Alan: The "veneer of civilization" is gossamer thin.
10 Sep 2013
A newly-wed wife has been charged with murdering her husband by pushing him off a cliff in a national park in Montana.
Jordan Linn Graham, 22 and her husband Cody Lee Johnson, 25, had been married for just more than a week when they allegedly had an argument on July 7.
They decided to go hiking in Glacier National Park in the western United States, but only continued to argue.
When her husband grabbed her by the arm, she removed it before pushing him.
"Graham stated she could have just walked away, but due to her anger, she pushed Johnson with both hands in the back and as a result, he fell face first off the cliff," a criminal complaint read.
Johnson's body was discovered days later after a visitor reported seeing it. Ms Graham was the person identified by a park ranger as the visitor who found the body.
Charging documents allege that Ms Graham told a friend she was having second thoughts about her marriage and intended to discuss the matter with Johnson on the night of July 7.
She sent a text message to the friend that said: "But dead serious. If you don't hear from me at all again tonight, something happened."
During an initial interview with police, Ms Graham reportedly claimed Johnson left the house with friends in a dark-coloured car late on the night of July 7. But she allegedly admitted later that she had lied about his disappearance.
Ms Graham made an initial appearance in federal court in Missoula on Monday, facing a charge of second-degree murder. She faces life in prison if she is convicted. Her lawyer declined to comment on the case.
Ms Graham remains in custody.