Page 5 - Flathead Beacon // 4.2.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
APRIL 2, 2014 | 5

NEWS

WORDS
••••
of the Week

At Emotional Hearing, Jordan

AN INDEX OF
RECENT
NEWSMAKERS
Graham Sentenced to 30 Years

EARTHQUAKE
Earthquakes have rattled
California and Yellowstone
Kalispell woman will spend
National Park in the last
week. On March 30, a three decades in federal
magnitude 4.8 earthquake
shook the northern part of prison for pushing her
Yellowstone and was the
largest tremor since 1980.
husband of eight days,

Cody Johnson, of a clif in
MUDSLIDE
Glacier National Park

The death toll continued
to rise this week in that
devastating Washington By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
mudslide. On Monday, 24
people were conirmed dead MISSOULA – In the nearly nine
and two-dozen more were months after she pushed her husband of
still missing in the debris ield eight days of a clif in Glacier National
that is 70 feet deep in some Park, Jordan Graham has shown little
places.
emotion. But just minutes before a federal
judge sentenced her to 30 years in prison
for the murder of Cody Johnson in July
MISSING
2013, Graham broke down.
“A day doesn’t go by when I don’t think
Three weeks after it went about what happened and ask myself why
missing, the search for I didn’t do something diferent,” Graham Andy Nelson and Micheal Donahoe, attoneys for Jordan Graham, speak to the media after their client was
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 said, crying and looking at her dead hus- given 30 years in prison for murdering her husband. JUSTIN FRANZ | FLATHEAD BEACON
continued and U.S. Navy
oicials said as time wears band’s mother, Sherry Johnson. “I think to second-degree murder. Last week, fed- torney, Michael Donahoe. “Vigorously ar-
on it could take years to get about Cody every day and I never wanted eral prosecutors formally dropped the guing premeditation in a second-degree
any irm answers into what it to go this way.”
charges of irst-degree murder and mak- murder charge is not fair and just.”
happened when the plane “I still love Cody,” she said.
ing false statements to authorities.
But prosecutors, led by assistant U.S.
went down.
Graham’s statements were delivered Two days prior to her sentencing, on attorneys Kris McLean and Zeno Baucus,
during her sentencing in Missoula on March 25, Graham asked a judge to allow argued that Graham’s motion to withdraw
March 27, the conclusion to a case that her to withdraw her guilty plea. Attor- was without merit and that evidence pre-
garnered media attention from around neys for Graham claimed that the federal sented at trial supports both irst- and
HEALTH CARE
the world. Along with the prison term, prosecutors’ ofer to dismiss the charge second-degree murder charges; with this
A surge of Montanans Graham, 22, also must spend ive years on of irst-degree murder during the trial in in mind, they argued that they are free to
scrambled to sign up for supervised release and pay nearly $17,000 exchange for a guilty plea to second-de- recommend any punishment within the
health insurance before in restitution for the search and recovery gree murder was “nothing but an empty sentencing guidelines.
Monday’s deadline, and eforts after she reported her husband promise” after the assistant U.S. attorney “We told them if she pled guilty to
insurers said that the rush missing. Graham eventually admitted to recommended on March 18 that Graham count two, (second-degree murder), we
could have been enough pushing Johnson of a clif inside Glacier receive life in prison. That motion was ad- would drop the charges of irst-degree
to meet federal oicials’
original goal of 31,000 people Park, but not before concocting a web of dressed in court before sentencing.
murder and false statements,” McLean
enrolled through the nation’s lies she told to friends, family and law “Everyone agreed in that moment (in said. “But that was the extent of our prom-
health care overhaul law.
enforcement. In December, after a three- December) that this was a reckless mis- ises.”
and-a-half day trial, Graham shocked take, but today they are arguing that it was
those in the courtroom by pleading guilty
a premeditated killing,” said Graham’s at-
See Graham PAGE 24
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