SPOKANE — Homicide investigators suspect a nephew of Democratic Montana Sen. Jon Tester might have been killed with an ax in his home just outside Spokane.
Bob Tester, 35, was found dead in his living room in a pool of blood at about 7 a.m. Tuesday near the town of Spangle, court documents said. An ax was found near his body, along with bags of marijuana, The Spokesman-Review reported Wednesday.
Bob Tester’s 8-year-old daughter told Spokane County sheriff’s deputies she was in bed with her father when a man entered the house wielding a sword and a knife, according to court documents.
“The man told her to stay in bed, because he was going to kill her dad,” the documents said.
The child called her grandmother later to report her father’s death. The girl’s grandmother called 911 and later told deputies that Bob Tester grew marijuana for dispensaries.
The court documents did not disclose whether detectives have identified a suspect or suspects.
A detective included in court documents a cryptic Aug. 25 Facebook post from Bob Tester. It read, in part, “I stick to myself for a reason. Don’t do family bbqs for a reason. There’s gonna be some hard days ahead of us but i want you all to know that I was victimized by someone close to me. He took my best friend from me and turned her life into darkness, thru drugs and manipulation. Just understand why I roar when i do. Understand my agony.”
Jon Tester’s office issued a statement reading that “his family would prefer privacy during this difficult time.”
