911, where is your emergency? >> my fiance fell in the water. can you please call anybody? >> reporter: sunset on new york's hudson river. a couple in love, out on kayaks and then, that chilling emergency call. >> hold on, baby! oh, my god. >> reporter: the first sign that a beautiful, storybook sunday afternoon is about to turn into the darkest of fairy tales. because one of those lovers isn't coming home. windy and the waves are coming i can't -- i can't paddle to him. he's gonna drown. >> reporter: isn't it possible the entire premise of the case is based on something that isn't in fact true? the case that will turn out to

be as mysterious as their eerie, romantic destination that day -- the abandoned and decaying castle on bannerman's island. do you remember what the weather was like specifically that day? but it was, you know, it didn't look dangerous or anything. >> reporter: only two people know what really happened out on those dark waters, and tonight, from the only one who lived to tell. >> it still feels unreal. >> reporter: which part of it feels unreal? >> the part that he's gone. >> reporter: was it a horrifying crime or a heartbreaking accident? when you're out on the water, you definitely feel the current and the wind. did the river take his life or was it his soon-to-be wife, angelika graswald? >> if this woman really killed him -- >> reporter: by kayak. >> drowning by removing a plug in the kayak, that's a pretty unique case. >> reporter: tonight, her bizarre behavior, caught on tape in the interrogation room -- playing hopscotch, doing yoga. her astonishing and incriminating remarks to the

police. >> i wanted him dead and now he's gone. and i'm okay with it. >> reporter: why would you say something like that? the answers we find, in her native country of latvia. >> they want to be together. >> reporter: and those who say this case might fall down faster than that old castle on bannerman's island. >> there was a rush to judgment in this case, and i don't know why. >> reporter: forget everything you think you know about the case that sparked headlines around the world. >> angelika graswald. >> a woman accused of killing her fiance while kayaking -- >> kayaking. >> kayaking. >> indicted for his murder. >> reporter: because tonight, in jail, with her bond set at $9 million, she's not getting out. so we're going in. face to face, with the woman on the river. did you kill vince? good evening. i'm elizabeth vargas.

tonight, a fiancee sits behind bars, accused of killing her future husband. >> it's a rare instance where someone is accused of murder, and actually speaks out before the trial. the mystery on the hudson. we even go back there to test what prosecutors say happened. so, before the jury weighs in, make up your own minds. the hudson river snakes 315 miles from the peaks of the adirondacks all the way down to new york harbor. just before you reach the city, though, hidden between storm king mountain and breakneck ridge, you may spy a half forgotten place known as bannerman's island, a deserted island, crowned by the tumbled-down ruins of a castle. >> i love that place, yeah. >> reporter: why do you love it so much? >> the history, the, it's just beautiful. have you ever been?

>> it's, i just love it. >> reporter: angelika graswald, a native of latvia, living in poughkeepsie, new york, was drawn to the strange magic of the place, captivated by its eerie charm. >> you wouldn't expect a place like that in new york, you know? with a castle. who expects a castle here? i come from europe, there's castles all over the place there. but here, it's surreal. >> reporter: felt like a little bit of home maybe for you. >> yeah. somewhat. >> reporter: angelika worked on the island. one of the volunteers planting and gardening. she even got her fiance, vince viafore, interested in the place. but mostly, vince was interested in angelika. she'd come to the u.s. from latvia years earlier, when she was 20, to work as a nanny. angelika, now 35, and vince, 46, had been together a year and a half. a cat lover and avid photographer, angelika

she and vince also shared a love for the outdoors, and kayaking, which they had done together many times. >> we both loved the river. we both loved being on water. >> reporter: what is it about it that's so alluring to you? >> being down to the earth, down to the water, good for pictures. >> good for sunsets. >> reporter: vince's mother, mary ann, says vince loved a good time. >> he's the guy who was the life of the party. he had these dance moves that and cheer him on. >> what an awesome guy. >> reporter: why do you think the two of you clicked? >> we had a lot in common. he was just like me. very open, friendly. risk-taker. he was adventurous. he liked living on the edge. >> reporter: angelika moved in right away. vince was studying her native language. >> yes, he was. every weekend, it was a russian

