Robert Telles, the former public administrator of Clark County, Nevada, is off to prison for at least 28 years. Sentenced yesterday in a Vegas courtroom, Telles was found guilty of murdering a reporter, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Jeff German, who wrote stories about his alleged misconduct in office—stories that came not long before Telles was narrowly defeated in Democratic Party primary elections in 2022.
Jurors took two days to convict Telles, 47, but it was not an unexpected decision: Telles' DNA was found under German's fingernails, both Telles and his vehicle were observed near the crime scene, and clothing seen in security footage was found cut up in Telles' home. And, of course, there were those upsetting stories in the newspaper.
[Telles] said he was "framed" for the crime by a broad conspiracy involving a real estate company, police, DNA analysts, former co-workers and others. He told the jury he was victimized for crusading to root out corruption.
German, 69, was the only journalist killed in the U.S. in 2022.
Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt was able to consider sentencing enhancements adding up to eight years to Telles' sentence for using a deadly weapon in a willful, deliberate, premeditated killing because German was older than 60 years old.
"This defendant has shown absolutely no remorse, no acceptance of responsibility," said Wolfson, the Democratic elected regional prosecutor. "And in fact, his behavior is such that I believe he is an extreme danger to the community if he is ever released."
Previously:
• Nevada politician Robert Telles found guilty of murdering journalist
• Vegas politician accused of murdering reporter admits their articles cost him a win
• Vegas politician arrested in suspected stabbing of journalist