'I pushed and he went over': Newly-released tapes show Montana newlywed confessing to killing her husband in argument on a cliff

Jordan Graham, 22, accepted a plea deal confessing to second degree murder of her husband of eight days
She pushed Cody Johnson, 25, off a cliff in Glacier National Park
Initially told police multiple stories and changed her version of events
Later confessed to an FBI agent, saying she pushed him and took off

PUBLISHED: 12:01 EST, 16 December 2013 | UPDATED: 15:21 EST, 16 December 2013

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Unseen FBI interviews have been released showing a newlywed confessing to pushing her husband of eight days off a cliff as they argued about her second thoughts about the marriage.

Jordan Graham, from Montana, told an FBI agent what really happened on top of of a cliff in Glacier National Park after days of lying. She admitted second degree murder last week.

'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 and I pushed and he went over and then I took off and went home,' she said in the FBI recording.

Graham, 22, said she decided to talk to Johnson, 25, about her unhappiness eight days after their wedding. So on the evening of July 7, just about sunset, the couple went to a popular spot in Glacier Park called The Loop.

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First story: Two days after Cody Johnson went missing, his wife Jordan Graham told police that he went on a joyride with friends from out of town

New lead: The next day, she went to the police station with her mom and told them about a fake email from a person named 'Tony' that she received, when really she created the account herself

They went over a retaining wall along the Going-to-the-Sun Road and climbed down a rocky, steep slope to the edge of a cliff and a steep drop of a couple hundred feet to a ravine.

There, facing the void, she told Johnson that she wasn't really happy and that she was not feeling like she believed she ought to after being married, she said.

They argued. It escalated, culminating with Johnson grabbing her, Graham said. She thought he was going to pull her toward him.

That's when she became angry, she said.

'I wasn't thinking about where we were,' she said. 'I just pushed.'

She said she brushed away his hand and then pushed her new husband with one hand on his back and one hand on his shoulder, and he went over.

It wasn't planned, but she said it was 'definitely reckless with an extreme disregard' for life.

Hearing her words back: More than a week after her husband died, Jordan Graham was interviewed by FBI officers and she is heard on tape saying that she 'pushed him and took off'

Afterward, she ran back to where the car was parked. She had the keys in her pocket.

She drove back home to Kalispell, about an hour away, without seeking help. She sent text messages to friends on the drive back - but told nobody what had just happened.

'At that moment, I was so scared, I didn't know what to do,' she said.

On Thursday, Graham, 22, changed her initial not guilty plea and admitted that she did push her husband to his death, accepting a lesser second degree sentence.

Excited: Cody Johnson's mother testified in court about how her son was excited to marry Jordan

Before tragedy: Graham is pictured with 25-year-old Cody Johnson, whom she married in June. Johnson's mother testified in the trial that her son had been excited to marry Graham

Cutting a deal: Graham and her attorneys surprised prosecutors by agreeing to the plea deal of second degree murder after just four days of the trial

The prosecution was planning on showing the taped interviews with the court room but since she accepted the plea, the jurors did not have to consider the evidence.

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Graham had initially told police officers that her new husband had gone out of town.

'He was going to go for a ride with some of his out of town buddies that were visiting,' she told police while being interviewed wearing a bright yellow dress.

'I don't know anything more.'

That really wasn't the case, as she came back to talk to police again the next day after reportedly receiving an email from a mysterious man named Tony telling her not to drop the investigation.

Police later determined that the email address was created on her step father's computer.

Before closing arguments were about to begin, the attorneys for both sides announced the surprise agreement: Graham would plead guilty to second-degree murder, and prosecutors would drop the first-degree murder charge and the false statement charge.

Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27.

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Ginistera, Bedlam, Vatican, 5 hours ago

The anticipated verdict in the case is hardly going to be a cliffhanger, is it?

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nohuffpo, atlanta - usa, 7 hours ago

Her story stinks.

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Neo, Los Angeles Ca, 8 hours ago

This guy definitely married the wrong person!

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Pak31, USA, 9 hours ago

She totally planned it. They had to go to a cliff to discuss her problem? Then they just had to go over a retaining wall and just happened to be standing at the edge? Then, if it wasn't planned why did she run off and was able to resume life like nothing happened?? She planned it. Oh well, she has to live with it and hopefully she'll do that in prison.