Kovacich found guilty of wife’s murder

After 26 years of speculation and doubt, the verdict finally is in — Paul Kovacich was found guilty of murder with the use of a firearm in the Sept. 8, 1982 death and disappearance of his wife, Janet Kovacich.

Kovacich has spent the last four months in a Roseville courtroom. The jury came back with the guilty verdict Tuesday afternoon after deliberating for three days.

In closing arguments last week, Placer County prosecutor Dave Tellman painted a picture of Kovacich as abusive and controlling. Kovacich’s attorney, John Spurling, characterized Janet Kovacich as a “troubled young woman” who sought to paint her husband in an unflattering light...