CNN
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A jury has sentenced Robert Telles, a former Nevada politician convicted of fatally stabbing a Las Vegas investigative reporter, to life in prison with the possibility of parole after a minimum of 20 years.
Telles, a 47-year-old former Clark County public administrator, was convicted in the September 2022 murder of Jeff German, a longtime Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter, in a trial that highlighted concerns about press safety. The jury found the killing was “willful, deliberate and premeditated” and that it was committed “while lying in wait.” Telles shook his head as the verdict was read aloud.
Telles faced three possible sentences, with the minimum sentence being 50 years in prison and the maximum sentence being life in prison without the possibility of parole.
During Wednesday’s penalty shootout, German’s siblings spoke about their brother and the impact his death has had on their lives.
“It was really devastating for the family. We loved him,” said Jay German, who described Jeff as the big brother the three siblings “all leaned on.”
Telles’ mother also testified during the sentencing phase, turning to the jury and asking for leniency so her son could get out of prison on parole and be a part of her children’s lives.
Las Vegas Review-Journal editor Glenn Cook issued a statement welcoming the verdict, calling it a “measure of justice” for German journalists and for journalists murdered around the world.
“Jeff was killed for doing the kind of work he took great pride in: His reporting held an elected official accountable for his bad behavior and allowed voters to choose someone else for that office,” Cook said.
“Today, some justice has been served for journalists who have been murdered around the world. Our jobs are increasingly risky and sometimes dangerous. In many countries, the murder of journalists goes unpunished. This is not the case in Las Vegas. We thank the police and prosecutors, whose diligent work made this conviction possible.
“Let us not forget that this community has lost 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 a scandal. He is missed.”
Clark County Prosecutor Steve Wolfson said the verdict sent a clear message: “Any attempt to silence the media or to silence or intimidate a journalist will not be tolerated.”
The Clark County trial comes nearly two years after the killing highlighted concerns about violence against journalists, including in the United States. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 14 journalists have been killed in the United States since 1992.
German, 69, wrote about the underworld of “Sin City” and covered mobsters, corrupt officials and government agencies during 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 killing.
German had written about allegations of wrongdoing in the Clark County public administrator’s office, reporting that Telles created a hostile work environment and had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Partly because of those articles, Telles lost his bid for reelection in a Democratic primary in June 2022.
The journalist was found dead, stabbed, outside his home on September 2, 2022.
Prosecutors said Telles killed German because he was angry about the journalist’s articles and because he was worried about another article being published. Telles wore a disguise — including a large sun hat — and hid outside the journalist’s home before fatally stabbing him, prosecutors said.
About 20 witnesses testified for the prosecution, which used video and physical evidence to link Telles to the suspect’s disguise, a brown vehicle at the scene and DNA found under German’s fingernails.
“He murdered him because Jeff’s writings destroyed his career, his reputation, probably threatened his marriage and revealed things that even he admitted he didn’t want the public to know,” prosecutor Christopher Hamner said in closing arguments Monday. “He did it because Jeff wasn’t done writing.”
In contrast, the defense claimed that Telles was charged with murder because he was trying to make changes in his political office that upset the “old guard.” Telles testified in his own defense at trial and denied any wrongdoing, citing a conspiracy in which a real estate company hired an assassin to kill the journalist and then frame him.
“I want to state unequivocally that I am innocent. I did not kill Mr. German,” Telles testified.
The trial began about two weeks ago and the jury began deliberating on Monday.
The prosecution focused on surveillance video from German’s neighborhood on the day of the killing, showing a suspect wearing a large sun hat, an orange jacket and gray Nike sneakers, and driving a brown SUV. The suspect hid in the bushes on the side of German’s house, waited for the reporter to arrive at his home, then fatally stabbed him and left him to die, prosecutors said.
The brown SUV belonged to Telles, and he was later seen washing the vehicle in front of his home, prosecutors said. During a search of Telles’ home, police found a large sun hat and gray Nike sneakers that had been cut into pieces and hidden, prosecutors said.
Additionally, DNA found under German’s fingernails matched Telles’, prosecutors said. Investigators also examined Telles’ phone and found images of German’s home on Google Maps, prosecutors said.
During closing arguments Monday, Chief Assistant District Attorney Pamela Weckerly again summarized the evidence and showed Telles’ texts criticizing German’s articles.
“He was clearly incredibly upset that these articles were written and that it caused him to lose that primary,” Weckerly said.
Defense attorney Robert Draskovich highlighted the quality of the investigation and argued a lack of evidence. He said investigators found no traces of German’s blood on any of Telles’s items and questioned the damage to the hat and shoes.
Telles, who trained as a lawyer, testified in narrative style, that is, without being questioned by his own lawyer. He presented a conspiratorial version of events in which a real estate company, his office colleagues, the police, the DNA lab and prosecutors all agreed to hire an assassin to kill German and then frame him.
“I didn’t cut up a shoe and hide it under my couch. I didn’t cut up a hat and put it in an open door of my toolbox. I didn’t kill Mr. German,” he said.
Telles said that on the day of the murder he was at home watching television before going for a walk and going to the gym. He showed a phone log of his activities that day, saying there was nothing “suspicious” about it.
But during a tense cross-examination, prosecutor Christopher Hamner pointed out an inconsistency between Telles’ phone records and text messages on his wife’s Apple Watch, which included a message from his wife asking, “Where are you?”
In his closing argument, Telles’ attorney did not fully endorse Telles’ conspiracy theory, although he understood his client’s state of mind.
“It’s understandable why he believes in this grand conspiracy,” Draskovich said. “What other options does he have under these circumstances?”
But in the prosecution’s reply, Hamner mocked the conspiracy and told the jury, “It made no sense.”
“That gives us a sense of what’s going on in his head. That’s how important Mr. Telles thinks he is. Every single one of these people, these entities, were literally willing to kill another human being — who wasn’t him — just to set him up,” Hamner said. “Does that make sense? And more importantly, where is the evidence to support that claim?”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
