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Spokane Jury Convicts Man Of Murder

Doug Nadvornick/SPR

A Spokane jury on Wednesday convicted a man of murdering another man whom he believed was abusing a 17-year-old girl in 2016.

The jury found John Radavich guilty of first-degree murder with aggravating circumstances. Radavich was convicted of killing Robert Tester in September 2016 in Tester’s home in the southwest part of the county.

Detectives say the homicide apparently came one day after the 17-year-old girl told Radavich that Tester had assaulted her. She was Tester’s girl friend at the time and a former girl friend of Radavich. The killing was witnessed by Tester’s daughter, who was 8 at the time. Afterward, she called a family member who alerted authorities.

About three months later, a friend of Radavich provided police with a tape recording of a phone call in which Radavich confessed to the crime. He said Radavich explained he killed Tester to atone for the abuse of the girl. Radavich was arrested on New Years Day 2017 at an apartment in Spokane Valley. He was 22 at the time.

Now he’s a convicted murderer. He will be sentenced at a future date.