session with our morning coffee. >> reporter: he was serious. >> oh, yeah. he had books, dictionaries. he was asking me questions. he was annoying the hell out of me sometimes. but he was really studying it. >> reporter: they gave each other nicknames. >> i called him yozhek, he called me svinka. >> reporter: svinka? >> yup. piggy. >> reporter: and what does yozhek? >> yozhek is a hedgehog, 'cause of his hair. >> reporter: angelika even took vince home to latvia to meet her family. what did your parents think about vince when they met him? and your sister? >> they loved him. they said he's one of ours. he just fit in. >> as soon as he walked in, he was like, "hi, mom." he hugged her. >> reporter: both had been married twice before, but soon angelika and vince were ready to take the plunge again. >> we were gonna go to my country and get married on the baltic sea. >> reporter: on the beach. >> yeah. >> reporter: why there? >> why not? because my family wouldn't come

here and i wanted them to be there and we also wanted to go to bannerman's island and take pictures there with the castle in the backdrop. >> reporter: for your wedding? >> i love that place, yeah. >> reporter: and then one sunday afternoon in april, vince and angelika loaded up their kayaks. police would later retrace their route. roadside surveillance cameras captured vince's white jeep, his blue kayak strapped to the roof, a second kayak inside -- as the two headed to the river. so it was his idea to go there that day. >> well, we both wanted to go. >> reporter: you both wanted to go to batterman's island. >> yes. >> reporter: do you remember what the weather was like specifically that day? >> it was a little cold. but it was, you know, it didn't look dangerous or anything. >> reporter: angelika brought along lingerie. she and vince were planning a private photo shoot. but deceived by the spring sunshine, angelika and vince may not have realized the river, chilled by mountain snow melt, was still glacier-cold. experts "20/20" consulted say vince and angelika's kayaks were all wrong for the hudson.

they were more suited for a lake or a pond. and most ominous of all, as predicted on the local news, a storm was brewing. >> clouds will be increasing later this afternoon into tonight and then showers develop before dawn. >> reporter: did you normally wear a lifejacket when you would go kayaking? >> no. >> reporter: normally you didn't. >> no. he just, he insisted that i wore it that day. >> reporter: but he himself didn't wear a lifejacket. >> he didn't have one. >> reporter: so vince went out that day with no lifejacket, no wetsuit, no skirt to keep waves out of his kayak, on the water that was 48 bone-chilling degrees. after a few beers, and a couple hours taking pictures on the island, the two hurry for their kayaks. the sun is low. about halfway home, angelika says the fickle hudson river began changing with each stroke of the paddle, from placid to

waves swamp vince's kayak, he capsizes. pitched into the deep, dark water. that time of year, killing cold. angelika says vince, hanging onto his sinking kayak, yells at her to call 911. while she's on the phone, she says the river is carrying him away. >> i don't see him. oh, my god. >> can you see the kayak still? >> no. the kayak went under water. oh, my god. >> we've got a boat in the water already heading down to you, okay? >> okay. the water is very cold, i'm afraid he's -- oh, my god. >> what made it so serious was the time of the year. charge at a nearby yacht club -- helped coordinate rescue >> it was april and it was cold >> i need him to be rescued. the river? >> the boat is coming towards me >> reporter: angelika's 911 call ends abruptly.

deadly cold water. >> where did you guys go in at? angelika? >> reporter: a rescue boat quickly plucks angelika from the river. what condition was she in? >> she was obviously cold, wet, frantic. >> reporter: but vince had simply disappeared on that dark april night. swallowed by the river he loved. >> it changes your whole world. of course you hope he made it to shore or he was unconscious somewhere. >> reporter: whatever happened to vince, police quickly begin to suspect it may not have been an accident. when we come back, angelika volunteers to help police out with their investigation. and finds herself in an awkward position. the things she says, that moment caught on tape, that could damn

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tt2watv# 14! bt@qft< tt2watv# 14! "a@qvxx tt2watv# 14! bm@q]st tt4watv# 14!" dztq pnl tt4watv# 14!" entq j, tt4watv# 14!" gzt& 9mt tt4watv# 14!" hnt& )c8 tt4watv# 14!" iztq c*@ tt4watv# 14!" jntq qz tt4watv# 14!" lzt& i7\ "20/20" continues, with elizabeth vargas and mystery on the hudson. >> 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

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. >> whoo! yay! >> reporter: and five days later, at a memorial gathering at a bar, breaking out in a karaoke version of "hotel california." 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. 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 barracks. at 3:25 in the afternoon, they lead her to the interrogation

the camera. >> got your water, right? >> yeah. >> how you feeling? >> cold. >> cold? >> reporter: she doesn't know it yet, but this is her last day of freedom, maybe forever. 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: for one thing, police wonder about that 911 call. >> i can't get to him. it's very windy and the waves are coming in and, i can't paddle to him. >> stay on the phone with me. >> he's getting further and further away from me. i, i -- he's gonna drown. >> reporter: they say she may have waited 20 minutes before calling for help, suggesting her 911 call is nothing but a performance. >> hold on, baby! >> reporter: now, in the interrogation room, after a detective says angelika had already confessed to him earlier in the day, she's not admitting much of anything.

