Guilty Plea and Sentencing

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If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind Count on Granger for quality products, easy reordering and twenty four seven support Call one eight hundred Granger, click Granger. com or just stop by Granger For the ones who get it done Hello everyone and welcome to episode four hundred ninety eight of the True Cime All the time podcast. I'm Mike Ferguson and with me as always is my partner in True Cime, Mike Gibson. Gibby, how are you? Hey, I'm doing pretty good. How about you? I'm doing great, man. Yeah. We just have so much stuff coming up.. We'll be a crime C in like two weeks. We want to announce that we're having a meet upp Saturday night. That's the thirtieth at eight PM in the Vista cocktail lounge and that's at Caesar's Palace, where Crime Con is. So Vista. Vista. Yeah. If you're going, come out, see us. I have a couple of Cca Colas Yeah or something. Yeah. H some fun. We'll meet the guys over there in the one corner. Let's go ahead and our patreon shout outs. We had Joanne Batt. What's going on, Joanne? Kimberly. Hey, Kimberly Robin Moore jumped out of our highest level. and That that's awesome. Thanks, Robin HB girl HP curl I think what the HB would be Who knows? how would you even figure it out? I don't know. Sweet pee What's going on? sweep? Nicole Crane, Hey Nicole. and last but not least, Lisbet Van Lenput Oh the old input. Y. Yeah. And then if we go back into the vault This week we selected Cindy M. Well, thanks, Cindy. Yeah, great new support. We really appreciate it. We have an episode out right now on True Crime all the time Unsolved. We we're talking about Deborah Lindsley She was murdered on a train In nineteen eighty eight In London, outside of London, I think And it's a fascinating case because there were like seventy people on this train. Yeah It's a good case And it was like a really vicious attack, but only one passenger reported hearing anything suspicious. So Gibbs next Sunday night is our five hundredth episode. Man, that's amazing. It is amazing and we have a big one planned. Somebody's actually already guessed it Really On Patreon. Yeah. I don't want to say who it is because then that'll give it away. Yeah. But we do have four ninety nine, which is coming out Thursday, and that's on Samantha Joseph's say She was kidnapped and murdered during a night out with friends. She got into a car that she mistakenly thought was an oop Oh. Yeah, fascinating case. and it's a case that led to a bunch of rideshare safety changes and things like that All right, buddy, are you ready to get into this episode of True Cime all the time? I am, I'm ready. We're talking about Cody Johnson. Jordan Graham and Cody Johnson were the picture of happiness on their wedding day, but soon after, Jordan was unhappy and already having some doubts. Just eight days after the wedding Jordan pushed Cody off a clip at Montana's Glacier National Park Prosecutors argued that Jordan could have walked away from the argument But she was overcome by anger and intentionally pushed him Jordan claimed her new husband's death was a tragic accident You know, people do, um Things a might not ever do. when they're reallyally upset We' enraged Yeah, we talk about a lot of people, right who do things that maybe they wouldn't or haven't ever done before, you know, because they're in a certain state of mind But I do want to say, this is one of the reasons why I don't go hiking Just one Yeah. I don't want to be pushed off a cliff You mean go hiking with me or h anybody with anybody? Yeah. Okaykay. Cody Johnson was born on april eighth, nineteen eighty eight in San Jose, California to parents, David Clarence and Sherry Anne Johnson Cody and his mother Move to Cals spell Montana in two thousand two Cody settled in easily. and made a lot of friends because he was said to have been very charismatic and he had a really funny personality Kind of like you. Yeah maybe He loved Montana because of all the outdoor activities And I just said, right, I'm not the biggest outdoors person. But if you are, Montana's probably a great state to be in. Yeah, it seems like a good place to go As a teenager, Cody became interested in both fixing and racing cars This remained his favorite hobby. throughroughout adulthood He still enjoyed hiking and spending time outdoors, but it was said that he was happiest either working on cars or going out for a fast drive. And I love a fast drive. You get a fast car So Again, I've never been one to really work on cars. I don't know a lot about engines and nowadays, I think some of the new cars are hard to work on anyway. They' so much computer stuff. but Cody worked for Nomad Global Communication System. a manufacturer that designs and builds connected mobile operations centers S specialized vehicles for defense, government and commercial sectors Sounds pretty techy So I mean, probably had some smarts Cody decided he wanted to get married. and start a family in callalis. In twenty eleven, He met a woman named Jordan Graham She was a few years younger than Cody and grew up in the area Jordan was described as quiet, introverted and shy She enjoyed being outdoors and was active in her church. She loved children and participated in her church's Sunday school and daycare And I think I've probably said it before, but My wife is very introverted. She can be very shy around new people, peopleople she doesn't know And I think when we first got together thirty years ago because this month is my thirtieth anniversary of being married. So we've been together like thirty two years I think people, my friends thought we were kind of an odd pair because I at the time was even more extroverted. R And she was an introvert. but You know, they say opposites att tract You kind of bring her out of her shell too. sometometimes And and she over the years has put me back in my shell because I was a little bit too out there. She reeled me in. Yeah, at times After graduating high school in two thousand nine. Jordan started working full time