Glacier Park murder suspect told friend she was afraid of husband

Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The woman accused of murdering her husband by shoving him off a cliff just a few days after their wedding reportedly told a friend she was frightened of her husband.

Testifying in Montana court Monday, Kimberly Martinez read text messages from Jordan Graham saying the bride had a "bit of a meltdown" on their honeymoon, saying she was unsure if getting married to Cody Johnson "was the right thing to do."

Graham said she couldn't "pull herself together" and was afraid of Johnson's temper when he "wanted to do stuff" and she couldn't say no. Her texts before and after the wedding and after Johnson's death are expected to play a key role in the trial.

Graham's defense admits she played a key role in sending Johnson over the cliff, calling the incident at Glacier National Park eight days after their July wedding an accident. Attorney Andy hill said the couple was having an emotional argument in a spot "the size of a phone booth" and said the "grab, push and fall" was "spontaneous."

Hill said Graham's behavior -- she and a group of friends discovered Johnson's body several days after his disappearance -- was because she was scared. She "ran from reality," he said, "like a mouse caught in a maze," telling "lies and more lies" out of fear.

The prosecution, however, contends Johnson was deliberately pushed. U.S. Attorney Kris McLean will try to convince jurors Graham pushed Johnson in the back, pushing him face-first to his death, and then lied repeatedly to cover the crime.

U.S. District Judge Donald Malloy is pushing to get the trial completed this week, with jury selection completed Monday morning and testimony beginning that afternoon. The trial was to continue Tuesday.

[KBZK]