Former Las Vegas-area Democratic official who killed reporter in 2022 sentenced to prison

A Former Las Vegas -area Democratic official was sentenced to at least 28 years for killing a reporter in 2022. Robert Telles was convicted of murdering a journalist who allegedly wrote articles that were critical of his conduct during his term in office two years ago when he allegedly had an intimate relationship with a female coworker.

The sentencing comes after a jury found the former official guilty of murder . While a normal murder charge would include a minimum of 20 years, the judge presiding over the reportedly enacted sentencing enhancements for elements such as the use of a deadly weapon , the fact that Telles was lying in wait and the age of the reporter which totaled up to an additional eight years.

During his trial, the 47-year-old testified in his own defense and denied that he murdered Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German in September 2022. Despite his denials, Telles was unable to counter the fact that his DNA had been found under German's fingers.

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Prior to the murder, Telles had been elected the administrator of a county office that deals with unclaimed estates and probate case property. In 2022, Telles lost his re-election bid when German published a very colorful piece alleging that Telles was bullying those who worked under him as well as the fact that he was allegedly sleeping with a female co-worker.

Police later stated that, in retaliation for the article, Telles allegedly waited for German to be alone and then stabbed him several times. Telles was spotted by a security camera fleeing German's house where he lives alone in his maroon SUV and donning a straw hat to hide his face.

The neighbors, who wept openly during their time on the stand, stated that they knew something was off when they noticed that German's garage door was up and his car was parked inside but they were unable to reach him.

A Review-Journal photographer later told police that he had caught Telles washing a similar car and a day later, the man was arrested. Telles initially pleaded not guilty and claimed that he didn’t kill German, was framed for the crime and police mishandled the investigation.

“I am not the kind of person who would stab someone. I didn’t kill Mr. German,” Telles said. “And that’s my testimony.” According to Telles' attorney, he plans to appeal the conviction.