as a nanny She dreamed of having her own family. Now she wasn't actively looking for a husband, but she met Cody a few months after she turned twenty. So we've kind of heard about both of them wanting a family, right Cody made the first move. When he started talking to Jordan It was clear to others that she was interested in him, but because she was so shy It took her a while to accept his romantic advances Jordan also wanted to find a man who was serious about his fate. And she helped Cody get more involved in chirp. I officially started dating in november twenty eleven Cody often told others that he knew Jordan was the one. You knew your wife was the one didn't you? I did whichich is probably why we've been together as long as we have He proposed in december twenty twelve And Jordan said yes They started wedding planning and looking for a place to live And I'm kind of in that spot right now, not me personally, but with my daughter and future son in law they're getting married next month They're looking for their, you know, First place, right always a Fun time Yeah, it's also stressful My daughter is very stressed. Yeah. Number one about the wedding I think maybe even more stressed about findinding a place to live There's not a lot of houses right now available and the ones that are get gobbled up extremely quickly around here I think that's the difference between When you and I were getting our first places, we didn't have that competition I didn't have that type of competition. There seemed like there was plenty of homes to look at. Yeah. You didn't have to worry about being beat out left and right. No, now rates, I think were a little higher. They were. but Maybe that's part of it. I don't know. Yeah. on june twenty second, twenty thirteen They moved into their new home in Calisbeel A week later on june twenty ninth Cody and Jordan were married. Their photos and wedding videoos showed a couple who seemed perfectly happy and in love Okay I understand that, but who doesn't extremely happy and in love their wedding If you don't, you got a serious problem Yeah Exactly. I mean, if if you're looking sad and depressed or angry and mad, I mean You know, you might want to go ahead and just tear that Piece of paper up now. It like it never happened probably not going to go great from there On july eighth, twenty thirteen Cody was reported missing by his friend and boss, Cameron Frederickson Cody was normally at work by six AM It was highly out of character for him to show up. Cameron was so worried about Cody that he broke into his house to search for signs that anything was wrong. Cameron found Cody's phone in the garage. which was a red flag because Cody never went anywhere without his phone Anless face that most people don't. especially these phones today having your whole life on them. Yeah. Now this was twenty thirteen, but even back then, By that point, a lot of people were really attached to their phones But the timing on this thing, right? We set it up front, but You They move in together into this new home on june twenty second They get married one week later on june twenty ninth And then Cody's reported missing On Julyh er short period of time. It is Cameron called friends and family and learn no one had seen Cody since the previous evening He went to church and was seen at the Dairy Queen in town having dinner with friends Jordan was first interviewed by the police on july ninth Yeah obviously she has to be interviewed, right? She's the The wife She confirmed that on the evening of july seventh She and Cody went to church and then to Dairy Queen She mentioned that Cody received a call earlier in the day that made him upset That evening She received a text from Cody saying he was heading out with a friend from out of town She said she saw a dark colored car pulling out of the driveway She also told police that she and Cody regularly deleted their texts And that was why she couldn't produce the texts for law enforce Oh. Well, I know you want to see some text messages between him and I, but We've always just kind of deleted them because we didn't want them on our phone A little suspicious, right? If you're a detective, a police officer Okay, I'm sure there are people who regularly delete their text But I think the percentage is probably prettyre small. I know I don't because I want the ability to go back and look if somebody says, Hey, I texted you that You know, a month ago I want to make sure they're telling me the truth You do that with me sometimes Sometimes you're right Sometimes you're not On july tenth, Jordan and her mother met with the police to show them a suspicious email. from a man named Tony The email which was released by the U. S. attttorney's office for the District of Montana read as follows Hello, Jordan, My name is Tonone. There is no bother in looking for Cody anymore He's gone I saw your post on Twitter and thought I would email you He'd come with some buddies and met up with me on Sunday night in Columbia Fall He was saying he needed to be with buddies for a bit and take them for a jewelry ride before they had to go. So he said bye to me And they took off in a black car for a ride Three of the other guys came back saying They had gone for a ride in the wood somewhere And Cody got out of the car and went for a little hike And they are positive, he fell. And he is dead, Jordan I don't know who the guys were, but they took off. call off the missing person report Cody is for sure gone signed Tony. I mean Looking at that email. It's just so bizarre. Yeah I mean, very bizarre Right. Number one, hey, You don't know me B I want to tell you what happened and oh, by the way, Make sure you call off that missing person report because Cody's he's gone for sure. Yeah. How many car rightes have you been with with buddies that the one buddy would say, Hey Pull over I want to get out here. I'm going to hike for a little bit guys Continue your, you know, driving this car fast and having all that type of fun. But I need to get out here right now and hike. I'll make my own way home. Yeah. Yeah