In a horrific scandal, a Democratic elected official from Las Vegas killed an investigative journalist who criticized him and was sentenced to nearly 30 years in a Nevada state prison, all the while denying that he committed the murder despite strong evidence that he was guilty.
For context, on October 16, 2024, Rober Telles, a former Democratic elected official from Las Vegas, was charged with first-degree murder for the stabbing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, who had reportedly exposed Telles’ relationship with a female coworker in critical articles. According to press accounts, Telles claimed that he did not commit the murder, even though his DNA was found beneath German’s fingernails. Telles was sentenced to 28 years in Nevada state prison.
Following Telles’ sentencing, Clark County, Las Vegas District Attorney Steve Wolfson told the press that the judge presiding over Telles’ case gave him “the maximum” sentence, reportedly invoking sentencing enhancements because of German’s age and Telles’ use of a deadly weapon. Wolfson also told the press, “The judge couldn’t sentence him to any more time.”
However, while testifying at his trial, Telles denied that he had killed German, saying, “I understand the desire to seek justice and hold somebody accountable for this, but I did not kill Mr. German.” However, Prosecutor Pamela Weckerly argued that Telles “felt that Mr. German had cost him an elected position,” presenting a compelling motive and adding, “This type of violence, this sort of political violence, is unacceptable and dangerous for a community as a whole.”
In addition, Wolfson characterized Telles as having “shown absolutely no remorse, no acceptance of responsibility,” adding that the Democratic politician’s behavior would pose “an extreme danger to the community” if he were released. Moreover, Weckerly added that when Telles attempted to argue for his innocence, the jury “squarely and soundly rejected all of that.”
Moreover, Robert Draskovich, Telles’ attorney, described his client’s sentence as “not surprising,” with press accounts confirming that Draskovich had asked for leniency for Telles in court. Draskovich told reporters, “We fulfilled our defense obligation. We parted on good terms. (Telles) preserved all his rights for appeal.”
In response to the murder, Katherine Jacobsen of the Committee to Protect Journalists told the press Telles’ sentencing “marks a significant milestone in the quest for justice,” adding, “Although the jailing of Telles cannot undo Jeff German’s murder, it can act as an important deterrent to would-be assailants of journalists.”
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Furthermore, press accounts confirmed that Jeff German’s articles had arguably played a role in Telles losing his primary for a second term as a county office administrator. An article published by German on May 16, 2022, described “allegations of emotional stress, bullying and favoritism” directed at Telles, saying that the administrator had denied the accusations and quoting Telles as saying, “All my new employees are super-happy and everyone’s productive and doing well.”
Watch Robert Telles address the court:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video