Prosecutors believe Cody Johnson thought he was being taken somewhere as a surprise that night. Evidence presented at trial suggested Jordan Graham had blindfolded her husband of eight days before leading him to a steep cliffside in Glacier National Park. What Johnson believed was a romantic gesture was, according to the prosecution, the final act of a marriage that had already fallen apart in her mind before it had barely begun.

A Wedding Week That Turned Into Dread

Jordan Linn Graham and Cody Lee Johnson married in Kalispell, Montana. In the days that followed, Graham's state of mind deteriorated rapidly. Prosecutors presented dozens of text messages between Graham and a friend from church, Kimberly Martinez, that documented the shift in real time. The nervous excitement Graham had carried into her wedding day gave way to something she described as dread.

At the center of it was fear about sex. Graham told her friend she was terrified of what Cody would expect from her in the bedroom. She believed he would want her to do things she wasn't willing to do. She also confided that she was afraid of his temper. By the time eight days had passed, she was texting that she already regretted getting married.

The Night at Glacier National Park

On the evening of July 7, Graham and Johnson went for a hike along a cliffside trail in Glacier National Park, not far from their home. According to Graham's own account to FBI agents, the two began arguing near a steep ravine. Johnson grabbed her by the arm during the argument. Graham pushed him with both hands in the back. He fell 200 feet to his death.

Graham later told investigators she could have walked away but pushed him out of anger. Prosecutors argued the hike was not spontaneous. They presented evidence suggesting Graham had lured Johnson to the cliff and that the blindfold detail pointed to premeditation, not a fight that escalated in the moment.

Johnson's mother testified at trial. Her account, along with statements from friends and family, painted a picture of two people who were not equally invested in the marriage. By most accounts of those who knew them, Cody Johnson was far more in love with Graham than she was with him.

The Lies, the Confession, and the Sentence

After Johnson's death, Graham told authorities a false story. She maintained that version for eleven days before being interviewed by the FBI on July 18, at which point she admitted she had lied and provided false statements. She eventually pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

At sentencing, Judge Donald Molloy was direct. He said there was only one person in the courtroom who knew exactly what happened on that cliff, and he did not believe she had been entirely truthful about it. The blindfold evidence, the text messages, and the trajectory of the prosecution's case all pointed to something more deliberate than a push in the heat of an argument.

Jordan Graham was 22 years old at sentencing. She received 30 years in federal prison and is currently incarcerated at a federal facility in Alabama. Cody Johnson was 25 years old when he died.