The following day, july eleventh Jordan contacted a ranger at Glacier National Park to report finding her husband's body at the bottom of a ravine in the loop trail area Cody's body was found at the bottom of a three hundred foot clip face down in a shallow creek When the park Ranger commented that it was unusual that Jordan was the one to make the discovery. She said, It was a place he wanted to see before he died He would come up here with friends. to drive fast when his friends were visiting from out of state Okay I mean, this is strange as well. It is Cody's missing Jordan meets with the police She gets this anonymous email or not anonymous, but from an anonymous person named Tony. We don't know who he is. She doesn't know who he is And then the next thing you know, She is the one to find his bot I mean, if you're a detective, any type of law enforcement None of this smells right. No, it's very suspicious Cody's body wasn't recovered until july twelfth because police had to bring in a helicopter due to the steep cliffs. His death was investigated by the National Park Service, the FBI the Sheriff's office and the Calisel Police Department And we've talked about this before, but You know, when someone is killed on federal property You are going to have a boatload of Asian season ball Cody's autopsy results were released on july nineteenth confirming he died of a fult Jordan went voluntarily to talk to authorities on the sixteenth This time She had a completely different story She admitted that on the evening of july seventh twenty thirteen, she and Cody went to Glacier National Park She told federal investigators that Cody tried to hold me down during an argument at their home Surely before they went on a hike Their argument resumed near a narrow ledge above a ravine on the loop trail. She said when Cody tried to grab my arm in Jack. during the dispute She acted in self defense. pulling away, but also pushing Cody at the same time. According to Jordan He went to grab my arm and my jacket and I said no. I said, I'm not going to let this happen this time I'm going to defend myself So I let go pushed and he went over And then I took off and Win hope Just like that Just like that But what do we always talk about Right? You meet with investigators You don't have any idea What happened to Cody Next thing you know, you're finding his body And then the next time you meet with investigators you have this completely different story of self defense and pushing him to his debt. And then you have this email How do you respond to that Well, it's going to be tough, right? Because now it makes it look like That email was a hoax, maybe per perpetrated by you too throw authorities off the trail. Yeah But Jordan wasn't immediately arrested after this interview It wasn't until september ninth of that year that a criminal complaint was filed accusing Jordan of second degree murder. Jordan made her first appearance that day accccording to the affidavit Jordan provided false statements about Cody's death before admitting to pushing him in her july sixteenth interview And it's kind of hard to argue with that because obviously did The affidavit summarized the argument on the trip said at one point in time during their argument Graham turned and began to walk away She stated Johns grabbed her by the arm After removing Johnson's hand from her arm Graham stated she could have just walked away due to her anger push Johnson with both hands back And as a result, he fell face first off the cliff The charging documents also revealed that Jordan told a friend. She was having second thoughts about the marriage And she wanted to talk about her doubts with Cody The night he died She texted her friend on july seventh Oh well I'm about to talk to him Her friend responded I'll pray for you guys Jordan responded by saying But dead Sious, if you don't hear from me at all again tonight, something happed I really don't know, Gibbs, how it could look any worse Jeordge I get it. she has her story of this being self defense, but You look at all these other things and it's kind of hard to think that that's really true. Yeah I mean, it kind of looks like a cover up plus that She says She could have walked away but chose not to push them in the back. That doesn't scream out self defense. Do does not Another close friend of Jordan's told law enforcement that Jordan told her about an email she received, saying Cody had left with three friends. When hiking, had fallen. dead and the search should be called on Siblings, Levi and Latani Blasda who were friends with the couple, spoke with the Calisbell Daily in her Lake after the criminal complaint was filed. They said they had known Jordan since she was three and had known Cody for a handful of years They stopped speaking to Jordan a year earlier Lani said about Cody He's the best person ever He's the guy that every father wants for his doag pretty much sums him up Levi agreed, saying Cody was the type of guy that was genuinely sincere with everyone He welcomed every new friend with open arms and without bias He supported each and every one of his friends and he was the person you knew would be there If you ever need it Levi said he was the one who introduced Jordan to Cody According to Levi He was completely smid But Levi told the paper that he noticed one unsettling aspect about Jordan to and beyond the wedding She seemed emotionally distant from Coding He said We all had our reservations about their relationship She seems so remote from the relationship. So we're draw And they said they noticed this at Cody's funeral as well Levi recalled At the funeral, a number of us had spoken And while I gave my memorial for Cody at the podium She was messing around on her friend It was very hard for all of us to be there crying and mourning the loss of our friend And she was so unresponsive to that. Really no emotion, no crying Very so It's so strange that she was so unemotional about their relationship You know, because they were Newlyweds And to be so unemotional at the funeral too Yeah, both of