Nevada state official found guilty of murdering journalist who exposed corruption in his office – X101 Always Classic

(LAS VEGAS) — A former Nevada politician was found guilty Wednesday of killing journalist Jeff German in September 2022.

When the foreman of the jury read out the verdict, Telles lowered his gaze and shook his head.

In a press conference following the verdict, Clark County District Attorney Steven Wolfson thanked the jury for their work on the case.

“Today's verdict should send a message, and that message is a clear message, that any attempt to silence the media or to silence or intimidate a journalist will not be tolerated,” Wolfson said.

Prosecutors said former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, 47, stabbed the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter after German exposed corruption in his office, destroying both his political career and his marriage. German's story described an allegedly hostile work environment in Telles' office — including bullying, retaliation and an “inappropriate relationship” between Telles and a staff member — all of which Telles denied.

Telles was arrested days after German was found dead outside his Las Vegas home. Police said DNA evidence found in Telles' home linked him to the crime scene, and that a straw hat and sneakers — which the suspect was seen wearing on surveillance footage — were found cut up in his home. His DNA was also found on German's hands and fingernails, according to police.

He pleaded not guilty to murder and faces life in prison.

In her opening statement, Assistant District Attorney Pamela Weckerly reviewed the timeline of the murder and explained how Telles came to be identified as a suspect.

“Ultimately, this case is not about politics,” Weckerly said. “It's not about alleged inappropriate relationships. It's not about who is a good boss or supervisor or about nepotism in the workplace – it's just about murder.”

Telles testified at his own trial on August 21, “unequivocally” asserting his innocence and insisting he had been “involved” in a vast conspiracy by a real estate firm he said was under investigation on bribery charges.

“Someone framed me for this, and I believe it was Compass Realty, and I believe it is the work I did against them,” Telles said in court.

In a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal in January, Compass Realty owner Takumba Britt denied Telles' conspiracy allegations, calling him a “desperate man accused of the brutal murder of a beloved local journalist” who “will do and say anything to avoid facing that charge.”

Wolfson also pushed back against Telles' conspiracy charges after the jury announced its verdict.

“There was no conspiracy,” Wolfson said. “The only conspiracy was between him and his evil spirit.”

When police arrested Telles, they said he had self-inflicted stab wounds that were not life-threatening. His defense attorney, Robert Draskovich, said the suicide attempt was not out of guilt but because Telles' “life was falling apart.”

Draskovich repeated Telles' claims of a conspiracy against him, saying in his opening statement that the “old guard” in the state administrator's office was upset with Telles' efforts to root out internal corruption. He also claimed that because of German's track record of investigating corrupt individuals, there were other people who may have wanted him dead.

“There were others who had much more motives to make it look like [Telles] was the murderer and to carry out the murder because Jeff German was a good reporter – he would ultimately find out the truth,” Draskovich said.

German was the only journalist killed in the United States in 2022. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 67 journalists have been killed worldwide this year.

Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo had previously described the case against Telles as “unusual” and said that “the killing of a journalist was particularly disturbing.”

“It's problematic because this is a journalist. And we expect journalism to be open and transparent and to oversee the government,” Lombardo said. “And when people take it upon themselves to do harm that is associated with that profession, I think it's very important that we put all eyes on it and handle the case appropriately, as we did in this case.”

In a statement released by the newspaper, Glenn Cook, editor in chief of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, praised the verdict as “a step of justice” for German and “murdered journalists around the world.”

“Jeff was killed because he was doing the kind of work he took great pride in: his reporting held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and empowered voters to elect someone else to the job,” Cook wrote. “Robert Telles could have joined the long line of publicly disgraced Nevada politicians who went on with their lives, either out of the spotlight or back in it. Instead, he carried out a premeditated revenge killing with horrifying cruelty.”

“Let us also remember that this community has lost much more than a trusted journalist,” Cook added. “Jeff was a good man who left behind a family that loved him and friends who cherished him. His murder remains a disgrace. He will be missed.”

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