The former Clark County official charged with killing a veteran Las Vegas journalist is ready to stand trial next week.
Attorneys for both sides told Judge Michelle Leavitt they were ready to proceed to jury selection Aug. 12 in the case against Robert Telles.
Prosecutors told Leavitt they have 20 witnesses for the case, while Robert Draskovich, Telles’ attorney, said he had 12 witnesses to call. He anticipated a trial lasting about 10 days.
A criminal trial would cap the nearly two-year-long prosecution of Telles, who was arrested days after Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, 69, was found stabbed outside of his home in Sept. 2022.
German worked as a reporter in Southern Nevada for decades, first with the Las Vegas Sun and later with the Review-Journal.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said they enacted their major case protocol because of German’s work as an investigative journalist. They obtained photos of a person walking to and from German’s home seen wearing a bright orange jacket, large straw hat, dark-colored pants and light-colored sneakers. They also identified a red or maroon GMC Yukon as a suspect vehicle in the case.
Days later, police were seen outside Telles’ home in the west valley serving a search warrant, and a red GMC Yukon SUV was towed out of a driveway.
According to an arrest report, police got anonymous tips saying Telles was upset with German over articles written about his work as Clark County public administrator. Earlier in May, the Review-Journal published reports from German on allegations that Telles had an inappropriate relationship with a staffer and created a hostile work environment for several employees.
In June, Telles lost his bid for reelection in the Democratic Party primary, and prosecutors pointed to his defeat as a likely motive for the killing.
Investigators learned Telles and his wife owned a red GMC Yukon that matched the one seen near German’s home, the arrest report states. Investigators got a warrant to search Telles’ home and SUV, as well as obtain a DNA sample. A lab analysis of DNA collected from German’s hands during an autopsy matched the sample taken from Telles. LVMPD said they also found clothing in Telles’ home that matched what the photographed suspect was wearing.
Police took Telles into custody on suspicion of open murder, and a grand jury returned an indictment for the charge the following month. He has remained behind bars at Clark County Detention Center since his arrest, and the county successfully petitioned to remove him from office about three months before his term expired.
Telles has pleaded not guilty, arguing that he was framed for German’s murder. Prosecutors are not pursuing the death penalty.
Getting a trial started this month hinged on the review of German’s digital files. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that his devices are protected under the state’s shield laws for journalists, preventing police and prosecutors from having unfettered access. The Review-Journal was responsible for combing through those files to find anything potentially related to the case, which was then turned over to prosecutors and Telles’ defense.
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