them are strange. You know, we've talked about it before, but You know, the time leading up to You're married I mean, that's like you know, you're still kind of new, fresh. Every should be Cicking. Yeah, right And it doesn't sound like that's the case If so, Why'd you get married And then obviously, it is going to stand out to everyone If You know, everybody is emotional at this funeral because Let's face it, Cody was a pretty young guy when he died, right? Those funerals are even more emotional becausecause the person hasn't lived their life But yeah The person they just married is playing on their phone. that is going to Draw some attention For sure It just really doesn't make her look good being on her phone I don't know what she was thinking Well, I think if You know, you're on the side of law enforcement. You're on the side of the prosecution you're probably chalking that up to She didn't care She wasn't remorseful becausecause she wasn't sad that he died The day after the funeral, Jordan posted photos of the children. She babysat as if nothing happened And I think, you know, a lot of people are going to see that as as strange as well I get it at a certain point, you got to work through your grief and get on with your life For most people, it's not the very next day You don't go back to posting on Instagram and Facebook and all of these places unless it's to Talk about your loved one But it's not about, hey, I just had this great dinner or You know, look at the kids that I I babysit It was said she behaved the opposite. at her wedding, she was emotional and cried before walking down the aisle Latani described Jordan as one hundred percent normal but very quiet She told the paper, they didn't start to suspect Jordan until she gave different stories. about what happened to Cody in the days he was missing Levi questioned the story Jordan gave to investigators becausecause of her differing statements One of his primary questions involved the location and nature of Cody's death. becausecause Cody was extremely afraid of hype Levi recalled traveling to New Orleans with Cody and standing at the top of a parking g He wanted Cody to take a picture with him by the ledge. A Cody refute. And I get that because I've said it before, but I am, you know Afra of heights. Yeah, you are. I'm not ashamed to admit that. I have a fear of heights And if you are a person who has that There are certain things that you don't want to do. Stan next to A very u Drop is one of those things whether it's at the top of a large parking garage or top of a big gorge in a national forest or something like that, that would freak me out You're staying away from that. Yeah. Cameron Frederickson, a friend who reported Cody missing told the Daily Interlake, he immediately suspected Jordan Cody was found dead He said, I almost instantly thought Jordan knew something did something or was part of what happened to Cody When Cody told me that he was going to propose to Jordan I wasn't real supportive I did have a conversation with him. saying, I think he should reconsider To me, that is strength You know If one of your friends comes to you before you're about ready to get married and says, Oh man, I don't know about this. I think you ought to think this one over Okay I don't know how many people have had that happen to them It would be tough to hear You know, I mean, especially if it like your best one of your best friends You're like be here to support me and you're telling me maybe I'm doing the wrong thing. But here's what I think. I think a lot of people around the couple We're seeing Things from George that were red flags to them My assumption is Cody wasn't singen. because You know, as it was described, he was so smitten with her. Yeah. And when you're so totally in love with someone think you see someome of the I don't know if it's negative, but some of the signs other people might pick up on I think that's true On september twelfth, twenty thirteen. The U S. magistrate judge ordered Jordan's release She was put on house arrest in order to undergo mental health evaluation and complete the recommended treatment. prorosecutors filed a motion against her release based on the risk that she presented to the community The seriousness of the charged offense. her repeated false statements and her mental health I think what they're saying is We believe she's a killer and we don't think she should be You know Free to leave The jail Let's not let her just be out in public now. At a hearing on september thirteenth, Jordan's defense attorney Michael Don told the judge that Cody's death was an accident And Jordan was acting in self defense Donohe also said that prosecutors misrepresented events to incite national media attention and win public favors He contended that Jordan's pushing of Codody part of her action to free herself after being graed This is all one motion this grabbing pushhing. That's what he said Her attorney conceded Jordan did engage in some deception that didn't indicate malice or premeditation Still doesn't explain when she made the statement she pushed him in the back Yeah, right? I mean, I I get what her attorney is trying to do It doesn't indicate malice, it doesn't indicate premeditation But it does seem to be more than this self defense story. It all just kind of happened in one motion, a blur Like those things can't happen. Yeah But when you say I could have walked away But I chose to push him in the back You know, if that's what she told investigators, that does not scream self defense. if anything, it screams the exact opposite Now it may not be premeditation, but It's certainly not an accident or self defense. Yeah On october third, twenty thirteen, Jordan was officially indicted for first degree murder, second degree murder, and providing false statements According to documents unsealed by the prosecution in november twenty thirteen Jordan told Park Rangers where Cody's body was So the search would be called on The affidavits were provided by National Park Service Special Aent Justin Ivvers written in support of