Former Nevada official found guilty of murdering journalist

A Las Vegas court on Wednesday convicted a former Nevada official of the murder of investigative journalist Jeff German.
The jury returned a unanimous verdict of first-degree murder for former Clark County public administrator Robert Telles. The jury later sentenced him to life in prison with a chance for parole after 20 years. His lawyer said Telles plans to appeal.
Telles was found guilty of murder with use of a deadly weapon against a victim 60 years old or older. The jury unanimously said the murder was willful, deliberate and premeditated, and committed by means of “lying in wait.”
Over nine days of hearings, the Las Vegas court was told details of the killing of German, a 69-year-old reporter at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. German was found stabbed to death outside his suburban Las Vegas home on Sept. 3, 2022.
In the Review-Journal newsroom, journalists gathered around an editor’s desk to watch live video of the verdict being read, the newspaper reported.
“Today a Clark County jury delivered a measure of justice for Jeff German, and we hope it brings some solace to his family, friends and colleagues,” the Review-Journal’s executive editor, Glenn Cook, wrote in a statement.
“Jeff was killed for doing the kind of work in which he took great pride: His reporting held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and empowered voters to choose someone else for the job.”
Cook added: “Let’s also remember that this community has lost much more than a trusted journalist. Jeff was a good man who left behind a family who loved him and friends who cherished him. His murder remains an outrage. He is missed.”
Angry with coverage
During the trial, prosecutors described how Telles was angry with German’s coverage of him. German depicted Telles as a harsh boss who bullied his staff and had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
When Telles later lost a reelection bid in 2022, he posted a letter online in which he attacked the Review-Journal for its coverage.
“And he did it because Jeff wasn’t done writing,” prosecutor Christopher Hamner said during closing arguments on Monday. “It’s like connecting the dots.”
Evidence presented against Telles in court included that DNA found beneath German’s fingernails matched that of the former official.
Telles had pleaded not guilty. During his testimony he claimed – without evidence – that he was being framed as part of some vast conspiracy.
His defense attorney Robert Draskovich told the court none of German’s blood or DNA was found on Telles, in his car or at his home. In closing arguments Monday, Draskovich, told the jury, “Ask yourself what is missing.”
Jurors started their deliberations in the case Monday afternoon and returned the verdict Wednesday.
After the verdict was announced, German’s three siblings testified as part of the trial’s penalty phase. The jury will use that testimony to decide Telles’ punishment.
German’s younger brother, Jay German, recounted how he woke up to a phone call from one of his sisters, who informed him that their brother had been killed.
“It was devastating,” German said. “I certainly didn’t sleep at all that night, the rest of the night.”
“It’s been a hard couple of years. Jeff is our leader. He was the older brother that we all leaned on,” German added.
German’s younger sisters, Jill Zwerg and Julie Smith, also testified.
“I never imagined that Jeff himself would have become a national headline news story,” Zwerg said. “He’s so deeply missed every day,” she added, tearing up.
Telles’ wife then testified, saying Telles worked hard and was a good father.
“Robert was – he is – an amazing father,” she said.
Telles’ ex-wife and mother also testified in his defense.
Grateful for accountability
Press freedom groups welcomed the verdict.
“We are glad that a fair and open trial was held in this case and are glad that there’s accountability in the killing of Jeff German,” Katherine Jacobsen, the U.S. and Canada program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, told VOA.
“We extend our greatest sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of Jeff German,” Jacobsen added.
Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, also said it was important that there was accountability in German’s killing.
“It definitely sounds like justice has been done, which is definitely a relief because this was just such a shocking case,” Clayton Weimers, who heads the U.S. bureau of RSF, told VOA. “It’s great that the justice system was able to work for Jeff German and deliver this justice.”
Journalist killings are rare in the United States, and this marked the first time that a current or former U.S. official was convicted of killing a journalist.
And while journalist killings happen infrequently in the United States, when they do occur, the perpetrators are often held accountable, according to Jacobsen.
But globally, impunity in journalist killings remains the norm. Nearly 80% of journalist killings over the past decade remain unsolved, CPJ reported in 2023.
“Today also brought a measure of justice for slain journalists all over the world. Our jobs are increasingly risky and sometimes dangerous. In many countries, the killers of journalists go unpunished. Not so in Las Vegas,” Cook wrote in his statement.
“Our thanks to police and prosecutors, whose diligent work won this conviction.”