Las Vegas Politician Found Guilty of Murder of Journalist

A Las Vegas politician was convicted Wednesday of killing an investigative journalist who wrote critical stories detailing misdeeds in the department he led.

Robert Telles stood outside the home of longtime journalist Jeff German and then stabbed him to death, a Clark County, Nevada, jury found.

“Justice has been served,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters.

“Today’s verdict must send a message, and that message is a clear message: no attempt to silence the media or to silence or intimidate any journalist will be tolerated.”

The trial, which lasted two weeks, heard how German, a 69-year-old reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, wrote a story months before his death describing a toxic environment within the county office run by Telles.

The article, published a month before an election in which Telles was running to retain his position, detailed complaints of favoritism and allegations that Telles was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

Telles denied the allegations but lost his re-election bid.

The jury of seven women and five men heard how an angry Telles went to German’s home in September 2022 and hid in bushes from where he launched a frenzied and fatal knife attack.

Telles had denied committing the murder, saying police ignored evidence that others may have been responsible.

In a long monologue on the witness stand, Telles – a lawyer by training – claimed that he was the victim of a conspiracy.

The court will now consider a sentence of first-degree murder with aggravated factors, which could carry a life sentence.

Glenn Cook, executive editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, said Wednesday that the jury had done “some justice for Jeff German.”

“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 the job.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists says 15 media workers have been killed in the United States in connection with their work since 1992.

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