Awards handed out in Park murder case

Montana U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter handed out 14 awards on Sept. 24 to seven investigators and the U.S. Attorney’s Office trial team who worked on the Jordan Graham murder investigation.

Graham, 22, was charged with killing her husband of eight days by pushing him off a cliff along the Loop Trail in Glacier National Park in July 2013. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison and $17,000 in restitution for the death of Cody Johnson, 25.

Graham had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder just before closing arguments during her December 2013 trial. Her defense attorneys were unsuccessful in retracting that plea after prosecutors recommended a 50-year sentence. Her attorneys have now appealed her case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Cotter said the awards “honor law enforcement in Montana who demonstrate integrity, candor, fairness and reliability in high profile, high stakes cases and investigations.”

Investigative team members who received the U.S. Attorney’s Excellence Award included Federal Bureau of Investigation special agents Steve Liss and Stacy E. Smiedala; Kalispell Police Department Capt. Scott Warnell and detectives Melissa Smith and Cory Clarke; National Park Service special agent Justin Ivary; and Flathead County Sheriff’s Office Cdr. Dick Sine.

Trial team members who received the Themis Award included U.S. Assistant Attorneys Kris McLean and Zeno Baucus and staff prosecution members Irene Pocklington, Cassie Potter, Sheryl Wyman, Colette Edam and Kimberlee Taylor.

“The conviction of Graham happened because of the incredible investigative team and a hard-working and talented trial team which worked tirelessly to propel this case to a right and just conclusion,” Cotter said. “The United States Department of Justice and the Montana United States Attorney’s Office extend our profound appreciation and thank you to the agents, officers, attorneys and trial support team involved in this investigation.”