's gone. and i'm okay with it. >> why would you say something

like that? >> well, they kept asking me the same questions like 100 times. i knew that i was innocent, i just told them what they wanted to hear. >> reporter: you just said what you thought they wanted to hear? >> i was, yeah, i was at my breaking point, i just, i had it. so i just gave 'em what they wanted. >> reporter: so what did she mean exactly, when she said she wanted to be free? >> what i meant was i wanted to be free from the lifestyle that we had. the nightlife, the strip clubs, the threesomes. i didn't want any part of that, i wanted to be free from that. >> reporter: so you weren't saying i want to be free from vince, you were saying i want to be free from this particular lifestyle that vince is into right now. >> yeah. >> reporter: angelika says when she walked into that interrogation room she had no idea she was the prime suspect. >> they told me it was gonna be like a therapy session. they would try -- >> reporter: a therapy session? >> yeah. >> reporter: and did they actually use the words therapy session? >> yep.

>> it's therapy for you. >> of course. >> and it's -- you'll be -- like i said, you'll feel better. >> you will, too. >> okay, i will. you're right. i definitely will. >> yep. >> reporter: what did you think that meant? >> i thought that meant that they're trying to help me and i can open up. and i didn't need a lawyer. >> reporter: pretty naïve actually. >> yeah, right? now i know. >> reporter: we ask her about her strange behavior after vince's death, remember she posted that cartwheel, and sang "hotel california" at that bar. some people thought that your behavior after the drowning was strange. >> well, i never liked crying in public. i -- that's just not me. i much rather put on a happy face and that's what i did. i mean, i just lost my fiance, i was in shock. i was in denial. >> reporter: what do you mean by in denial? did you feel like it wasn't

real? >> it still feels unreal. >> reporter: it still feels unreal? >> sorry. >> reporter: which part of it feels unreal? >> the part that he's gone. there i go crying in public. >> reporter: angelika denies she confessed to that detective on the island. she pleads not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. was there part of you that was in disbelief when they charged you? >> absolutely. >> i mean -- >> absolutely. like who, me? did what? it's ridiculous. >> reporter: so how plausible is the police theory?

still ahead, we return to bannerman's island and put it to the test. we actually performed an experiment on the river. we bought a kayak just like vince's. removed the drain plug, just as police say angelika did and sent a kayaker paddling back to bannerman's island. >> how did he do? >> reporter: good question. for the answer, stay with us. od. yup, he's gone noseblind. he thinks it smells fine, but his mom smells this... luckily there's febreze fabric refresher for all the things you can't wash. it finds odors trapped in fabrics and washes them away as it dries. and try pluggable febreze to continuously eliminate odors for up to 45 days of freshness. pluggable febreze and fabric refresher. two more ways to breathe happy.

somesend you and your family overwhelrunning. y can... introducing febreze one for fabric and air. no aerosols. no dyes. no heavy perfumes. it cleans away odors for a pure light freshness...

so you can spray and stay. febreze one, breathe happy.

the energy conscious whopeople among usle? say small actions can add up to something... humongous. a little thing here. a little thing there. starts to feel like a badge maybe millions can wear. who are all these caretakers, advocates too? turns out, it's californians it's me and it's you. don't stop now, it's easy to add to the routine. join energy upgrade california and do your thing.

>> announcer: "20/20" continues. once again, elizabeth vargas. this is going to be much easier now because we're going into the water. >> yeah, no kidding. >> reporter: this is plum point, on the hudson river.

