A former Las Vegas area elected official was found guilty on Aug. 28 in the murder of a veteran investigative reporter.
After a day and a half of deliberations, Robert Telles, 47, was found guilty of the murder of Jeff German, a Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter, who was found stabbed to death outside his home on Sept. 3, 2022.
Telles was Being Investigated by German Over an 'Inappropriate Relationship' with a Staffer
At the time of his death, German, 69, was investigating Telles, a Democratic public administrator who handled unclaimed estates.
In his reports, German described his office as "mired in turmoil and internal dissension over the past two years, with allegations of emotional stress, bullying and favoritism leading to secret videotaping of the boss and a co-worker outside the office."
At one point, German quoted current and past employees who alleged a hostile work environment and an "inappropriate relationship" Telles allegedly had with a staffer. A month later, Telles lost his 2022 Democratic primary bid and criticized the Review-Journal for their coverage.
Telles Disguised Himself with a Straw Hat, Orange Shirt; His DNA Found Under German's Nails
A suspect was caught on surveillance video walking to the home, wearing an orange shirt with reflective stripes, a straw hat, and carrying a duffel bag. Police say that on the morning of the incident, the suspect approached German's home, went to the side of the house, and shortly after, German emerged from the garage door, went to the side of the house, and was ultimately stabbed.
Investigators recovered a matching straw hat that had been cut up, as well as a pair of shoes the suspect was described as wearing at Telles' home. The police also identified a maroon-colored GMC Denali stopping multiple times around the neighborhood. Authorities said the vehicle was registered to Telles' wife.
During the trial, prosecutors said Telles' DNA was found beneath German's fingernails. Telles testified that he didn't know how his DNA wound up under German's fingernails.
Telles Claimed He was Being Framed by a Real Estate Company as Retaliation Over His Plan to Clean Up Corruption
During long, rambling testimony, Telles denied killing German and claimed that he had been framed by a real estate company opposed to his plan to clean up corruption. "I've never beat anybody up, I've never killed anybody. I didn't kill Mr. German. That's my testimony," Telles said.
Prosecutor Christopher Hamner argued Telles killed German 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," he said Monday, per CNN. "He did it because Jeff wasn't done writing."
