"Couple’s Kayak Trip on Hudson Included Missteps and Dangers, Experts Say."

Some good analysis in this case where it's hard to understand how the woman can be charged with murder.

“Any experienced paddler wears a P.F.D. all the time, every time, period... You would never see a professional paddler without it, whether you’re on a pond or in the Mediterranean. It’s a big deal.”

Other mistakes included the outerwear the couple wore and the vessels they were in. Until mid-May, when the Hudson’s water temperature reaches 60 degrees, experienced kayakers wear either a dry suit or a wet suit. The couple wore neither...

[T]hose kayaks, experts says, were probably the least suited to conditions on the Hudson.... “White-water kayaks are short, and there’s little or no flotation... It’s the worst choice for the Hudson.”...

Some white-water kayaks have drain plugs... Mr. Viafore’s plug was in the couple’s apartment and that it had been pulled out of the kayak some time ago. In theory, a missing plug would not cause the kayak to flood since the hole is small...

The main evidence against the woman seems to be her statement that "it felt good knowing he was going to die." If you had deviously set up that boating accident in advance, wouldn't you shut up about that? Of course those who commit premeditated murder feel good when the scheme plays out as planned. But these cold-blooded evildoers are trying to get away with it, to make it look like an accident. Why, after all that planning and the satisfaction of seeing things go according to plan, would you blow it by talking? It's easy for the defense lawyer to give a different spin to "it felt good knowing he was going to die." This poor, traumatized woman was grasping at an explanation: Why did this happen? In a crazed state of mind, witnessing the struggle and the inevitable death that grasped at the poor man, she arrived at the notion that it was good. It's all good. Everything happens for a reason. It was his time. He died doing what he loved. That's how ordinary people come to terms with death.