The wedding of Montana's newlywed cliff killer Jordan Graham should have been the happiest day of her life, but she was desperately searching for a way out of the relationship for nearly a year before she confessed to pushing her newlywed husband Cody Johnson from a ledge, sources say!
An ENQUIRER investigation has revealed that almost a year prior to the troubled couple's June wedding Graham discovered warning signs that her hubby-to-be was becoming increasingly more jealous of her spending time with other people and became obsessed with controlling her every move!
As Graham spent months agonizing over her decision to wed her obsessed lover and trying to find a way to escape the clutches of his jealousy, he continued to reel her back in each time she tried to make a break and eventually convinced her that marrying him was the right thing to do, sources say.
According to a close friend of the couple(MD1)
"Almost a year ago, Jordan and Cody joined another couple on what was intended to be a romantic cruise, but that trip turned out to be an eye-opening experience that left her fearful of their relationship – and the nightmare her life would become if she didn't leave him," a source (MD1) close to Graham revealed.
"Jordan was really looking forward to the cruise. She was happy that they would be having an adventure together, but as soon as the cruise began her dream trip became like a prison sentence.
"Cody had always showed signs of being a jealous lover, but his possessiveness really went into overdrive during that cruise and his behavior made Jordan begin to question whether it would be healthy for her to stay in the relationship.
"At various times during the cruise, Jordan wanted to break away from Cody and spend time alone or with her friends, but he wouldn't have it. Rather than let Jordan do her own thing, he insisted on being with her every second of the day, and if she disappeared or journeyed off with a friend for a little while Cody would interrogate her and make her tell him everything she was doing and exactly who she had contact with.
"If she wanted to take a stroll, he had to come with. If she wanted to meet a friend for a drink at the bar, he would insist on going with her. She couldn't get away from him for a second.
"Instead of spending their days relaxing and enjoying themselves, Jordan spent much of her time arguing and bickering over the most trivial things.
"When their fighting became too much to handle, Jordan tried to put some distance between them, but on the cruise ship there was nowhere to hide.
"By the time the cruise was over Jordan could not wait to get off that boat and away from Cody.
"That cruise gave Jordan had an entirely different outlook on their relationship and her gut was telling her to get out as quickly as possible. She realized how obsessed and controlling he was and that it probably would only continue to get worse if she married him."
The couple, who met through mutual friends in late October 2011, ran hot and cold from day-one, and it was Johnson, a 25-year-old factory laborer, who was constantly trying to force the romance with daycare worker Graham, 22, to be more than she wanted, sources say.
"Jordan was trying to take things slowly because she wasn't completely convinced that Cody was the love of her life," a source (MD1) recalled.
"But Cody was obsessed with her and was always trying to force their relationship.
"He always wanted to be with Jordan and made it nearly impossible for her to do anything alone.
"Jordan already knew that Cody was crazy about her but at home she had been able escape him whenever he became too over-bearing."
Jordan made numerous attempts to end the relationship but their hometown of Kalispell, MT is a small town and the couple's friends and family seemed to keep pushing them together, sources say.
"Each time Jordan tried to end it with Cody she was left feeling as though she was letting down her friends and family, so Jordan didn't have the courage to end it completely," the source (MD1) said.
"So, Jordan continued to overlook Cody's jealousy and followed her heart.
"She tried slowing the relationship down, hoping he would take a hint but Cody didn't care – he just escalated his attentiveness."
On June 29th, the couple exchanged vows in what seemed like a fairytale wedding in Kalispell's Woodland Park. The bride was crying to her bridesmaids just moments before the wedding was to take place, and continued to sob as she walked down the aisle.
During their vows, Graham reportedly never made eye contact with Cody, preferring to stare at her hands rather than her future husband and supposed love of her life.
There was no honeymoon and the couple returned to work the following Monday.
Then, on July 7th, a mere 10 days after they exchanged their vows, the groom was reported missing to the Kalispell Police Department by Cody's uncle, Timothy Manning.
According to close friend, Levi Blasdel, who had first introduced the couple, "It was bizarre. We were all searching for Cody but Jordan was driving around town in Cody's prized Audi A6, seemingly without a care in the world.
"That's when we started to get suspicious. Jordan didn't seem to care. "
Graham also began to tell investigators and friends different stories and their suspicions grew.
Then, on July 9th, she told investigators that while driving home from dinner with friends, Johnson had received a call that upset him. After arriving home, she left to pick up a charger for her cell phone and received a text from Cody saying that he was going for a drive with a friend from out of town. She arrived back just in time to see Cody pulling out of his driveway in a dark vehicle, but she failed to provide that text, simply explaining that she always erased texts immediately.
Graham also explained to a friend at the Faith Baptist Church that she had received an email while at work that said Johnson had left with three friends, went hiking, had fallen, was dead, and the search should be called off.
Two days later, Graham reported that she had located Cody's body to a U.S. Park ranger in Glacier National park at a popular viewpoint known as "The Loop." The Ranger found it strange that she had managed to find the body in such a vast area but Jordan explained that "It was a place he wanted to see before he died" and "He would come up here with friends to drive fast when his friends were visiting from out of state".
However, close friends, Cameron Fredrickson and Blasdel both agreed that Johnson was terrified of heights and would never have voluntarily gone to the edge of a cliff to enjoy the view.
Finally, on July 16th 2013, Jordan told cops the truth. She admitted that she had previously lied and explained that on the evening of July 7th, she and Cody had decided to travel to Glacier National Park and walk on the Loop hiking area. Once there, they walked to the steep side of the trail and had an intense argument. Cody grabbed her arm and she swiped it off. She could have walked away but while Cody's back was turned, she was still furious and due to her repressed anger, she simply pushed him with both hands on his back, off of the cliff.
What shocked friends the most was her behavior at Cody's memorial service. She showed zero emotion during the memorial and in the days following, texted and posted merry photos of kids at the daycare where she worked as if nothing had ever happened.
Finally, on October 3rd,, she was charged with First degree murder, second degree murder and making a false statement to the U. Park Service.
Graham pled not guilty during her arraignment last week and was released, to the dismay of Cody's friends and neighbors, on her own recognizance.
"Everyone is shocked by Jordan's admission that she pushed Cody to his death only eight days after they married, but her secret torment and the personal conflicts she had over marrying him makes this story all the more tragic," the source (MD1) added.
"There's no doubt this nightmare would've ended differently if Jordan would have just followed her heart after the cruise, and ended the relationship with Cody for good."