Ex-politician found guilty of murder in Vegas reporter’s stabbing death

(CNN) — The former Nevada politician who was accused of fatally stabbing a Las Vegas investigative reporter after a series of critical stories was found guilty of murder Wednesday in a trial that highlighted concerns around press safety.

Robert Telles, a 47-year-old former Clark County public administrator, was convicted in the September 2022 death of Jeff German, a longtime Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter. The jury found the murder was “willful, deliberate and premeditated” and it was carried out by “lying in wait.” Telles shook his head as the verdict was read aloud.

Telles faces three possible sentences with the minimum being 50 years in prison and the maximum being life in prison without parole.

The penalty phase of the trial began Wednesday afternoon with German’s brother, Jay, on the stand and other family members expected to testify about Jeff German and how his death impacted their lives.

“It was devastating to the family, it really was. We loved him,” said Jay German, who earlier characterized Jeff as the big brother the three siblings “all leaned on.”

The defense will also be offered an opportunity for people to testify.

Las Vegas Review-Journal executive editor Glenn Cook issued a statement praising the verdict, calling it a “measure of justice” for German and for slain journalists everywhere.

“Jeff was killed for doing the kind of work in which he took great pride: His reporting held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and empowered voters to choose someone else for the job,” Cook said.

“Today also brought a measure of justice for slain journalists all over the world. Our jobs are increasingly risky and sometimes dangerous. In many countries, the killers of journalists go unpunished. Not so in Las Vegas. Our thanks to police and prosecutors, whose diligent work won this conviction.

“Let’s also remember that this community has lost much more than a trusted journalist. Jeff was a good man who left behind a family who loved him and friends who cherished him. His murder remains an outrage. He is missed.”

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said the verdict sent a clear message: “Any attempts to silence the media or to silence or intimidate a journalist will not be tolerated.”

The trial in Clark County comes nearly two years after the killing highlighted concerns about violence against journalists, even in the United States. There have been 14 journalists killed in the US since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

German, 69, wrote about the underbelly of “Sin City” and had covered mobsters, crooked officials and corrupt government agencies in an ink-stained life. Yet prosecutors said it was his coverage of a little-known office run by an elected county official that led to the murder.

German had written about allegations of wrongdoing in the Clark County Public Administrator’s office, reporting that Telles created a hostile work environment and carried on an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. In part because of those articles, Telles lost his bid for reelection in a Democratic primary in June 2022.

The reporter was found dead with stab wounds outside his home on September 2, 2022.

Prosecutors alleged Telles killed German because he was angry about the reporter’s articles and was concerned about another upcoming article. Telles wore a disguise – including a large sun hat – and hid outside the reporter’s home before fatally stabbing him, prosecutors said.

About two dozen witnesses testified for the prosecution, which used video and physical evidence to tie Telles to the suspect’s disguise, a maroon vehicle at the scene and DNA from under German’s fingernails.

“He murdered him because Jeff’s writing destroyed his career, it destroyed his reputation, it threatened probably his marriage and exposed things that even he admitted he did not want the public to know,” prosecutor Christopher Hamner said in rebuttal arguments Monday. “He did it because Jeff wasn’t done writing.”

In contrast, the defense said Telles had been framed for the death because he was trying to make changes in his political office that upset the “Old Guard.” Telles testified in his own defense during the trial and denied wrongdoing, offering up a conspiracy that a real estate company had hired an assassin to kill the reporter and then frame him.

“I want to say, unequivocally, I am innocent. I didn’t kill Mr. German,” Telles testified.

The court case began about two weeks ago, and the jury began deliberating on Monday.

What happened at trial

The prosecution’s case focused on surveillance video from German’s neighborhood on the day of the killing showing a suspect wearing a large sunhat, orange jacket and gray Nike sneakers, and driving a maroon SUV. The suspect hid in the bushes on the side of German’s house, waited for the reporter to arrive home, and then fatally stabbed him and left him to die, prosecutors said.

The maroon SUV belonged to Telles, and he was later seen washing the vehicle in front of his house, according to prosecutors. In a search warrant of Telles’ house, police found a large sunhat and gray Nike sneakers that had been cut into pieces and hidden, according to prosecutors.

Further, DNA from under German’s fingernails was consistent with Telles’ DNA, prosecutors said. Investigators also examined Telles’ phone and found images from Google Maps of German’s house, prosecutors said.

At closing arguments Monday, Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly summarized the evidence again and showed Telles’ texts criticizing German’s articles.

“He was clearly incredibly upset that those articles were written and that it resulted in him losing that primary,” Weckerly said.

Defense attorney Robert Draskovich focused the defense on challenging the quality of the investigation and argued there was a lack of evidence. He said investigators did not find German’s blood on any of Telles’ items and questioned the damage to the hat and shoes.

Telles, who is trained as a lawyer, took the stand and testified in a narrative style, meaning he spoke without being questioned by his own attorney. He offered a conspiratorial version of events in which a real estate company, his office colleagues, police, the DNA lab and prosecutors all agreed to hire an assassin to kill German and then frame him.

“I did not cut up a shoe and hide it under my couch. I did not cut up a hat and put it in an open door of my toolbox. I did not kill Mr. German,” he said.

Telles said on the day of the killing, he was at home watching TV before going for a walk and heading to the gym. He showed a phone log of his activities that day, saying there was nothing “suspicious” about it.

But in a tense cross-examination, prosecutor Christopher Hamner showed an inconsistency between Telles’ phone records and text exchanges on his wife’s Apple Watch, which included a message from his wife asking, “Where are you?”

In closing arguments, Telles’ own attorney did not fully endorse Telles’ theory about the conspiracy, although he empathized with his client’s mindset.

“It’s understandable why he believes this wide-reaching conspiracy,” Draskovich said. “What other options does he have under these circumstances?”

But in the prosecution’s rebuttal, Hamner mocked the conspiracy and told the jury plainly, “It didn’t make sense.”

“What it does give you a window into is what’s in his mind. That is how important Mr. Telles views himself. That every single one of these people, these entities, were literally willing to kill another human being – who is not him – just to frame him,” Hamner said. “Does that make sense? And more importantly, where is the evidence to support that?”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow and Liam Reilly contributed to this report.