Former county official sentenced in killing of Las Vegas news reporter

Oct. 16 (UPI) -- A former Nevada public official found guilty of murdering a Las Vegas news reporter in 2022 on Wednesday was sentenced to 28 years to life in prison.

Robert Telles, an ex-Clark County public administrator, was sentenced in the killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, then 69.

But Nevada District Judge Michelle Leavitt on Wednesday gave additional time to Telles, who was found guilty of first-degree murder in August.

He will spend an additional eight years in lock-up before he's eligible for parole in the next 26 years , according to reports.

Defense attorney Robert Draskovich said Telles plans to appeal his guilty conviction.

A 12-person Las Vegas jury, after 12 hours of deliberations on Aug. 28, convicted the former public administrator in the stabbing death of veteran Las Vegas investigative reporter German, who had been a journalist in the town for almost 40 years.

He had been discovered stabbed to death outside his Las Vegas home on Sept. 3, 2022.

Telles was arrested in early September 2022. According to authorities, Telles apparently had been angry about articles written by German.

Telles had lost a primary election after the articles came out that detailed alleged bullying and favoritism by Telles' office.

Despite some two dozen witnesses, video and physical evidence including DNA to show that Telles had killed German, Telles took the stand in his own defense and testified that he believed the DNA evidence had been planted.

He said that he was being framed for the murder by colleagues, real estate agents and business owners over his alleged efforts to uproot corruption while serving as public administrator.