Trial set for ex-official accused of killing Las Vegas reporter

By Andrew Hay

(Reuters) - Jury selection begins on Monday in the trial of a former Las Vegas, Nevada, local elected official accused of killing an investigative reporter who wrote articles critical of him.

Former Clark County administrator Robert Telles has been in jail since his arrest in September 2022 on suspicion of murdering Las Vegas Review-Journal journalist Jeff German, who was stabbed and slashed to death outside his home.

Telles, 47, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder with the use of a deadly weapon that could put him behind bars for life if convicted.

"He's been adamant to go forward with the trial," said Telles' lawyer Robert Draskovich. "He looks forward to presenting his case before a jury."

Prosecutors Pamela Weckerly and Christopher Hammer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

German, 69, was killed during what police said was an altercation with Telles who was upset about German's reporting on his role as a public administrator.

The former Democratic administrator, whose office oversaw the estates of people who had died, said he was framed by police.

Telles will make a last-ditch effort on Monday to have charges dropped when a judge will rule on a motion for dismissal.

Prosecutors said German was stabbed seven times and Telles' DNA was found under German's fingernails and on his hands.

German spent months reporting on complaints Telles had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and oversaw an abusive workplace.

Telles denied the complaints.

Soon after German's investigation was published, Telles failed in his re-election bid, losing in a Democratic primary.

Draskovich said he expected jury selection would take several days due to media attention around the case.

German was well known in Las Vegas for decades of reporting on government corruption and organized crime in Nevada's largest city.

He was the only journalist murdered in the United States in 2022 among 69 media workers and journalists killed worldwide, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

(Reporting By Andrew Hay; editing by Donna Bryson and Stephen Coates)