>> 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 want to save him? >> yeah, somehow. if he did not say call 911, i would have [ bleep ] paddled the [ bleep ] out of myself and got to him somehow. >> that's a little different from when you told me earlier, though. why? why do you keep changing what you're saying? i, i -- you're confusing me. >>i'm tired. >> and that's a -- that's an issue for me. >> reporter: almost three hours into the interrogation, at about 6:20, the detective brings in his partner. >> hi, how you doing? i'm matt. >> reporter: as they talk, it emerges that while on bannerman's island that fateful day, angelika had been in touch with a fellow volunteer named barbara, who lives within sight of the island. >> around 5:00, we get to the island.

barbara, contacted her. >> reporter: "20/20" obtained angelika's messages she sent by text. "we're kayaking today," she says. and "i'd like to stop on the island." as they're leaving, she sends another message. "we're leaving now." essentially inviting the woman to keep an eye out for them as they head for home. >> i send her a message. "we're heading out. he's in front of me." >> reporter: what kind of killer wants a witness? what's more, angelika continues admitted earlier, like removing a ring that secured the two halves of vince's paddle. >> 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. >> 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 7:00 p.m., 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 worth $250,000. another motive, detectives say, may have been all those demands she says 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

things he wanted. was -- >> yes, very much. >> sort of switched that he did not want to marry you? >> yeah, of course. then changes their mind? >> reporter: but the thing many find most shocking comes early 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?" 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: police say they have more. they say a witness saw angelika purposely capsize her own kayak as rescuers approached. at one point during the interrogation, she admits it. >> why did you do that? what's the real reason why you did that?

him. that i was doing everything i could to save him. >> 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. just let it." but the good side was, "save him, save him, save him. you can do it. you can do it. you're strong." >> why did the demon side win out? >> well, because of the way he was treating me, you know. >> reporter: just after 9:00

interrogation that would go on for 11 hours total, angelika says she needs to get home to take care of her cat. and then makes 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

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tt2watv#@54! bt@q3+\ tt2watv#@54! "a@q#'8 tt2watv#@54! bm@q(,4 tt4watv#@54!" dztq ($p tt4watv#@54!" entq x 0 tt4watv#@54!" gzt& a'h tt4watv#@54!" hnt& q)$ tt4watv#@54!" iztq ;@\ tt4watv#@54!" jntq )0< tt4watv#@54!" lzt& 1]@ we return to "20/20" and elizabeth vargas. >> dismissed! >> reporter: graduation day, at the west point military academy. one of the rites of spring. and on the nearby hudson river, this past may, 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 up 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 this year, 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. >> i raced down to see what i could find out. they had found him. he had been found. >> reporter: vince viafore had drowned while kayaking in the river more than 30 days before. but he had not strayed far, just about a mile down from bannerman's island. his body provides precious few clues. other than confirming he had drowned, there were no obvious signs of foul play. but by the time vince was recovered, his fiancee angelika graswald was already in jail, charged with his murder. >> at about 10:40 a.m. an indictment was made public in orange county court. the indictment names ms. graswald. >> reporter: orange county new york prosecutor david hoovler calls a news conference at which police reveal how they believe angelika murdered vince. >> 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: since her arrest, angelika has been a reluctant media queen. tabloids branding her the kayak killer. but now she's agreed to talk to "20/20." and that brings me to the orange county jail. and our interview with angelika. hi, i'm elizabeth. she's familiar with this room, it's normally used as a chapel where she attends bible study.

the guards graciously allowed her to change the top half of her jail jumpsuit for a more flattering shirt. 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: as a condition of the interview taking place before her trial, we agree ahead of time not to ask angelika about certain aspects of the case against her. the interrogation and the day vince died. with some notable exceptions, as you will see. 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. >> reporter: why would you say something like that? >> well, they kept me 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? >> 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? >> yup. >> it's therapy for you. and it's -- you'll, like i said, you'll feel better. >> okay. i will. you're right. i definitely will. >> reporter: what did you think that meant? >> i thought that meant that can open up. >> reporter: pretty naive, actually. 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. that's just not me. i much rather put on a happy

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. but after her interrogation, she was arrested and charged with murder. was there part of you that was in disbelief when they charged you? >> absolutely. >> reporter: 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, took the paddle connector ring 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. get to kohl's veteran's day sale and take $10 off your purchase of

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these girls have waited 62 days for this concert tonight. so far i've counted 32 omgs, 75 lols, 13 yolos, and i'm super tired! tweens--fun age, huh? you have places to go. [girls squealing with delight] let us worry about getting you there. bp gasoline with invigorate. fuel the journey. "20/20"'s mystery on the hudson continues, with elizabeth vargas. >> it's much easier now. >> reporter: yeah, no kidding. this is plum point, on the hudson river. it's the very place is where vince viafore and angelika graswald set out on their fateful kayaking trip.

