Magazine reports bizarre twist to Glacier Park case

Inside information reported in the Oct. 14 National Enquirer magazine, if true, might explain what happened when Jordan Graham, 22, allegedly pushed her husband, Cody Johnson, 25, off a cliff in Glacier National Park on July 7.

The Kalispell newlywed was charged with first and second degree murder and making false statements in federal court in Missoula on Oct. 3. Graham, who is currently released on house arrest, faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted of premeditated murder.

Her defense attorney, Michael Donahoe, claims Graham was acting in self-defense and accidentally pushed her husband off the cliff on the Loop Trail to Granite Park Chalet during an argument. Donahoe said Graham was trying to free herself from Johnson after he grabbed her arm, and her push was part of a single motion to get free.

The case has garnered national and international media attention. The story was featured on the  popular TV talk show “Nancy Grace,” and a photo of the couple at their June 29 wedding made the cover of the Sept. 30 issue of “People” magazine.

Now the National Enquirer cites “a source close to the investigation” as saying law enforcement investigators believe Graham “snapped” after Johnson possibly told her he wanted a divorce or annulment.

According to the National Enquirer’s source, Johnson had come to believe that Graham had lied about being in love with him and was instead infatuated with being a bride and having a nice wedding.

The source went on to say that Graham “couldn’t face telling family and friends” if Johnson asked for a divorce or annulment, so law enforcement theorize Graham hatched a plan to kill Johnson and make it look like an accident.

The big break in the case, according to an affidavit filed by FBI special agent Stephen Liss, came July 11 when Graham met with a Glacier Park ranger at the Lake McDonald Camp Store and reported finding a body below The Loop switchback on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

With all the efforts underway at that time to locate Johnson, it seemed a huge coincidence that Johnson’s wife would be the person who found his body. Johnson’s body was located in a place where Park visitors were unlikely to see it — down in a deep, narrow gorge and not visible from the overlook at The Loop.