After telling authorities several stories about how her husband came to fall to his death in Glacier National Park during their honeymoon, the new bride admitted to pushing him from a cliff and will be serving a 30-year prison sentence, as reported by the Huffington Post and several other media outlets.
Montana resident J.G., 22, killed her husband C.J., 25, eight days into their honeymoon after she began having second thoughts about their marriage.
According to District Judge Donald Molly, J.G. failed to express any remorse for her actions. Along with the prison sentence he also ordered that she pay a restitution of $17,000.
On July 7 J.G. lured an unsuspecting C.J. to a cliff in Glacier Park before pushing him to his death, as alleged by the prosecution. In an attempt to hide her act she then proceeded to tell investigators various stories.
Just before closing arguments in the trial, J.G. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. However, when she heard prosecutors recommend a 50 year to life prison term, she tried to retract her plea. J.G. was unsuccessful in making the reversal.
Part of the plea deal allowed prosecutors to drop the first-degree murder charge and one count of making a false statement to authorities.
Before accepting the plea deal the judge asked J.G. to tell her story.
J.G. explained that when she started having doubts about her marriage she decided to discuss her feelings with her husband. She was concerned as to how he would respond during the confrontation. The two had climbed down a slope near The Loop section of the park – and had the discussion while standing on a thin ledge above a ravine hundreds of feet below.
It was there that J.G. began telling C.J. that she was already unhappy being married to him. She claimed that C.J. then seized her by one of her arms. She said that his actions led her to believe that he was going to pull her and that made her angry. She pushed his hand off of her arm, then pushed him with one of her hands on his arm and the other on his back.
J.G. explained, "I wasn't thinking about where we were…I just pushed."
After watching her husband plummet to his death J.G. left the park and drove herself home to Kalispell. A day later C.J. was reported missing.
The first time J.G. spoke with investigators she said that C.J. was in their home on July 7 but left with friends she didn't know – friends of C.J.'s later testified that this story was suspicious.
Next she shared an email with authorities, that she claimed was sent to her by a friend of C.J.'s, stating he was dead and to stop searching.
Finally J.G. told rangers at the park that she found her husband's body near The Loop – as it was a place he had told her he wanted to visit alone before leaving the park.
After authorities produced a photograph showing J.G. and C.J. at the park she admitted that she had been with him.
Text messages between J.G. and a church friend were shown to jurors. The exchange illustrated J.G.'s initial wedded bliss that turned to gloom.
Defense attorneys for J.G. attempted to dispel the picture the prosecution had drawn of their client. In their efforts, they chose to show parts of the couple's wedding video.
Sometimes a crime of passion can lead to many years in prison. Whatever your alleged crime is contact a criminal defense attorney for right away for help!
