Man who spent 10 years in prison in 2012 murder back in jail on suspicion of attacking women

A man who was previously convicted of murdering a woman and is alleged to have robbed another in Spokane in 2012 is back in jail after allegations of harassment and assault against other women in recent months.

Avondre C. Graham, 28, was arrested Jan. 27 on suspicion of second-degree assault and resisting arrest after he attacked a woman visiting from out of town. Graham is said to have propositioned the woman for oral sex before 9 a.m. near Stevens Street and Main Avenue in downtown Spokane, and then attacked her.

According to court documents, Graham first asked the woman for a cigarette, which she said she did not have. After declining his proposition, Graham pushed the woman from behind onto the sidewalk and began to hit and kick her in the head and face until witnesses came to her aid and he fled.

The woman, who said she didn’t know Graham, suffered a fractured facial bone and needed stitches below her left eye as a result of the attack, documents said. Police identified Graham through photographs and witnesses who saw him.

Graham was arrested about an hour later near the Monroe Street Bridge. Graham tried to attack officers while in handcuffs by kicking, headbutting and spitting at them, court documents said.

According to a Department of Corrections employee, Graham was at his case supervisor’s office at 9:15 a.m. that morning at 1821 N. Maple St. The employee said Graham had been removed from a treatment program because he had missed meetings and said that he was no longer interested in attending.

Graham was released from jail in November after posting bond following a domestic violence incident in North Spokane. His girlfriend told police that Graham punched he in the face up to 10 times and threatened to kill her after she came home from work on Nov. 7.

Graham was previously sentenced to 10 years in prison at the age of 18 for the murder of Sharlotte McGill, who was stabbed to death as she walked her dog near the Spokane River in Chief Garry Park in 2012.

Graham, who did not have any previous felony convictions at the time of the killing, took an Alford plea, which allowed him to maintain his innocence while also acknowledging the evidence against him would likely lead to a conviction during trial.

Graham wasn’t arrested until four months later, following an attack on a woman on the Centennial Trail, not far from McGill’s murder. Graham struck a woman in the face and head with a “rubber mallet-like tool,” took her cellphone and ran off, documents said. Police spotted Graham swimming across the river and detained him shortly after.

Following Graham’s release from prison on the murder charge, he was required to spend 36 months in community custody and participate in mental health and anger management treatment. He was released from Department of Corrections custody in January 2022, according to court documents.