A newlywed's dream honeymoon turned into a fatal nightmare when a bride pushed her husband off a cliff during an argument, just eight days after they exchanged vows.
The Fatal Hike in Glacier National Park
Jordan Linn Graham and her new husband, Cody Johnson, were hiking in Glacier National Park, Montana, on 8 July 2013. What began as a scenic outing ended in tragedy when a heated argument about their relationship escalated. Graham later admitted to authorities that Johnson had grabbed her by the arm, and in retaliation, she shoved him, causing him to fall from a cliff edge at a viewpoint known as the Loop.
Shockingly, Graham reportedly stated during a police interview, "I didn’t realise one push would mean you were over." She confessed to being unhappy in the marriage just days after the wedding, which led to the fatal confrontation.
The Web of Lies and Discovery
Initially, Graham spun a complex web of deceit. She reported the 22-year-old Johnson missing, telling police he had left after a distressing phone call and that she had last seen him driving away in a dark vehicle. She claimed she could not produce a text message he had supposedly sent because they routinely deleted their texts.
Two days later, on 11 July, Graham changed her story, claiming she had discovered his body while hiking in the park. His body was recovered by helicopter on 12 July. However, park rangers found it highly unusual that she had located him in such a vast area, raising immediate suspicions.
Her lies began to unravel when it emerged she had told a church service about his death a day before she allegedly found his body. Furthermore, a friend revealed Graham had sent a text expressing cold feet, reading: "I'm about to talk to him. But dead serious, if you don’t hear from me at all again tonight, something happened."
Trial and Sentencing
Facing mounting evidence, Graham pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the more serious charge of premeditated first-degree murder. On 27 March 2014, US District Judge Donald Molloy sentenced her to 30 years in a federal prison.
Judge Molloy expressed scepticism about her account, stating, "There's only one person in this room that knows what happened, and I don't think she's been entirely truthful." Due to the federal nature of the crime, Graham is expected to serve the full sentence without parole, followed by five years of court supervision upon her release.
