Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
National
Katelyn Newberg

Man accused of killing Las Vegas journalist wants to disqualify judge overseeing case

LAS VEGAS — Former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles said Thursday that he wants to disqualify the judge overseeing his murder case.

Telles is representing himself against a murder charge in connection with the killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, who was fatally stabbed in front of his home in September.

A court hearing Thursday was scheduled to appoint Telles standby counsel, who could advise him during court proceedings, but Telles instead asked to file a motion.

“I have here a motion for your honor’s recusal that I would like to have heard before any other orders,” Telles told District Judge Michelle Leavitt.

The judge responded: “If you want to file a motion to disqualify, that’s not the way you do it. You’ll be required to follow the rules.”

Leavitt said that a different judge would have to rule on the motion, as a marshal took a document from Telles to be filed during the court hearing. A copy of the motion was not immediately available.

In court last week, Leavitt questioned Telles for nearly 30 minutes about his knowledge of the criminal legal system before allowing him to represent himself.

Telles is accused of killing German over articles the latter had written about Telles' conduct as an elected official. He has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge, and has told other local media outlets that he was framed.

In court, prosecutors have pointed to several pieces of evidence against Telles in German’s slaying, including DNA found underneath the reporter’s fingernails, and clothing and bloody pieces of a shoe found at Telles’ house matching items worn by a suspect seen in surveillance footage wandering German’s neighborhood the day he was killed.

Telles remains in the Clark County Detention Center without bail. A jury trial in the case is currently scheduled for November.

--------

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.