Politician in Nevada convicted guilty of killing reporter
Telles, who was elected as Clark County public administrator in 2018, showed little reaction in court as the verdict was read. He now faces a potential life sentence.
A former Nevada politician, Robert Telles, has been found guilty of first-degree murder for the killing of journalist Jeff German, who had written critical articles about Telles during his time in office. Telles, 47, has been in custody since 2022 after he was accused of stabbing German, a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, outside the journalist's home.
During the trial, prosecutors presented DNA evidence found under German's fingernails, which they said belonged to Telles.
Despite Telles's not guilty plea, a jury of 12 members returned a guilty verdict on Wednesday after two days of deliberation.
Telles, who was elected as Clark County public administrator in 2018, showed little reaction in court as the verdict was read. He now faces a potential life sentence.
The trial, which lasted two weeks, included testimony from various witnesses, including detectives, forensic experts, and Telles himself. Telles claimed he was framed, asserting, "I’m innocent. I didn’t kill Mr German."
Jeff German, 69, was found in September 2022 with seven stab wounds to his neck and torso.
Prosecutors argued that Telles killed German in retaliation for articles the journalist wrote exposing alleged misconduct in Telles's office, including claims of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member and hostile behavior.
Evidence presented in court included security footage showing the assailant near German's home, dressed in a large straw hat and sneakers.
Similar items, later found cut up, were recovered at Telles's house.
The prosecution alleged that Telles had hidden in the bushes outside German's home before attacking him and attempting to dispose of the evidence.
Telles's defense argued that the evidence was planted and denied that German's reporting provided a motive for murder.
Following the verdict, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson praised the jury's decision, stating, "They hit a home run by getting the right verdict."
Glenn Cook, the executive editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, also commended the verdict, saying it delivered "a measure of justice" for German, who was killed while holding an elected official accountable through his reporting.
