In a landmark case that has gripped the nation, Robert Telles, a former public administrator for Clark County, Nevada, has been convicted for the murder of renowned investigative journalist Jeff German.
The 47-year-old ex-politician was found guilty of the premeditated murder of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter, who was tragically discovered dead outside his residence on September 2, 2022.
As reported by The Post Millennial, the jury concluded that Telles' actions were "willful, deliberate and premeditated, and that he had committed the crime by lying in wait." The former public servant now faces a potential life sentence, with the penalty phase of his trial set to commence on Wednesday.
The prosecution argued that Telles, incensed by German's exposs on his political office and fearful of an impending article, had meticulously planned and executed the murder. They claimed that Telles, donning a disguise that included a large sunhat, had lain in wait outside German's home before fatally stabbing him. Over the course of the two-week trial, the prosecution presented approximately two dozen witnesses and used physical and video evidence to link Telles to the disguise, the vehicle at the scene, and the DNA found under German's fingernails.
"He was clearly incredibly upset that those articles were written and that it resulted in him losing that primary," stated Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly during her closing arguments. Prosecutor Christopher Hamner further elaborated, "He murdered him because Jeffs 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 did it because Jeff wasnt done writing."
Telles' defense team, however, argued that their client had been framed by the "Old Guard," upset by the changes he was attempting to implement in his office. Defense attorney Robert Draskovich highlighted the lack of Germans blood on Telles' items as evidence of his innocence.
Telles, who testified in his own defense, vehemently denied the allegations, claiming that a real estate company had hired a hitman to murder German and frame him. "I want to say, unequivocally, I am innocent. I didnt kill Mr. German," Telles declared. He also insisted, "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."
Telles maintained that he had been at home watching television on the day of the murder before going for a walk and then to the gym. He presented a phone log of his activities that day, asserting that there was nothing "suspicious."
However, under cross-examination, Hamner revealed discrepancies between Telles' phone records and text messages on his wifes Apple Watch, including a message from his wife asking, "Where are you?"
German had previously reported on allegations of "emotional stress, bullying and favoritism leading to secret videotaping of the boss and a co-worker outside the office" within Telles' office. Following the publication of this story on May 16, Telles, a Democrat, lost his re-election bid in the June primary. German's illustrious journalism career spanned four decades, during which he focused on exposing corruption and crime perpetrated by politicians, attorneys, judges, mob figures, police members, and more.
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