In Death on the River, bestselling true crime author Diane Fanning recounts a tragic kayak accident that left one man dead-and his fiancee arrested for his murder.
A DREAM GETAWAY. A REAL-LIFE NIGHTMARE ...
It seemed like the perfect romantic afternoon: a kayaking trip for two on the Hudson River. But it ended in tragedy when beautiful, blonde Angelika Graswald called 911 to report that her fiance, the handsome and athletic Vincent Viafore, had fallen into the choppy frigid waters. Authorities assumed it was an accident. But when the bereft bride-to-be posted videos of herself doing cartwheels on social media-shortly before Vincent's body was found-suspicions of murder rose to the surface . . .
After hours of questioning, Angelika made several shocking admissions. She said she felt 'trapped' and fed up with Vincent's 'demanding' sexual lifestyle: the nightlife, the strip clubs, the threeways. 'I wanted him dead,' she had said, even though she insisted that she didn't kill him. But as more lurid details emerged-including a $250,000 life insurance policy-a killer question remained: Did Angelika remove the plug of her fiance's boat . . . and knock away his paddle as he sank?
On July 13, 2011, Laura Jean Ackerson of Kinston, North Carolina, went to pick up her two toddler sons. It would be the last time she was seen alive. Laura's ex, Grant Hayes-the father of her two sons-and his wife, Amanda, the mother of his newborn daughter, both pointed the finger at each other as the one guilty of murdering Laura, cutting up her body, and then transporting and disposing of the remains on the shores of Oyster Creek, Texas. This is the hauntingly true story of a devoted mother, a disturbed couple, and how these horrific events came to pass.
Jocelyn Branham Earnest was found dead on the floor of her living room in Forest, Virginia. By her side was a gun and a suicide note—typed, lacking a signature, and with one fingerprint on it. A fingerprint apparently belonging to Jocelyn's estranged husband.
Wesley Earnest was a respected high school administrator, poised to restart his life in a new community. Parents entrusted their children to his care and believed he was above reproach. But the investigation into the life the couple once shared would reveal adultery, troubled finances, and shattered dreams—enough for one man with murder on his mind to travel hundreds of miles.