search warrants, seeking evidence from Jordan's social media iPhone and email According to the documents Jordan texted her friend whom she told earlier, she was going to talk to Cody about her doubts concerning their marriage Late on july seventh saying She talked to Cody And all it did was cause me to get scratched and him delete One of her tes said, Dude, I'm freaking out. I'm about to go for a walk or something Jump off a frrein' brge. I don't know, I've lost it. So it sounds like she got angry. about how the Pose conversation with Yeah, I think one of the problems is You have to wonder these texts are even or were they sin as you know, maybe part of a smokes screen or something like that Or is it showing that she was really angry Investigators also discovered that on the morning of july tenth Jordan created an email account named Carmen Tony six hundred seven. from her father's IP address Jordan had been living with her parents since Cody disappeared A few minutes after the account was created She emailed herself the suspicious message Now we know who Tony is. But and I always wonder how people think they're going to get away with this stuff how canan't. see that It's just a digital footprint that is going to be found at some point Later on july tenth, Jordan drove to the hiking trarail in Glacier National Park and said that body was found The investigation would be called up Acording to one of three people who went with her Jordan said, I don't care if they question me I want the body found in the cops out of it That's interesting It is mean The whole thing is is Fascinating to be honest with you because Yeah, you go from Oh my gosh, my husband's missing. I think he went off with some Friends to Kning where the body is being able to tellell Park Rangers where it is And then Obviously because of that, you have to craft a different story Putting yourself there because how else would you know where the body is But She's also thinking they're going to call the investigation off. they're going to call the search off. Yeah, but the investigation is just going to get heated up, right because Nothing seems to make sense. She said she wanted to check a spot Cody liked the hike But the others talked her out of climbing down a retaining wall. The next day, july eleventh Jordan and her mother and at least one other person returned to the area And Jordan told them she saw Cody's body fromr the cliffset onn the way home, Jordan said, now that we have the body We can have the funeral and the cops will be out of. It's such a weird thing to say Yeah, because she just wants them to Go away Right Don't investigate You don't need to look for him anymore because he's found Obviously it was an accident, so Nothing to see here type of situation. Move it along, moveve it along in a defense brief filed that same month. Jordan's attorney said she was a victim of a witch hunt. and a conspiracy involving attorneys, local police in the FBI Cluding to deprive her of due process and a fair trial. Well I think they have that wrong N to say that conspiracies don't happen. basased on everything we've talked about, there was no conspiracy needed here on the part of I, the police or anybody like that because I mean, she had basically dug her own Yeah. They didn't need to dig one for her The defense argued that Jordan's july sixteenth interview with the FBI was mishandled. They said the government selectively preserved evidence by recording only those portions of the defendant's interrogation felt would benefit its case presented incomplete evidence to the grand jury, which rendered it false and deliberately sought to acquire an early tactical advantage by defftly refusing to arrest the defendant at the conclusion of her interrogation by the FBI only to turn around two months later to proclaim publicly that the defendant is a sociopath deserving of immediate incarceration The brief noted that no part of Jordan's interrogation was video. Additionally, according to the brief Although defeendant had been at liberty for those two months, the government consciously elected to proceed to charge the case by way of unsealed complaints knowing all the while that No grand jury would be convened for at least two more weeks Prosecutors knowingly sought to influence the public with negative evidence that in the ordinary course would have remained confidential before the grand jury They said that as a result of the prosecution's indirect use of the media Jordan would never receive a fair tri And for me, Gibbs, you know, it's always tough to know. how much of this is really true How much of this is what you might call defense spin, right? Because we know Defense attorneys have to try to spend things in a certain way Be let's face it I think her attorney. She's up against it. Yeah, ye I mean I think there could be some truth in there Well, when you talk about someone getting a fair trial Anytime there's a lot of media coverage Does it become harder to get a fair trial I'm sure it does People are sitting at home They're listening to what the news has to say Maybe there's, you know, pundents or talking heads giving their opinion I'm sure that can sway people Yeah, and I think a case like this is going to get more attention because it's Not your Typicalool. Noder. or accidental death Yeah, I think the fact that they'd been married what less than a few weeks or something like that. That's going to be part of it. They're newly weds I mean, who kills their spouse A week and a half to two weeks after they're married off of a mountain cliff to, you know Oh also yeah, that's that's a part of it, right? The brief contained details about the july sixteenth interview that were previously unknown to the public The interview was led by FBI agent Stacy Smedala who was called in due to his experience with administering polygraphs Jordan was introduced to the agent byiotetector. she had previously spoken to and ass signed affidit Jordan said, she the detective and agent Mmedal sat in a room And she agreed to a polyam The detective left a few minutes later