Man accused of rape receives lesser sentence

COLFAX — The 21-year-old man who was initially accused of raping a woman in Pullman has been sentenced on a lesser charge.

Elijah Nivar, 21, of Pullman, plead guilty earlier in May in Whitman County Superior Court to felony 3rd-degree assault.

Nivar agreed to the plea deal with prosecutors after his rape trial in March ended with a hung jury.

Nivar was initially arrested by Pullman Police in July, 2022, for allegedly raping a woman inside her Pullman home in May of that same year.

Nivar and the victim had a previous relationship that ended in November 2020. He is a former Washington State Univ...