it's the very place where vince viafore and angelika graswald set out on their fateful kayaking trip. when angelika and vince went out on this river -- >> yes. >> reporter: they -- they launched straight from here to go straight across. you can see bannerman's island and the castle right there across. we've come here with todd wright, a professional guide and outdoor instructor. he's recognized as one of the top kayak safety experts in the world. working with us as a consultant, he's in the same make and model kayak as the one vince owned. how quickly, after falling into water that cold, do you become incapacitated? >> there's that initial cold response and there's panic, your heart rate increases. >> you're basically hyperventilating. >> yeah, you're hyperventilating. being able to tread water or being able to swim with any kind of efficacy becomes very, very difficult. >> reporter: back on shore, a close examination of the kayak shows something detectives may not at first have realized. that critical drain plug,

effectively the alleged murder weapon, is not on the bottom of the kayak. it's on top! now this is the infamous plug. >> it is, yup. >> reporter: that prosecutors say angelika removed in a plot to kill vince. but this plug is what, half an inch in diameter? >> just look at how large the cockpit is -- that where -- where the seat is. um, there's a lot of water that can enter that. that's a big hole. this is a really small hole. >> reporter: it's a tiny hole. watch. he conducts a demonstration, showing waves over the cockpit, almost all of it gets into the boat. but if the waves pour over that open drain hole, very little finds its way into the kayak. >> about eight ounces maybe. >> reporter: the prosecution case is built on these assumptions, that removing the connector -- >> by taking that plug out, you

killed vinny, right? >> correct. >> did you remove the plug from vince's kayak with intent to kill him? >> no, i did not. >> did you remove the ring from the ores so he would not be able to save himself? >> no, i didn't. >> reporter: so to test the prosecution theory, using the same make and model as vince's, we removed the drain plug, and challenged an experienced kayak to go to bannerman's island, he does it with no trouble. we actually performed an experiment on the river with the plug out. >> how did he do? >> reporter: he did fine. what does that tell you? >> there you go. >> it tells me that there was a rush to judgment in this case, and i don't know why. >> reporter: jeanine pirro was a former prosecutor and currently

the host of "justice with judge jeanine," on fox news. >> is there any scintilla of evidence that tells you she wanted him dead? i haven't heard it. i mean, maybe the prosecution's got it, but i haven't heard it. >> reporter: i mean, isn't it possible the entire premise of the case is based on -- based on something that isn't in -- in fact, true? that a missing plug could sink a kayak? >> that kayak plug is a red herring in this case. it's got nothing to do with his death. >> reporter: pirro and abc news chief legal analyst dan abrams are convinced the case against angelika is unconvincing. >> it does seem like a bizarre and incredibly risky way to kill someone. the notion that you're willing to risk that the person is going to fall out of a kayak and then potentially come to your kayak and -- >> reporter: and capsize you? >> and capsize you. >> you've gotta explain to me how she felt that she was far more secure as a 5-foot tall as

a miniature woman than he was. if those waves were taking him out, wouldn't she be risking that those waves would take her out as well? >> reporter: the big problem for angelika, they agree, is what she says in that interrogation. >> by taking that plug out you killed vinnie, correct? >> correct. >> i think she makes some incriminating comments. she makes some -- >> reporter: yes, she does. >> she makes some statements which are not helpful to her. >> reporter: "i'm glad he's dead" is certainly not a helpful thing to say for your own case and a problem for the defense. >> i think it is. >> reporter: i just wanna ask you, so you have a chance to answer this question, did you kill vince? >> no. >> reporter: that day. >> no. i didn't kill him. >> reporter: did you do anything that you knew might lead to him being hurt or him dying? >> no, i didn't. >> reporter: or him dying in the river? >> no, i loved him. i didn't do it.

when "20/20" continues, the case against angelika falls apart, and a new interview. what she says now that she could never say before. stay with us.