followed was an unrecorded interview agents of Dala that lasted over and hour Jordan was distressed by Agent Smedala's body language She put his chair close to hers, so their knees were touching And he put his hand on her knneee And he kept it there the whole time She tried moving back, but he just moved closer Jordan admitted that she began her interview by telling the same lie. But she soon realized she needed to tell the truth She described the events of July septh and how Cody fell off a ledge. According to her, in what I truly believe was an accident at one point physically reenact. how Cody grabbed her and how she pulled away and pushed him in a single motion According to Jordan per the signed affidavit, when I first read the complaint after I was arrested, I was shocked I never told Agents Medala that I started to walk away and then decided to turn around. and push Cody off the ledge with two hands Those were his workds. That is not what happened Jordan's defense argued that the explanation of events in Smedala's polygraph exam report in which he stated, Jordan pushed Cody in the back both hands due to extremeing was fabricated evidence Jordan recalled that after a while Agent Smedala told her she passed thought she was telling the truth The detective returned to the room and a recorder was turned on Jordan did a twelve minute summary interview briefly going over each part of her state And so this is a fascinating piece of the puzzle Now this is Jordan saying this happened Yeah, we're just hearing one side of the story. Right. So that doesn't mean it's true, but this is what she said in an affidavit If it is true thenen I think you would have to question someome of the actions by this FBI agent Right if she never actually said I turned around and I pushed him in the back with two hands. That's a big deal. It is a big deal. ' to me, it's a very Important part of the case So if it didn't happen, Big deal Also this idea of kind of having the interview not recorded And then turning on the recorder later I mean to me, that that's obviously not best practice. It's not a good way to do things. No I don't know why he would Put his hand on her knee Yeah, that's the other I mean, she really made it sound like I didn't take it as though it was like sexual. I took it more as like very intimidating Like he's right next to me. Yeah. he's He got his hand on my knee almost like he's trying to intimidate me to make me say something But this is why always say, Gibbs that you know, a jury has a really tough job You know, when you got to sit and wigh Who's telling the truth Is the FBI? Is law enforcement telling the truth or is Jordan telling him And a lot of times It's tough to take someone like Jordans side because they've already lied about a bunch of things So Are they now being truthful in this affidavit In her interview, Jordan said she and Cody went to church Th to Dairy Queen on the seventh She discussed a surprise for Cody with his friends She said she could tell he needed a break So she planned to barbecue with his friends She and Cody went home and got into an argument. about their marriage During which Cody Held her out She said He didn't hit her, but controlled her movement He just kind of Coldban and told me that I wasn't leaving until we sat there and talked And then he would hold me down and I could not get up Jordan recalled that Cody once told her that If he ever hit her She could leave him and never come back after the argument Cody came up with the idea to go for a drive to the park. They walk down loop trail and began arguing Acording to Jordan I was kind of getting some built up anger notot very happy that he was talking at me like I was a child And when I was trying to tell him how I was truly feeling. att one point Cody began bragging about not being afraid of the clip. And he said I could do this with a blindfold on I could just put it on, take a step, but I wouldn't even fall And I was like, and it just keeps going through my head that you're going to fall. or some Cody tried to grab her ar I said, no not going to let this happen to me I'm going to defend myself So I kinda said let go and I pushed And he went over. Jordan said about the push I took two and I just pushed. to get him off me. It was, it was two hands All right, so let me go back to the fear of heights thing for a minute. I was thinking the same thing If this person was trruly afraid of heights as many people said he was I just don't see someone. I know I wouldn't do it I wouldn't get anywhere near the cliff and I certainly wouldn't be playing around next to it, you know, saying, Oh, I could do this blindfolded or There's no way I'm going to fall over. The whole time I'd be thinking, if I get close to this, I'm going to fall over Yeah, and you would not do it. I wouldn't So kind of side with you on that that I doubt that's something he would do if he had That type of fear Yeah, it doesn't mean it couldn't have happened It just doesn't seem very light She was asked if she could have avoided pushing coding. just walked away She responded yes. lookingoo back, I guess I could have. When asked why she continued to turn around and push Cody, she said, It was because of high emotion. I was frustrated. I was angry I was every emotion that I could ever think of all at once And I had never felt like that before I had never experienced that such high emotion So again, if you're the jury. What are you making All of these different things that Jordan has said I mean, they seemeed to be all over the place They do They do. I mean, but even in the parts where She's trying to make it seem like an accident. Even then she's saying, yeah, I could have walked away. Yeah I didn't have to do it I was just so angry that I did it So if you're a juror, are you saying, yeah, that was self defense or Now, maybe that was not so I don't think it's clear cut that it was self defense. That's for sure. Right. In the brief, the defense called the investigator's failure to record all of Jordan's statements a grand government strategy designed to avoid