Judge sets Dec. 9 trial for cliff death in Glacier Park

MISSOULA — The trial for a Kalispell newlywed charged with pushing her husband off a cliff in Glacier National Park is scheduled to start in December.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy of Missoula on Tuesday denied requests by attorneys for both sides to start the murder trial for Jordan Linn Graham in February. They had sought more time to prepare.

Graham, 22, is charged with killing Cody Lee Johnson, 25, during an argument on July 7, eight days after they were married.

She has pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging her with first-degree murder or second-degree murder and making a false statement.

Charging documents say Graham had expressed doubts about her marriage and planned to confront Johnson about those concerns on the night he died.

Molloy ruled that starting the trial on Dec. 9 guaranteed a speedy trial for Graham and for Johnson’s family. If a continuance is needed to prepare or deal with the federal government shutdown, Molloy asked that Johnson’s family be consulted about how they feel about the delay.

Any plea agreements in the case must be presented by Nov. 27.

Molloy ordered that neither side talk with the media until the trial concludes.

Graham is under house arrest at her mother’s house in Kalispell and did not attend the scheduling hearing.