The trial of a former Nevada politician is underway, with new evidence revealing that the defendant had hundreds of pictures of the home of the reporter he is accused of killing.
Robert Telles, who previously worked as the public administrator for Clark County, is on trial for allegedly “lying in wait” and slaying Jeff German, the investigative journalist who had published multiple pieces criticizing the public official.
According to new evidence revealed to the jury on Monday August 19, hundreds of photos were retrieved from the Democratic politician’s computer and cell phone, featuring images of the journalist’s house and neighborhood.
Another image uncovered showed search results from the politician’s work computer—which were found via a site using password protection—that provided information on German’s name, date of birth, address, and vehicle registration. The image of the work computer’s results was dated August 23, 2022, just under two weeks before German was found stabbed to death in the side yard by his house.
Less than a month later, Telles was charged with committing murder with a deadly weapon in the middle of September. The former county official has pleaded not guilty to the charges and, if convicted, could be sentenced to up to life in prison. Prosecutors are not trying to get him sentenced with the death penalty.
According to Telles, he was framed for German’s murder. His attorney, Robert Draskovich, said this week that the defendant is going to take the witness stand himself. The trial began with opening statements on Wednesday August 14 that drastically opposed one another and presented two different versions of what happened to the slain journalist.
The district attorney arguing the case described it as being “about murder” rather than “politics” or “alleged inappropriate relationships.” Draskovich, however, said that Telles was the center of a blame game conspiracy due to his countering of corruption in the office in which he worked.
The articles at the center of potential tension between Telles and German were about internal office issues in the county, published in May and June 2022 for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where German worked.
