Appeals court to hear Glacier Park murder case

A federal appeals court will hear arguments in the case of a Kalispell woman who pleaded guilty to pushing her new husband to his death from a cliff in Glacier National Park.

Jordan Graham is asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to allow her to withdraw her guilty plea in the July 2013 death of 25-year-old Cody Johnson.

The court has set arguments for Nov. 3 in Portland, Oregon.

Graham accuses federal prosecutors of misconduct, vindictive prosecution and breaching an agreement in which she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Graham says prosecutors filed a report seeking a life sentence in line with premeditated first-degree murder when second-degree murder does not involve premeditation.

Prosecutors say there was ample evidence that Graham planned to kill Johnson, and her allegations of misconduct are unfounded.

Graham said she pushed Johnson off a cliff near the Loop after he grabbed her arm during an argument over their marriage of eight days.

Johnson was reported missing July 8 when he failed to show up for work.

His body was found three days later when Graham led a group of searchers to the spot where she had pushed him over the cliff near The Loop along Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Graham was sentenced to 30 years and five months in prison without the possibility of parole and ordered to pay nearly $17,000 in restitution.

When Graham changed her plea, prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge and a count of making a false statement to authorities.