Former Nevada Dem politician sentenced to 28 years in prison for murder of Las Vegas investigative journalist

A former Democratic official from Las Vegas, Robert Telles, has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for the murder of journalist Jeff German, who had written articles exposing Telles's intimate relationship with a female coworker.

Telles, 47, was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury in August. The sentencing included enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon and the age of the victim, which added an additional eight years to the minimum 20-year sentence, according to the Associated Press.

“The judge couldn’t sentence him to any more time,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said. “She gave him the maximum.”

Despite denying responsibility for German’s death, DNA evidence found under the journalist's fingernails linked Telles to the crime. German, a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, had written several exposés that revealed bullying in Telles's office and disclosed the romantic relationship Telles had with a female staff member. These articles contributed to Telles losing his re-election bid in 2022.

At the time of his arrest, Telles was the administrator of a county office responsible for managing unclaimed estates and probate cases. Following his arrest, he was removed from his position.

On Wednesday, Telles still maintained that he was not responsible for German's murder, but he expressed condolences to the reporter's family. 

“I understand the desire to seek justice and hold somebody accountable for this,” he said. “But I did not kill Mr. German."

Prosecutors argued that Telles’s frustration with German's reporting on his political office led him to commit the murder. “He didn’t like what Mr. German had written about him. He felt that Mr. German had cost him an elected position,” said Prosecutor Pamela Weckerly. Telles was said to have worn a disguise that included a large sunhat, hid outside German’s home, and fatally stabbed him, and physical and video evidence was shown during the trial to tie Telles to the disguise worn by the suspect, vehicle at the scene, and the DNA found under German’s fingernails.

Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt considered sentencing enhancements because the murder involved a deadly weapon and was premeditated, and because German was over 60 years old.

“This defendant has shown absolutely no remorse, no acceptance of responsibility,” said Wolfson. “And in fact, his behavior is such that I believe he is an extreme danger to the community if he is ever released.”