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The trial begins this week of a Las Vegas lawmaker accused of killing an investigative reporter who wrote critical articles about him, in a case that has stunned Sin City and the world of journalism.
Jury selection began on Monday in the murder trial of Robert Telles, 47, a former Clark County public administrator. He is accused of killing Jeff German, who worked for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, on Labor Day weekend two years ago.
German, 69, was found slashed and stabbed to death outside his home in Las Vegas on September 3, 2022.
Telles has pleaded not guilty to open murder, which could land him in prison for the rest of his life if convicted. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.
German had spent more than 40 years as an investigative reporter in Las Vegas and was widely respected for his work on courts, organized crime, government corruption, political scandals and mass shootings.
Prosecutors say articles that German had written about Telles and a county office in turmoil were a motive in the killing, and accused Telles of “lying in wait” for the reporter.
As the trial gets underway this week, here’s everything we know about the case.
A reporter who wouldn’t stop digging
For 44 years, German developed deep confidential sources in the city of Las Vegas, its government and courthouses.
During the 2017 mass shooting at a music festival on the Strip, he was first to report that the gunman had initially fired at two jet fuel tankers at the local airport. The veteran journalist also reported on failures in the city’s inspections ahead of a fatal apartment block fire in 2019.
German won several awards before and after his death, including the 2023 National Press Club President’s Award and the Don Bolles Medal from Investigative Reporters and Editors.
The lifelong bachelor who never married or had kids, was private about his personal life and focused on being a reporter, colleagues said after his death.
In 2022, he had turned his attention to Telles, a Democrat who was elected in 2018 as Clark County administrator. In German’s reports, former employees accused Telles of creating a hostile work environment with bullying, favoritism, and an “inappropriate relationship” with a staff member.
After the Las Vegas Review-Journal published stories about him, Telles lost re-election in the June 2022 primary. He subsequently attacked German for his reporting on Twitter.
“Looking forward to lying smear piece #4” Telles tweeted on June 18, and included the hashtag “onetrickpony.”
“I think he’s mad that I haven’t crawled into a hole and died,” Telles added.
Ambush in a quiet suburb
German was found stabbed to death on September 3, 2022, outside his home in a suburban cul-de-sac, the Metropolitan Police Department reported. Police said they believe he was killed during an altercation the previous morning.
Police released images from surveillance footage of a suspect wearing a large straw hat, gloves and orange shirt and said he appeared to have been casing the area.
Video was later released of a suspicious vehicle, described as a red or maroon GMC Yukon SUV with chrome handles, sunroof and luggage rack. The distinctive SUV resembled one that a Review-Journal photographer saw Telles washing outside his home several days after the killing.
Reports at the time also revealed that a Google Street View image showed a red GMC Yukon parked in Telles’ driveway. An SUV matching the police description was towed from the lawmaker’s home just days after the deadly attack.
Police obtained a search warrant to search Telles’ home and tow the car. When he returned home from work that day to discover the police search, Telles put on a white hazmat suit and barricaded himself inside the house. He was eventually taken out of the home with bandages on his arms, where officers said he had cut himself.
‘He wants to tell his story’
Telles has been held without bail since his arrest in September 2022. He was stripped of his political position and his law license suspended.
The married father-of-three has remained silent since his arrest but his defense attorney, Robert Draskovich, said Telles is ready to tell his story.
“He’s been looking forward to trial,” Draskovich said ahead of Monday’s proceedings. “He wants to tell his story.”
Telles maintains his innocence and claims that he was framed by police who he accuses of violating his civil rights.
In a court filing, the former lawmaker claims he was illegally detained by police before his arrest and that the officer body-worn camera video of the traffic stop, where he was taken into custody, was improperly deleted.
He also alleged that the evidence found at his house was planted by police and that the investigation was biased from the beginning.
More than 100 prospective jurors have filled out questionnaires about what they have heard about German’s killing and Telles’ arrest. Jury selection could take several days and the trial is expected to last less than two weeks.
The Evidence: DNA and pieces of straw hat
Prosecutors say they have strong evidence in the case including DNA, believed to be from Telles, that was found beneath German’s fingernails.
Cut-up pieces of a straw hat and shoes found at Telles’ home also resembled those worn by the person seen on video outside German’s home, the Associated Press reported.
The evidence will be presented at his trial, which was delayed in part by a legal battle. In 2023, The Review-Journal went to the state’s Supreme Court to protect public disclosure of confidential sources on German’s cellphone and computers. The newspaper argued names and unpublished material were protected from disclosure by the First Amendment and Nevada state law.
Police argued their investigation wouldn’t be complete until the devices were searched for possible evidence. The court gave the newspaper, its lawyers and consultants time to review the files first.
An attorney representing the Review-Journal told the judge last week that the review process would be completed in time to turn over records to police, prosecutors and Telles’ lawyers before jury selection began.
Telles also wants Michelle Leavitt, the judge presiding over the case, to issue a ruling blocking testimony at trial that he created a hostile workplace, and bar mention of a discrimination lawsuit brought against him by four former female employees.
‘It turned everything upside down’
German’s killing shocked friends and colleagues in Las Vegas, and the wider world of journalism.
Former Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak called German’s death “a tragic loss for our community,” adding that he “was tough but fair and a great mentor to young reporters.”
Democratic congresswoman, Dina Titus, tweeted: “He was a fearless reporter and never shied away from tough stories no matter who was involved. Many exposed the need for reform which made our city better.”
Review-Journal colleagues described German as “fearless” and credited his tenacity with making Las Vegas a better, safer city.
“It turned everything upside down,” said Tom Pitaro, a veteran Las Vegas defense attorney who had taught Telles in law school. “When you have an office-holder, a respected journalist, and the kind of killing it was, I think people are in shock about how this could come about.”
German’s relatives have not spoken publicly about the killing. Last week, family spokesperson and friend George McCabe declined to comment about the trial, the Associated Press reported.
German was the only journalist killed in the US in 2022. At least 67 news media workers were slain worldwide that year, the Associated Press reported citing the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says that 17 journalists and media workers have been killed in the US since 1992, including 15 whose deaths were found to be work-related.
