A jury has found Robert Telles guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German nearly two years ago. The jury has ordered him to spend life in prison with the possibility of parole for the crime.

“I am so relieved, overwhelmed and relieved,” Rita Reid, the current Clark County public defender, said through tears after the verdict was read to a packed courtroom Wednesday afternoon.

A panel of seven women and five men found Telles, the former Clark County public defender, guilty of the September 2022 murder. The jury spent nearly 12 hours deliberating over the course of three days before reaching a guilty verdict, then deliberated for just over an hour before deciding that Telles should spend life in prison with the possibility of parole in 20 years.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters Wednesday that the verdict should send “a message.”

“And that message is a clear message that any attempt to silence the media or to silence or intimidate any journalist will not be tolerated,” he said.

Jurors weighed eight days of testimony from dozens of witnesses, including detectives, forensic experts and those who knew Telles, along with three days of testimony from Telles himself. Telles gave narrative testimony to the jury, uninterrupted by his attorney, before being questioned by prosecutors.

The panel deliberated for four hours on Monday, about six hours on Tuesday and two hours on Wednesday before returning a guilty verdict. The trial lasted two weeks before defense attorneys presented their arguments Monday morning.

In the courtroom, Telles stood with his head bowed as a clerk read the verdict. He shook his head from side to side after the decision was announced, an echo of the gesture he made during his trial.

Telles’ attorney, Robert Draskovich, told the Review-Journal he was pleased with a sentence that would give Telles the chance to be released from prison in the future.

In the Review-Journal newsroom, where reporters had gathered around a desk to watch live footage of the trial, Editor-in-Chief Glenn Cook stood and hugged the staff, some wiping tears from their eyes.

“Today, a jury in Clark County delivered a measure of justice for Jeff German, and we hope it brings some comfort to his family, friends, and colleagues,” Cook wrote in a statement. “Jeff was killed because he did the kind of work he was proud of: His reporting held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and gave voters the power to elect someone else to the job.

“Robert Telles could have joined the long line of publicly shamed Nevada politicians who have moved on with their lives, out of the spotlight or back in. Instead, he carried out a premeditated revenge killing with terrifying brutality.”

Cook thanked the prosecutors and police who investigated the case, adding that the verdict also “brought some justice to murdered journalists around the world.”

“In many countries, the murderers of journalists go unpunished,” Cook said. “That is not the case in Las Vegas. We thank the police and prosecutors, whose diligent work won this conviction.”

Cook also wrote that the Las Vegas community lost more than a journalist when German was killed.

“Jeff was a good man who left behind a family who loved him and friends who cherished him,” Cook said. “His murder remains a disgrace. He will be missed.”

Veteran criminal defense attorney Tom Pitaro, with whom German has had a decades-long relationship, said he was relieved by the verdict and believed the trial had been “fair.”

“Telles had his day in court, and he had it the way he wanted to with his own testimony, but the evidence was overwhelming,” Pitaro said. “There was no way to get around some of those facts. … Now we can remember Jeff as the reporter he was, not just as the victim of a brutal crime.”

Pitaro recalled that German was constantly looking for stories and working quickly to stay ahead of the competition. Pitaro watched live video of the process from his office downtown, where German would sometimes show up looking for the latest scoop.

“He’s an integral part of all of our careers,” the attorney said. “There’s not a lawyer in town who doesn’t have a Jeff story, and they’re all going to be good. He was a fair reporter, but he was tough as hell. He was a tough reporter, but he wasn’t vindictive. He gave people a fair shake. And I don’t know if we’ll ever get someone that tough again. It’s a loss for the community. We had a unique guy here who wasn’t afraid to take on big names. And I don’t know if we’ll get someone like him back. I hope so for our community, and I mean that sincerely.”

Prominent local defense attorney David Chesnoff recalled that he had spoken German for nearly 45 years. Chesnoff said he was pleased the case resulted in a verdict that “puts the responsibility on Telles.”

“I think Jeff was a brave man, and he worked very hard at his craft,” Chesnoff said. “And he didn’t deserve that kind of ending.”

