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 Jordan Graham, 22, reached the deal just as closing arguments had
been due to begin in her federal murder trial in Missoula over the
July 7 death of her husband of eight days, 25-year-old Cody Johnson.
In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop
first-degree murder charges that could have carried a mandatory life
sentence, should she have been convicted, as well as charges of
lying to law enforcement.
Graham is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27.
Graham, in admitting her guilt, told the judge that on the day her
husband died, the couple had driven to the park and walked down to
an embankment on the cliff face, where she told Johnson she wasn't
happy and "wasn't sure we should be married." He responded by
grabbing her hand, she said.
"I told him to let go and I pushed his hand off," Graham said. "I
just pushed his hand off and just pushed away."
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy asked her if, after that, she knew
Johnson had fallen over the cliff, and Graham responded that she
did.
Before accepting the plea, the judge warned Graham that by pleading
guilty she was "possibly looking at spending the balance" of her
life in prison. She responded that she understood the consequences.
While a second-degree murder conviction may be punishable by life in
prison, it can also result in a lesser sentence of about 20 years
behind bars, with possible adjustments for accepting responsibility
and other factors.
U.S. Marshals led Graham away in handcuffs after the hearing, during
which her mother cried in court. Graham had been in her parents'
custody and under electronic monitoring pending trial.
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Federal prosecutors contended that Graham deliberately shoved her
husband off a rock ledge while the couple was hiking a steep trail
at Glacier and then lied to investigators and tried to cover up the
crime.
Graham's attorneys had said the death was an accident that happened
during a marital dispute in which Johnson grabbed his wife's arm and
jacket and she pulled away even as she pushed him.
The case was being heard in federal court because the death occurred
in a U.S. national park, which is owned by the federal government.
Federal prosecutors declined to comment after the hearing.
Graham's public defender, Andy Nelson, told reporters his team was
"drained" and that the case had been "a long, emotional process."
Jury selection in the case began on Monday, and on Thursday morning
defense attorneys mounted their side of the case by, among other
things, showing a video of Graham and Johnson dancing closely at
their wedding and presenting evidence she had paid an artist to
write a customized song for the couple.
(Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis and Dan Whitcomb in Los
Angeles; writing by Dan Whitcomb; editing by Cynthia Johnston,
Leslie Adler, Kenneth Barry and Lisa Shumaker)
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