A former Democratic politician from Nevada has been found guilty of murder.
Robert Telles, former public administrator from Clark County, Nevada, was convicted of stabbing Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German in 2022.
The jury found the murder was “willful, deliberate and premeditated,” and it was carried out by “lying in wait,” CNN reported.
Before his death, German wrote about scandals plaguing Telles’ office. Telles then lost his reelection.
Telles now faces life in prison with eligibility for parole after 20 years.
A surveillance video taken outside German’s home showed a man in a large sunhat, orange jacket, and gray Nike sneakers hiding outside the reporter’s home. The perpetrator fatally stabbed German before fleeing in a maroon SUV.
The sunhat, gray Nike sneakers, and the maroon vehicle were found to have belonged to Telles.
Following the verdict, the Review-Journal’s executive editor, Glenn Cook, said in a statement, “Today a Clark County jury delivered a measure of justice for Jeff German, and we hope it brings some solace to his family, friends and colleagues. Jeff was killed for doing the kind of work in which he took great pride: His reporting held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and empowered voters to choose someone else for the job.”
“Robert Telles could have joined the long line of publicly shamed Nevada politicians who’ve gone on with their lives, out of the spotlight or back in it. Instead, he carried out a premeditated revenge killing with terrifying savagery.”
The statement added that the verdict “also brought a measure of justice for slain journalists all over the world.”
“Our jobs are increasingly risky and sometimes dangerous. In many countries, the killers of journalists go unpunished. Not so in Las Vegas. Our thanks to police and prosecutors, whose diligent work won this conviction.”
“Let’s also remember that this community has lost much more than a trusted journalist. Jeff was a good man who left behind a family who loved him and friends who cherished him. His murder remains an outrage. He is missed,” Cook concluded.