>> yes. >> reporter: they launched straight across, you can see bannerman's island and the castle right there across. 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. >> when you're out on the water, you definitely feel the current and the wind. we ask him about angelika's current separated her in her kayak from vince in the water. and when she says that she's being blown away from him and that he's being pulled in a different direction? >> yes, that can happen. if he's in the water, he most likely would be going with the current and whereas the kayaks will go with the wind. >> reporter: we also know the water temperature that day was 48 degrees. >> correct. >> reporter: 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 -- >> reporter: you're basically

hyperventilating. >> yeah, you're hyperventilating. grabbing onto this kayak becomes very difficult. being able to tread water or 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 the seat is, 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. remember the police theory is vince died, because angelika removed that drain plug causing his kayak to sink.

much water enters the cockpit. >> reporter: but watch, wright conducts a demonstration showing when waves dump water over the cockpit, almost all of it gets in the boat. but, if waves pour over that open drain hole? very little finds its way into the kayak. >> about eight ounces, maybe. >> reporter: and we went further, using that same kayak, with the open drain hole, and the paddle ring removed. we asked another experienced kayaker to retrace vince's path across the river. he does it, with no trouble. the prosecution case is built on these assumptions, that removing the drain plug would cause the kayak to sink. removing the connector ring would prevent vince from paddling properly. and finally, that angelika knew that without a life jacket or a wetsuit, vince wouldn't stand a chance in the cold river. did you remove the plug from vince's kayak with an intent to kill him?

>> reporter: did you remove the ring from the oars so that he would not be able to save himself? >> no. i didn't. >> reporter: we actually performed an experiment on the river, with the plug out and with the ring missing on his oars. >> 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. and i don't know why. >> reporter: neither the prosecutor nor the defense attorney are allowed to speak to us about this case, because a judge has issued a gag order. so "20/20" convened a round table of legal experts -- brian harris, a 20-year veteran homicide investigator in houston, abc news chief legal analyst dan abrams, and former prosecutor judge jeanine pirro,

jeanine," on fox news. >> is there any scintilla of wanted him dead? i haven't heard it. i mean, maybe the prosecution's got it, but i haven't heard it. >> reporter: angelika's defense attorney once worked for judge pirro in the westchester county d.a.'s office, but no one on our panel has any involvement in this case. isn't it possible the entire premise of the case is based on something that isn't, in fact, true? >> that kayak plug is a red herring in this case. it's got nothing to do with his death. >> reporter: pirro and abrams are convinced the case against angelika will not hold water. >> 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 got to explain to me how she felt that she was far more secure as a five-foot-tall

if those waves were taking him out, wouldn't she be risking that those waves would take her out as well? >> reporter: much was also said and much was also made of this quarter of a million-dollar life insurance policy that vince had taken out. what do you think about that as a motive? >> it's always a motive, you know. >> reporter: money's always a motive. >> let me tell you, every homicide that came through my office, we wanted to know, "who's getting the money?" >> it's not an easy case for prosecutors. it's a tricky case, because the key piece of evidence that they have are her own words. and her own words are not entirely clear. she doesn't come out and say, "i did it." >> reporter: but the panel agrees, the big problem for angelika is what she does say 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. dead" is certainly not a helpful thing to say for your own case. >> i think it is. >> completely. i think it's a huge problem for the defense. >> how'd it make you feel when you? >> angry. frustrated. >> to the point that you wanted him dead? did you feel like this was the >> yeah. >> it's really gonna come down to the skill of the prosecutor. how well is the prosecutor gonna be able to dissect that interview and say, "look at what she's doing here, and what she's saying." >> why didn't he have that plug in there? >> he didn't have it because i guess i had it. >> you took it out of that kayak at the one point? >> i might have. >> reporter: so, in your opinion, this was by the book, this interrogation? >> i think the officers did an excellent job. i think there are things in this interview that are damning. but is it a confession? no.

you so, 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 loved him. i didn't do it. >> reporter: when evidence, photos angelika's friends claim could be exhibit "a" for the defense. what's in that drawer? >> so, murder by kayak, or a horrible accident? >> let us know on twitter and facebook.