creating a complete electronic record of the interrogation Due to these issues, the defense argued the indictment should be dismissed on constitutional grounds But on november fifteenth, twenty thirteen judge rejected the request to dismiss the indict Towards the end of the month, prosecutors filed more documents indicating Jordan spoke about killing her mother and stepfather in the weeks before the June wedding Prosecutors plan to introduce this evidence at trial herer remarks would be used to negate innocent intent and demonstrate the likelihood the defendant did act the requisite intent in the charged case That's what they said Those are not mine because there's a lot of big words You could have said they were my words, but But then everybody would just know I'm lying But yeah, I mean, if that's true that she was Thinking about killing her mother and stepfather B news. Yeah, because what does it mean if it's true If she's thinking about doing that Is it much of a leap to think that She could possibly killed her. Prosecutors also intended to prove Jordan lie. about alleged abuse she experienced in previous romantic relationships provided insights into her state of mind and credibility Jordan's trial began on december ninth, twenty thirteen Prosecutors told the jury that Cody was head over heels for Jordan, but she was having serious doubts that came to a head during their argument on the trail The day after the wedding, Jordan told a friend totally had a meltdown and was having second thoughts concerning her marriage and wondered what the heck I just did Now, I'm sure Gibbs, there are people that after the marriage, think Did I mess up Seems awful strange. The day right after. Yeah, I mean, why go through with it? I mean, if you you probably had those feelings going into it. Yeah, that was my thought. I mean, this wasn't like a hangover situation. or Hangover two, whichever one it was. Yeah. I think it was the first one where, you know, he got married after a drunken night in Vegas Yeah, you're going to have maybe some regrets the next day after that, but I mean, this is something that they plan together According to people at the wedding, she was emotional and crying and happy and Now she I think she made a mistake Several witnesses testified that on july seventh, twenty thirteen Cody said Jordan had a surprise planned for him later that day. The prosecution argued that Jordan lured Cody to Glacier National Park with the promise of the surprise. during their argument, She intentionally pushed Cody off the clip and drove away without seeking help She lied to family, friends and the police about what happened to Cody and fabricated the email from Tony claiming Cody was dead The prosecution noted that multiple people reported Cody missing on july eighth But Jordan wasn't one of them See that? It doesn't look good. No it doesn't You know, if you just look at all of these things from kind of the perspective of the jury You're just like, oh, that doesn't look good. Oh, that doesn't look good. Yeah becausecause You know, things go to a person's credibility or against their credibility Obviously the different stories go against it When you don't report nor new husband Very new husband. Yeah missing But yet a whole bunch of his friends do Okay That is going to put in the go against you C She's done a few things gooes against her. and of course this email Right? Be we've talked about it a few times M Revelation came from her father's IP address And she was staying there at the time You know to me, that would be a big deal kind of another piece of this I'm making up this grand store She communicated with numerous people in Kalspa. about what happened to Cody tellelling them he laughed with friends But then she led authorities to his body after providing several false statements and impeding the investigation with false information Jordan ultimately admitted pushing Cody from behind. Jordan's defense said she had finally worked up the nerve. to talk to Cody. about her doubts on july seventh But their argument ended in a tragic accident when he grabbed her And she pushed him to remove his hands As quoted by the Daily Interlg, the defense said Arguing on this small ledge was like arguing in a phone Jordan lied because she was afraid no one would ever let her explain What happened on that l? The defense characterized Jordan as naive immature and shy. She dealt better with the children she nanned than with adults. She was awkward around Cody's friends And since they didn't like her So she avoided She didn't want to report the accident because she was afraid And in her naivete, she created an implausible story That's the one thing I do agree on. It was an implausible Story Yeah, she really did fabricate it. But you know, I give it up to the defense team. They're trying hard Right to put a spin on her situation. I just think this is a really tough one to spin. 'cause there are so many things that are just not making her look good at all Yeah, I mean She kind of set them up Like she didn't give them a lot to work with. Yeah exactly. Yeah. I get you On december twelfth, twenty thirteen, Jordan Graham pleaded guilty to second degree murder on day four of her trial The ple deal was announced after the prosecution and defense rested their cases and took a courtroom break They had not yet begun closing arguments. When the trial resumed, The judge said there were new developments and the prosecution announced the deal had been made. Prosecutors agreed to drop the first degree murder charge and the count of making a false statement Jordan was asked to recount exactly what happened on july seventh. She described the argument. and how she pushed Cody when he grabbed her saying I wasn't thinking about where we were I just O march twenty seventh, twenty fourteen Jordan was sentenced to thirty years in prison plus five years of supervised She was ordered to pay sixteen thousand nine hundred and ten dollars in restitution But then Jordan filed a motion to withdraw her guilty ple But the judge denied her motion. I mean, she is