An ex-Las Vegas politician has been found guilty in the murder of a reporter who wrote critical stories about him.
Robert Telles was charged with the 2022 stabbing death of Jeff German, a journalist with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. German, 69, was found outside his home on Sept. 3 of that year.
Telles, 47, the former Clark County public administrator, was soon identified as a suspect in the case. He was arrested on Sept. 7 and charged with open murder with a deadly weapon.
Telles had lost the Democratic primary in his re-election bid earlier that summer and had publicly criticized German’s news coverage.
The unflattering stories detailed various misdeeds Telles allegedly committed while in office, including bullying staffers and having a romantic relationship with a subordinate. He was reportedly angry German was working on additional stories about him.
Prosecutors argued Telles was motivated by revenge, while he proclaimed his innocence and testified he was framed by former co-workers, real estate agents and business owners. He also claimed the investigation was mishandled by Las Vegas police.
Surveillance video showed a person wearing bright orange clothing and a straw hat ambush German in his yard. Another video showed the person getting into a SUV which matched the vehicle owned by Telles.
A cut-up straw hat and orange clothing were later found at Telles’ home during a search.
Closing arguments for the trial were delivered on Monday. The jury deliberated until Wednesday afternoon when they found him guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon against a victim 60 or older.
Telles faces up to life in prison.
