By Hannah Nightingale – The Postmillennial
Robert Telles, a former Nevada politician who was charged with the death of a Las Vegas investigative journalist in 2022, has been found guilty of murder.
The 47-year-old former Clark County public administrator was convicted in the killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, who was found dead outside his home on September 2, 2022, according to CNN. The jury found the murder was “willful, deliberate and premeditated” and it was carried out by “lying in wait.” Telles is facing up to life in prison, and the penalty phase of the trial will begin on Wednesday.
Prosecutors alleged that Telles killed the journalist in anger over his exposes on Telles’ small political office and was concerned over another upcoming article. Telles was said to have worn a disguise that included a large sunhat, hid outside German’s home, and fatally stabbed him. Prosecutors called around two dozen witnesses during the two-week-long trial, and used physical and video evidence to tie Telles to the disguise worn by the suspect, vehicle at the scene, and the DNA found under German’s fingernails.
Prosecutors said the maroon vehicle was later seen outside Telles home, and during a search warrant executed on his home, police found a straw hat and grey Nike sneakers that had been cut up and hidden.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly said during closing arguments, “He was clearly incredibly upset that those articles were written and that it resulted in him losing that primary.”
“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 during rebuttal. “He did it because Jeff wasn’t done writing.”
The defense said that Telles had been framed because he was attempting to make changes in his political office that upset the “Old Guard.” Defense attorney Robert Draskovich said that there was a lack of evidence, saying investigators had not found German’s blood on Telles’ items.
During the trial, Telles testified in his own defense and denied wrongdoing, alleging that a real estate company had hired a hitman to kill German and frame Telles. “I want to say, unequivocally, I am innocent. I didn’t kill Mr. German,” Telles said. He also told the courtroom, “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 claimed that he had been home watching TV on the day of the killing before going for a walk and heading to the gym. He displayed a phone log of his activities that day and said there was nothing “suspicious.”
Under cross-examination, Hamner presented inconsistencies between Telles’ phone records and text messages on his wife’s Apple Watch. One message from his wife stated, “Where are you?”
German had reported on turmoil inside Telles’ office in May. Allegations included “emotional stress, bullying and favoritism leading to secret videotaping of the boss and a co-worker outside the office.”
Telles, a Democrat, lost his re-election bid in June’s primary following the release of the story on May 16. German’s journalism career in the city spanned 40 years, with a focus on corruption and crime brought about by politicians, attorneys, judges, mob figures, police members, and more.