Topline
Jury selection is scheduled to start Monday in the trial of Robert Telles, a former Las Vegas official who was accused of killing a local investigative journalist who documented unrest in Telles’ office months before his death.
The former politician is accused of killing a local investigative journalist who detailed unrest in … [+]
Key Facts
Telles, 47, faces a charge of murder with a weapon of a victim 60 years or older in the stabbing death of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, 69, with a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if convicted.
Christopher Hamner, Clark County’s Chief Deputy District Attorney, said after Telles was arrested in 2022 that evidence against Telles was “overwhelming,” including DNA found underneath German’s fingernails and surveillance footage of a man appearing to resemble Telles near German’s home, the Review-Journal reported.
Telles, who pleaded not guilty, claims he was illegally detained by police before his arrest, suggesting police body-worn camera footage of when he was detained was improperly deleted and hospital blood tests taken after his arrest for wounds on his wrists—which Telles said were self-inflected—weren’t included as evidence, according to a Clark County court filing.
More than 100 prospective jurors have filled out questionnaires about what they know about German’s killing and Telles’ arrest, according to the Associated Press.
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What To Watch For
Clark County Judge Michelle Leavitt will on Monday hear a request from Telles to dismiss the case and trial, though previous requests were denied after Telles unsuccessfully argued Leavitt was biased against him. Telles has also requested Leavitt to block testimony about a pending hostile workplace and discrimination lawsuit filed against him and Clark County by four women who worked in Telles’ office.
Key Background
Telles, Clark County’s former public administrator, was arrested in 2022 in connection with German’s death. German spent 40 years as a journalist in Las Vegas for other local outlets before joining the Review-Journal in 2010, later documenting office turmoil under Telles, including allegations of bullying, favoritism and an “inappropriate relationship” between Telles and another staffer. Las Vegas police released photos of a suspect wearing a straw hat, reflective orange shirt and gloves shortly after his death, in addition to the description of a vehicle—a 2007 to 2014 red or maroon GMC Yukon Denali—believed to be tied to the killing. When searching Telles’ home, police found cut-up pieces of tennis shoes under his couch and a large straw hat in his garage, in addition to a gray duffel bag stuffed inside a toolbox. Telles was also reportedly seen washing a GMC vehicle matching the police’s description. That vehicle and a second car were towed from Telles’ home.
Tangent
Las Vegas police have said an investigation into German’s death is incomplete, after Nevada’s Supreme Court issued a ruling in late 2022 preventing prosecutors and defense attorneys from accessing his cellphone and other devices. The Review-Journal argued police should be blocked from searching the devices, which could contain details about German’s confidential sources, including some who may work for the district attorney’s office.