just so all over the place. reallyally is S themost. Uncontrollable And I just wonder with this latest thing You know, was there something along the lines of Okay, they're going to drop first degree. they're going to drop making a false statement It's going to be second degree, but then she finds out she's going have to do thirty years in prison So she's like I'd just rather take my chances. Yeah. I just wonder if It was something along those lines I mean, it could have been, but I don't think she would Fared any better No, I don't either. but I understand, you know, from the prosecution standampint. Do you even want to take the chance They had to believe their case was pretty strong But you never know with a jury, That's true Jordan took the stand and apologized to her family and Cody's family as reported by the Daily Interlake. She said She still loved Cody It was a moment of complete shock and panic I have no other explanation Judge Donald Malloy indicated He had continuing doubts about her honesty He was waiting for her to say she was sorry for killing Cody He added There's only one person in this room that knows what happened And I don't think she's been entirely truth about what happened. And that's to me a very interesting statement And one that I was kind of thinking about You know, based on what she said after her plea deal To me, it didn't even seem that after that, she fully came clean because she really didn't say That much different From what she had already been saying. No she kind of held the line there Great, we had an argument I wasn't thinking about where we were. I just pushed That's what she said To me, that's not admitting you did it on purpose at all That is still kind of kindind of self defense, but also kind of pushed him, but I didn't mean to push him off the cliff Yeah, and she didn't follow it up with And I'm sorry it happened. And she never said, I'm sorry. Yeah. And I think the judge wasn't happy about According to NBC, Montana Jordan was moved to a federal prison in Alabama Her release date is listed as june twenty So as we wrap this one up, Gibbs. You know, I think the judge said it correctly. Jordan's the only person truly knows what happed At the cliff's edge in Glacier National Park prorosecutors argued that Jordan could have walked away. But she was overwhelmed by anger. pushed her husband of eight days. to his death Jordan's defense argued that it was a tragic accident that occurred when Jordan acted in self defense. pushing Cody away when he And there're There're quite of few elements of this case that you know would make The media. People Pay attention to stuff like this because It's salacious You have the All right, they were only married eight days There's kind of a Self defense argument to it But yet She's caught in a number of different stories I'm kind of with you. I don't See how And obviously, we didn't talk about everything at trial, but I don't see how a jury with what we know of wouldn't have found her guilty Yeah, I can't see that either. I think To me, it's a slam dunk But it does sometimes get tricky with that first degree Right? premeditation intent Things like that You know, sometimes a jury They have problems with that because Could they see an argument breaking out And in the heat of the moment, she decides to push him off Even if it wasn't in self defense wouldould it truly be First dreamer And that part, I don't know I think it probably goes to maybe, again, the prosecution's thinking of Well, we'll do a plea deal. She'll tell the whole story But I'm not sure she actually did that And like you said The fact that she didn't apologize and the judge had to call her out for not apologizing or feeling bad about it or sorry I mean, I think that tells you a lot. It does. because she already had the plea deal. She could have said anything she wanted So What she chose to say And what she chose not to say, I think is very telling at that point. Ver But that's it for our episode on Cody Johnson We we got a voiceemail. you want to check out. Let's hear it Hi, Mike, Hi Gibby. I hope you' are both doing well. This is Charles from North Lanashhire Scotland here Just a we message to thank you for all the great episodes over the years amst that longong term listener' recently signed up to Patreon How' the Chuckle at the lastast one I listened to Kelsey Barth Wh Fergay mentioned her friend Ashley Cotburn many times It's just like here in the UK. If the sn nameame is spelt cockbun, it's actually pronounced cobun I think it'd be the same in the States as well, but Nowbe it's a little bit different but to me, that seemounds like something you'd need to put a cream on. And Scubby, don't anybody say your Scottish accent isn't up to scratch because Ain't you day an absolutely great impression you misses doubtfire when you try it Thanks for the great work guys. Stay safe and keep your own time ticking. Goodbye, dear Okay, so that one actually made me laugh when I heard it. When he said, that sounds like something you should put some cream on. Okay, if it's pronounced Coburn, then why is it spelled COCK Why is it not spelled CO B you areN. Now you're asking for too much now. Come on now Did you feel like You were home when he was speaking? Oh not No, because I've never been to Scotland. I know what you're getting at. I am of Scottish heritage, budd That accent, man you know it. That's my favorite accent of all time. And I know they have different Scottish accents, just like we have different sure accents here in America, but There is something about the Scottish accent that is just it's one of my favorites Lit you up. Ive seen that. Yeah. That's just it makes me happy. Yeah to hear I really, I've got to get over there, but it's a long flight. And you understood everything he said, didn't you? I did not. There were some things I didn't. I tried really hard But we I don't know if you ever worked with him, but there was a guy that worked at the place that I used to work at used to work at. I used to play golf with them. He was from Scotland. Okay And he had a very U