Newlywed faces life after pushing husband to death
A newlywed pushed her husband to his death off a cliff in Glacier National Park, Montana just eight days after their wedding.
Jordan Linn Graham, 22, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of Cody Johnson, 25, in July, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison after admitting shoving Cody over a cliff.
Prosecutors said Graham had had reservations about their marriage but her defence team claimed that Mr Johnson fell after the couple argued.
Johnson Linn Johnson is accused of the second-degree murder of her husband Cody Lee Johnson. Photo: Facebook
Graham told police Mr Johnson had grabbed her arm when they walked off the trail near the Loop. She then took his hand off her and pushed him over the cliff.
"It was a quick thing, I just wanted to get him off me," she said in the recorded interview. "I don't feel like I killed him; I mean I pushed him, but it was an accident."
The Daily Mail website reports that Graham agreed to plead guilty in exchange for waiving a first-degree murder charge and a lying to investigators charge, the prosecutor in the case said in court overnight.
Johnson was reported missing after not turning up for work on July 8 and Ms Graham, who was questioned the following day, initially told investigators her groom had texted her to say he was going for a drive with friends.
Three days later she told park officials that she found his body below the popular Loop area.
Jordan Graham pictured with a friend at her wedding to Cody Lee Johnson. Photo: Instagram
When a ranger, who believed it highly unlikely someone would have seen the body, questioned Graham she explained, "It was a place he wanted to see before he died."
Mr Johnson's body was found in a steep and rugged area of the park on July 12 and he is believed to have died on July 7.
Jordan Graham in a photo from her Instagram page. Photo: Instagram
In September, CBS News reported that Mr Johnson's family and friends had pushed for an investigation into his death.
They believed he had been excited about getting married but that his bride had been less than enthusiastic.
Graham will be sentenced on March 27.
