Newly charged with pushing husband cliff he agreed to plead guilty

Michael Gallacher / MissoulianJordan Linn Graham during a court appearance in October.By Tracy Connor, writer, NBC NewsA mountain wedding at trial to push her husband's eight days to a 200-meter cliff declared guilty of murder Thursday in second grade before closing arguments were scheduled to begin.Jordan Linn Graham, 22, agreed to push Cody Johnson, 25, while the two discussed on a narrow ledge in the National Park glaciers was a "reckless act", the Missoulian newspaper reported."I went up to the car and it was," he told the judge. "I was afraid of what happened and at that time it was so scared that I did not know what to do."As a result of the statement, prosecutors withdraw charges of murder in first degree and making false statements. Graham faces a maximum of life when it has ruled on March 27, but it was not clear what will recommend prosecutors punishment under the agreement.Johnson family left in tears federal court as Graham was taken by marshals.The statement came shortly after the Defense rested its case--only a dozen witnesses to testify in one morning. Both sides were due to present closing arguments when the surprise announcement was made.Who pushed to Graham Johnson was not in dispute: during an FBI interrogation admitted nine days after his death on 7 July.But his team was trying to assemble a case of self defense, claiming that Johnson Graham did go to the Park, attracted him to the ledge and then seized as they argued.The worker nursery said when he tried to remove him from her, lost balance and fell, landing in a pool of shallow water below.Prosecutors charged that he acted with "malice" and suggested that it could have bandaged her husband prior to her death, because she was having second doubts about her marriage.They pointed out that he told a series of plausible lies to explain his disappearance, even going so far as to create a dummy email account and send a message from a man named Tony reporting that Johnson fell while hiking and was dead.As intensified the search for the police to Johnson, Graham took even relatives to the cliff in search of him, saying that it is where was with his"car". She reported seeing a body and then sent her teenage brother to verify, he testified.The Prosecutor's Office tests include text messages that Graham sent to his friends, confessing that she was having second doubts about marriage and plans to face Johnson with their concerns.Two witnesses testified that Johnson canceled plans for the day he died because he said that his wife was planning "a surprise" for him.The defense case seemed designed to convince jurors that Graham was contained in the days leading up to the wedding and ceremony.She cried as his lawyers played a short video of the wedding, and her grandmother, Linda Rickford, declared crying Graham as he walked down the aisle of joy."It seemed that he was very happy," said Rickford, according to the Missoulian.Graham does not testify, but jurors heard his words in the form of the recorded confession which made on 16 July.Dillon Tabish / Flathead Beacon via AP fileA missing poster of Cody Johnson. Authorities say his wife, Jordan Linn Graham, pushed him over a cliff and then lied about his disappearance."I pushed it and I ran," he said."It was a quick thing, I just wanted to take out it of me," he said in the taped interview. "I don't think that I have killed him; "I say I pushed it, but it was an accident".NBC News Jim Lichtenstein and Jessica DeVera and Associated Press contributed to this report.Previous coverage:This story was originally posted on Thu 12 December 2013 2:02 PM EST