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find over 1,000 special stories at hospital for special surgery. go to hss.edu/backinthegame [hold music playing] we at time warner cable, need to apologize to you. we no longer offer extended periods of free on hold elevator music when you call us. we're making a bunch of changes at time warner cable. including reducing how long you could wait on hold.

now, we'll even call you back at a time that's convenient for you. but for those of you who miss our old on hold music, please check out our greatest hits at twc.com/onholdhits i was jogging 5 months after my cartilage tear skiing a year after hip surgery. and playing grandma 4 weeks after a hip replacement one special hospital, over 1,000 special stories. see them all at hss.edu/backinthegame "20/20" continues with elizabeth vargas and mystery on the hudson. >> reporter: angelika graswald has been sitting in jail for

191 days, waiting to stand trial for the murder of her fiance, vince viafore. two friends, fellow latvians, visit regularly. they asked us to change their names, but they agreed to talk about their friend, the alleged kayak killer. how would you describe her demeanor after vince drowned? because she has been criticized. >> knowing her and knowing myself and knowing the country where we were raised, they always teach us to be very strong and don't bring out emotions to the other people. >> reporter: you are absolutely convinced that angelika did nothing that would cause vince to drown that day. >> no. vince. >> absolutely not. because i know the kind of person she is. >> reporter: among the evidence photos police took inside vince and angelika's apartment, an odd thing for a woman who allegedly wanted her fiance dead -- a pregnancy kit. together?

we talked about it. >> reporter: what kinds of conversations did you have? >> we thought we were gonna have a couple of smartest little vince and angelikas running around. >> reporter: "20/20" arranged for the friend we're calling inga to return to latvia to visit angelika's family. she and angelika's younger sister yelena are retracing vince and angelika's visit to latvia last year. even going to the place where they planned to marry -- that beach on the baltic sea. with angelika's parents, inga makes a special delivery, a hug, from angelika back in jail in america. >> i was hugging her just as hard as she did in the jail. >> reporter: you know that we just went to latvia and we have some messages from your family that i'd like to play for you. do you want to hear them? okay.

[ speaking foreign language ] >> they just said that they love me and everything is going to be okay. time goes quick. >> reporter: angelika's family is far from wealthy but they're scraping together what they can to help pay for her defense. many people in the town where your family lives have chipped in to raise money to help you. >> people have just been amazing. i'm so humbled and grateful. >> reporter: angelika's family planted a tree in latvia to honor vince. and sent a message to vince's mother. >> beautiful man, very bright. >> they still can't believe that he's not here with us. he was like a son for them. they are very, very sorry and they want to give condolences to vincent's family. >> i hurt for them. i mean, this can't be easy for them either. you know, they have a daughter who's in jail.

something like that? i appreciate what they said, but he was my son and nobody feels like i do. >> what do you think is gonna happen to angelika? >> oh, she is gonna be free. we all gonna go to latvia. and it just gonna be ending like a bad dream. >> reporter: as the guards prepared to take angelika back to her cell, she asked a favor, she wanted to watch the message from her far-away family one more time. >> can i see the video again? my sister said it was the first time she ever saw dad cry so i just -- >> reporter: ever? >> yeah, that gets me. oh. >> reporter: yeah. >> i can't wait to hug them. >> reporter: in the end a jury will consider whether angelika is innocent, and decide what is

justice for vince. but regardless of the verdict this mystery on the hudson leaves two mothers worlds apart. one in latvia, afraid she will never see her daughter again. >> please, american people, believe me. i'm mother, i very well know angelika and i know that she is not criminal. she's very good young woman. >> reporter: and the other mother, here in america, who knows she will never see her son again. >> i want people to know the kind of man my son was. you know, that he was good and kind and loving -- a good person. and this shouldn't have happened to him. that's what i want everybody to know above anything else.

file a wrongful death suit. >> here's your chance music my k-cup filter is back. now you can make anything, even a piece of home. the single serve-make-all-your-favorites exactly-how-you-like-it machine.

your body was made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to a biologic, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz is a small pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can reduce joint pain and swelling in as little as two weeks, and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma, and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts, and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened.

your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common, and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz can reduce the symptoms of ra, even without methotrexate. ask your rheumatologist about xeljanz. that's our program for tonight. thank you for watching. i'm elizabeth vargas. >> i'm david muir. have a great evening and a great weekend.

good night.