Robert Telles, former politician, found guilty in killing of Las Vegas journalist Jeff German, sentenced to life in prison

The jury in the trial of Robert Telles found the former Clark County, Nevada, elected official guilty of murder in the death of investigative reporter Jeff German on Wednesday.

The jury began deliberating Monday and came to the verdict Wednesday. Several hours later, the jury sentenced Telles to life in prison, with the chance of being eligible for parole after 20 years.

Telles, 47, had pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon against a victim 60 or older in the 2022 death of German, who was found outside his home with multiple stab wounds. German was a longtime Las Vegas journalist who had written articles critical of Telles and the Clark County public administrator’s office.

Testimony from 28 prosecution witnesses and six defense witnesses, including Telles himself, concluded Friday. He testified that he was being “framed” by people involved in an alleged scheme, accusing office colleagues, real estate agents, business owners and police. He said it was retaliation for his crusading effort to root out corruption he saw in his office of about eight employees handling probate property cases.

“I’m not crazy. I’m not trying to avoid responsibility,” Telles told the jury on Friday. “I didn’t kill Mr. German, and I’m innocent.”

Telles lost his Democratic primary for a second elected term after German’s stories about him appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal in May 2022. The reports described turmoil and bullying at the Clark County Public Administrator/Guardian office and a romantic relationship between Telles and a female employee.

Telles “did it because Jeff wasn’t done writing,” prosecutor Christopher Hamner said during closing arguments on Monday. “It’s like connecting the dots.”

The day before German was stabbed to death, Telles learned that county officials were about to provide German with email and text messages that Telles and the woman shared, in response to the reporter’s request for public records.

None of German’s blood or DNA was found on Telles, in his vehicle or at his home, defense attorney Robert Draskovich said Monday, urging the jury to, “Ask yourself what is missing.” 

Telles’ DNA was found beneath German’s fingernails.

Draskovich also presented a surprise image, a piece of prosecution evidence that had not previously been shown to the jury, at closing arguments of a silhouette of a person who did not look like Telles driving a maroon SUV that evidence showed was key to the crime.

Jurors sent the judge a note late Monday asking for a court technician to show them how to zoom in on laptop video while in the jury room, then remained an hour past the usual 5 p.m. court closing time.

The killing drew widespread attention. German was the only journalist killed in the U.S. in 2022, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The nonprofit has records of 17 media workers killed in the U.S. since 1992.