♪ strummed guitar you can't experience the canadian rockies through a screen. you have to be here, with us. ♪ upbeat music travel through this natural wonder and get a glimpse of amazing, with a glass of wine in one hand, and a camera in the other,

aboard rocky mountaineer. canada's rocky mountains await. call your travel agent or rocky mountaineer for special offers now. >> announcer: "20/20" continues with more of murder by kayak? >> reporter: angelika graswald was arrested and thrown in jail for manslaughter and murder in the drowning of her fiance, vince viafore. her attorney rich portale says it was a rush to judgment. >> she was a target from the moment she was pulled out of the water. they were always going to charge her with this. >> reporter: angelika spends two years dreading the day she will face trial.

but that day never comes. it turns out the case against her is falling apart. for one thing, while angelika may have, at some point, for some reason removed the drain plug, vince apparently knew it was missing. >> we know he knew that drain plug wasn't in, because he strapped the kayak to the roof of the jeep and he threaded the strap through the drain plug. and we have pictures of it. >> reporter: look at the traffic camera video of them on the way to the river. freeze the frame, now push in. vince appears to have secured kayak down by running a strap right through the open drain hole. photos also come to light showing vince kayaking on earlier trips with the plug missing and without a lifejacket. by the time angelika shows up in court to face her accusers in july 2017, she says extensive media coverage may have poisoned the public against her.

>> she made a statement about, quote, her demon side. >> it was kind of a mob mentality. >> could you please raise your right hand? >> reporter: but in the courtroom, a stunning refutation of all those armchair prosecutors. instead of facing life in prison, angelika gets the deal of a lifetime. >> and is it appropriate to say you are pleading guilty voluntarily? >> yes, your honor. >> reporter: the district attorney reduces the murder and manslaughter charges, allowing angelika to plead guilty to criminally negligent homicide. admitting that by removing the kayak plug and ignoring conditions on the river, she unintentionally killed vince. the district attorney had some explaining to do. how his murder case ended up as a low-level felony. >> there was a multitude in this

case that could have gone both ways. >> reporter: the d.a. now says it was questionable whether a jury could convict angelika of murder or manslaughter. >> i thought justice was done by this plea, and it held someone accountable. >> i'm not blaming viafore for his own death, but he knew all of these things, and miss graswald is not his mother. >> care and custody of new york state corrections and community supervision. >> reporter: four months later, the judge sentences angelika to 16 to 48 months in prison. six weeks after that with credit for time served, she is set free. she agreed to give her first interview since being released to "20/20." >> you have maintained after your arrest, your innocence the

entire time, and yet you ended up pleading guilty. >> i did. >> why? are you guilty? >> no. i'm like, "whoa, wait a minute. plead guilty? no way." then they would say, "okay, here's the risk. here's the chance to get out. you plead guilty, yeah, you have a felony." >> that's a pretty big deal. >> i'm freaking out. i'm like, "what do you mean?" i don't want, "felony" on my record. i'm not a felon. how do i live with that? how? it's not fair. it's not right. i didn't kill him. why? they said, "chance to go away for life, take a plea and get out in december. what do you want to do? live with the felony. so, it wasn't an easy decision to make, but i went that way because of everything taken as a package.

>> you know though that, by pleading guilty, people like vince's family, who firmly believe in your guilt, say, "see." >> i told you. >> i told you. >> yeah, i know. i know. >> reporter: now a free woman, angelika is no longer pulling any punches. criticizing the detectives who followed her to bannerman's island. >> they were bullying me. there were three guys surrounding me, bullying me. >> police say that while you were on bannerman's island, you confessed to murdering vince? >> they do say that. >> you said nothing of the sort? >> no. >> reporter: i tried once again to make sense of her jaw-dropping admission in her videotaped interrogation. >> i wanted him dead and now he's gone. and i'm okay with it. >> why would you say that if you didn't mean it? >> i did have those thoughts when -- when he pushed me to do things i didn't want to do.

