Robert Telles, a former Clark County public administrator and Nevada politician, was convicted of murdering investigative journalist Jeff German in Las Vegas. The conviction came after a jury deliberated for over 11 hours. Telles was found guilty of stabbing German in September 2022, reportedly due to German’s critical reporting, which damaged Telles’s political career. The prosecution highlighted that Telles’s DNA was found under German’s nails, countering Telles’s claim of being framed Washington Examiner
Robert Telles, a former politician in Nevada, has been convicted of murdering a journalist from Las Vegas who criticized him in his reports. Telles, once serving as the Clark County public administrator, now potentially faces a lifetime behind bars following his conviction for the murder of Jeff German, a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. His sentencing is scheduled to commence this Wednesday afternoon.
GUILTY: A jury of seven women and five men on Wednesday found Robert Telles, the former elected Clark County Public Administrator, guilty of murdering Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German.
UPDATES: https://t.co/Mp5kCzdZka pic.twitter.com/DdOrBBwjUV— Las Vegas Review-Journal (@reviewjournal) August 28, 2024
The trial, which started on August 14, came nearly two years after German was fatally stabbed outside his home. The prosecution presented evidence that German had written articles accusing Telles of misconduct and an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate, which they claimed ruined Telles’s career and served as his motive for murder.
Critical evidence included security footage showing a man, alleged to be Telles, disguised in a straw hat and orange vest near German’s home. This man was also seen driving a red SUV, identified as belonging to Telles, positioning him at the crime scene.
Jury finds ex-politician guilty of murder in 2022 killing of Las Vegas investigative reporter https://t.co/wQucTvyMEE pic.twitter.com/Cq7tqjEjcu
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) August 29, 2024
In a dramatic revelation, the jury heard how police found a large hat and cut-up Nike shoes at Telles’s residence, matching those seen in the footage. DNA from underneath German’s fingernails was also matched to Telles, further implicating him.
Defending himself, Telles insisted on his innocence, suggesting he was framed due to his efforts to expose corruption within his office. He claimed that the murder charges were conveniently used to target him without any real evidence, implicating the police, DNA lab personnel, his county colleagues, and a real estate company in a broad conspiracy.
A jury finds former Clark County public administrator Robert Telles guilty in the murder of reporter Jeff German pic.twitter.com/ftNtVpKQkQ
— KTNV | Channel 13 News Las Vegas (@KTNV) August 28, 2024
Prosecutor Christopher Hamner challenged Telles’s defense in his closing arguments, questioning the plausibility of such an extensive conspiracy just to frame Telles. He urged the jury to consider the lack of evidence supporting Telles’s theory of being set up. The case concluded with the jury deliberating on the evidence presented, which painted a grim picture of a career destroyed by scandal and a fatal retaliation against a critical voice in the media.
Major Points:
- Robert Telles, a former politician in Nevada, has been found guilty of murdering Jeff German, a journalist who criticized him in his articles.
- The trial revealed that German’s articles accused Telles of misconduct and inappropriate relationships at work, which prosecutors argued led to the ruin of Telles’s career and motivated the murder.
- Key evidence included security footage showing a man resembling Telles near German’s home, disguised in a straw hat and orange vest, and driving Telles’s red SUV.
- Investigators found a hat and shoes at Telles’s home matching those in the security footage, and DNA under German’s fingernails matched Telles’s DNA.
- Telles testified, claiming his innocence and suggesting a conspiracy to frame him involving multiple parties, including law enforcement and county colleagues, due to his anti-corruption stance.
