Ex-politician faces at least 20 years in prison for murdering Vegas reporter

Robert Telles, (right), a former Clark County public administrator charged with the murder of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative journalist Jeff German, listens to closing arguments during his murder trial at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas on August 26. are his attorneys Robert Draskovich (left) and Michael Horvath. (AP)

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 16 (AP): A Democratic former Las Vegas-area politician will learn Wednesday how long he will serve in Nevada State Prison after being convicted of killing an investigative journalist who wrote articles exposing his conduct during his tenure criticized and exposed an intimate relationship with a female colleague.

A jury convicted Robert Telles of murder in August for ambushing and killing Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German outside German’s home during Labor Day weekend 2022. The jury set Telles’ sentence at 20 years to life in prison, and a judge on Wednesday could invoke several sentence enhancements to increase the minimum to 28 years before Telles, 47, is eligible for parole. German, 69, has covered crime, courts and corruption in Las Vegas for 44 years.

At the time of German’s death, Telles was the elected administrator of a Clark County office that handles unclaimed estates and probate matters. Telles lost his primary for a second term after German’s May and June 2022 stories described unrest and harassment at the Clark County Public Administrator/Guardian office and a romantic relationship between Telles and a female employee.

His law license was suspended after his arrest. Police sought public assistance to identify a person captured on neighborhood surveillance video driving and walking in a maroon SUV while wearing a wide straw hat that hid his face and an oversized orange long-sleeved shirt. Prosecutor Pamela Weckerly showed footage of the person wearing orange slipping into the side yard where German was stabbed, dismembered and left dead.

At Telles’ home, police found a maroon SUV and cut-up straw hat and a gray sneaker similar to those worn by the person seen in the neighborhood video. Authorities did not find the orange long-sleeved shirt or a murder weapon. Telles testified for hours during his trial, admitting for the first time that the reports about the office romance were true.

He denied killing German and said he was “entrapped” by a broad conspiracy involving a real estate company, police, DNA analysts, former colleagues and others. He told the jury that he had been the victim of crusades to root out corruption. the kind of person who would stab someone. I did not kill Mr. German,” Telles said. “And that is my testimony.” But the evidence against Telles was strong, including his DNA under Germany’s fingernails. Prosecutor Christopher Hamner said Telles blamed German for destroying his career, ruining his reputation and threatening his marriage.