those thoughts did cross my mind like, "i wish you were just dead." but you don't mean it the way that people might think. like, if you are in a relationship, how many times do you want to kill your, uh, kill your spouse? like going, "i just want to kill him!" like, but not in a way where you're gonna take a weapon or -- or whack his head on something. like you just say that. do you understand what i'm saying? >> i understand the saying, "i'd like to kill you," i guess. i don't understand feeling like i actually would like to kill somebody. >> well, i didn't feel like killing him. i didn't kill him. >> reporter: now, in more detail than ever before, angelika recounts that kayak trip. the setting sun, the rough river, vince putting on a brave face. >> was he saying -- >> he was -- >> something to you? >> he said, "babe, this is an adventure of a lifetime." >> reporter: she says she will never forget her last glimpse of vince. >> the last i saw him was his

head and his hand. just, like, one glimpse. that's the last image that i have. >> why didn't you go over to him? >> i couldn't reach him. >> why not? >> i was paddling the whole time. i'm exhausted, wet, soaked, shaking. >> we hear you saying, you can't see him anymore. >> yeah -- >> and at some point, you're hollering out to him -- >> hold on baby. oh my god. >> mm-hmm. >> do you ever hear him yell back? >> no. >> so the last words he ever said to you were, "call 911?" >> reporter: angelika says those are not the words she wants to remember. >> see the last words i want to remember are, "babe, this is the adventure of a lifetime." >> reporter: she may have pled guilty, but she says she no longer feels guilty.

>> it's only human nature to think, if only i had done this, maybe -- >> oh, i'm past that. i can't do that anymore. still ahead, the fight over vince's life insurance. prosecutors have said all along jimmy's gotten used to his whole yup, he's gone noseblind. odors. he thinks it smells fine, but his mom smells this... luckily for all your hard-to-wash fabrics... ...there's febreze fabric refresher. febreze doesn't just mask, it eliminates odors you've... ...gone noseblind to. and try febreze unstopables for fabric. with up to twice the fresh scent power, you'll want to try it...

...again and again and maybe just one more time. indulge in irresistible freshness. febreze unstopables. breathe happy.

>> reporter: now that she is suddenly free, angelika graswald is focused on picturing where her life goes from here. she must report to a parole officer for 16 months. after that, as a convicted felon, she will face another possible ramification. >> are you concerned that once

your parole is up, you'll be deported back to latvia? >> yes, of course. i mean, it's not right. i want to be able to choose whether i want to stay here or go. >> reporter: it may surprise you to hear that, even though she pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, because it was an involuntary homicide, angelika could still collect a share of his life insurance, reportedly worth nearly half a million dollars. >> prosecutors have said all along that your motivation for killing vince was the life insurance policy. do you think you're entitled? you're still named as the beneficiary. >> i signed over a paper that says it goes straight to my legal team because they deserve it, and that's that. >> so, any money that you would get would go straight to the lawyers who have been fighting here for a year? >> mm-hmm. i wouldn't get any money.

>> do you think you deserve money? >> it's just money. as soon as i get a job, i'll make some. >> reporter: she knows there are those who will always believe she did something terrible out on the hudson the night that vince died. two years, seven months, and 22 days behind bars. there are some people who say that's not enough time for a criminal negligent homicide that you got away with murder. >> there was no murder. >> what do you say? >> they can say whatever they want. i know the truth. god knows the truth. i'm at peace. >> reporter: since her release from prison, angelika has returned to the river's edge snapping pictures of the ice. in the spring, she says she plans to go back to bannerman's island with flowers for vince. >> i'm very, very much drawn to that place.

>> why? now the scene is such tragedy for you. >> it's like completing a circle in a way. it's like facing your fear kind of, like -- >> reporter: so in the spring you will be back? >> yeah. >> to a place that draws you even now. >> i can't wait. i can't wait. i can't wait. i can't wait. and that's our show for tonight. thanks so much for watching. i'm elizabeth vargas. >> and i'm david muir. from all of us here at "20/20" and abc news, thanks for watching. have a good evening. good night.

at&t has a network with thousands of best-in-class security experts. which means... more of the eye balls you want watching the network... & less of the ones you don't... more experts preventing security issues & less security threats impacting our customers. more of a highly secure network with more security products available for further protection & less per month than comcast for business internet. switch to at&t internet for business. more & less - that's the power of &.