Montana Bride Life Sentence Possible for Pushing New Husband Off A Cliff
Jordan Graham is 'Extremely Dangerous,' Says Prosecutor
Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for the Montana bride who pushed her new husband off of a cliff after a fight. Jordan Graham, 22, made a deal with prosecutors in December and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. She will be sentenced next week.
Graham confessed to pushing her new husband, Cody Johnson, off of a cliff and then tried to cover up the crime. She initially said that she had nothing to do with the incident but that Johnson simply fell off the cliff. Yet evidence led investigators to believe otherwise, and a formal investigation finally led to Graham's confession.
She told U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy that Johnson grabbed her hand during an argument and she "just pushed his hand off and just pushed away." Prosecutors have pushed for a life sentence, arguing that anything less would be irresponsible and unbefitting a crime of such nature. They called her "extremely dangerous, predatory, and an unrepentant murderer."
"The defendant, despite offering no remorse, has left a mother childless, upended a community and shown no respect for the law during this entire process," U.S. Attorney Michael Cotter wrote in his request for a life sentence.
However, Graham's lawyers argue that she is truly repentant and does not deserve to be held in prison for life, given that she suffers every day with the memory of what she did.
"She is worthy of punishment and the shame that will no doubt accompany her for the remainder of her life," Michael Donahoe, Graham's federal defender, told the judge. "Defendant has confided to the undersigned that a day does not go by that she doesn't think of her husband and what might have been."
Donahoe is seeking a 10-year sentence based on the fact that Graham had no criminal history and would not likely commit another crime. Graham will learn her fate next week and is likely to serve a life sentence based upon the arrangement with the prosecution.