Prosecutors say Telles, now 47, fatally stabbed German over articles the journalist had written about his conduct as an elected official, including allegations that he created a hostile work environment and had an “inappropriate” relationship with an employee.

The state also claimed that the motive for the murder was to prevent German from ever writing about Telles again.

Deputy District Attorneys Christopher Hamner and Pamela Weckerly told reporters Wednesday night that they were surprised by the lengthy deliberations but were pleased with the jurors’ attentiveness.

“They went through the evidence very carefully, but I think on behalf of Mr. German’s family, we’re especially pleased that a fair verdict was reached in this case,” Weckerly said.

During the sentencing phase of the trial, prosecutors pushed for a life sentence but told the jury it would be up to the jury to decide whether Telles would be eligible for parole.

“I think we knew at that point that the jurors had spent a lot of time on the case, and we also knew that there were two families involved,” Weckerly said. “It’s a complicated situation. We’re dealing with someone who doesn’t have an extensive criminal history.”

After attorneys spoke to jurors Wednesday night, Draskovich told the Review-Journal that there were “a few holdouts” on the panel, with at least one juror leaning toward not guilty as of Tuesday night.

“They were really concerned about the photo,” Draskovich said

He pointed to surveillance footage that police said showed the attacker’s Yukon Denali. Draskovich said the footage showed the driver had hair, despite Telles being bald.

“They decided they were going to roll up their sleeves and go through all the evidence,” Draskovich said.

‘A cold-blooded murderer’

Former Clark County District Attorney David Roger, a frequent source for German, said he considered the reporter a friend. He called Telles “a cold-blooded killer.”

“I felt a sense of relief from the verdict,” Roger said. “I probably felt more empathy and concern for Jeff’s family. I had a great interest in this case. I followed this case closely. I felt that the prosecution had a very strong case and that Mr. Telles would be found guilty and brought to trial.”

As a reporter, German was “like a mad dog with a bone,” Roger recalls.

“He didn’t give up until he found the truth,” he said, “and that’s what we expect from journalists. Jeff was the type of reporter who wouldn’t stop writing a story until he was satisfied that every fact and public concern had been addressed.”

A disguise

Before he was killed, German had sought emails and text messages between Telles and other county officials, including correspondence with his employee Roberta Lee-Kennett. Telles admitted during the trial that the two were having an affair.

County officials had warned Telles about the release of the documents the day before German was killed.

Telles admitted during his testimony that he feared German’s reporting would result in him never being able to practice law in Las Vegas again.

Telles tried to disguise himself in an orange reflective vest and a large straw hat before attacking the journalist outside his home on Sept. 2, 2022, prosecutors said. He showed jurors a surveillance camera from a neighbor’s house that captured the killing from a distance.

The state’s evidence against Telles included his own DNA found under German’s fingernails, plus surveillance footage and items found in his home that matched the attacker’s clothing.

Cliff Mogg, a former detective with the Metropolitan Police Department, testified about surveillance footage that he said shows Telles’ Yukon Denali leaving his neighborhood the morning German was killed, driving through German’s neighborhood, and then back to Telles’ house.

Draskovich has portrayed Telles as a civil servant trying to expose corruption within the public administration, while prosecutors have tried to debunk Telles’ claims that he was framed.

Telles testified before the jury last week that he was framed by government officials and a disgruntled real estate company for German’s murder.

He claimed that he investigated independent trustees in estate cases involving properties owned by people who had died in Clark County. He alleged that the homes were being flipped for profit, without benefiting the families of the deceased, and that he was “fighting” Compass Realty & Management over the sale.

The company called his accusation “unreasonable and irresponsible.” A detective testified there was not enough evidence to prosecute Telles’ claims.

Wolfson called Telles’ claims of a conspiracy “ridiculous.”

“There was no conspiracy,” Wolfson said. “The only conspiracy was between him and his evil mind.”

Contact Katelyn Newberg at [email protected] or 702-383-0240. Review-Journal editor David Ferrara and staffers Noble Brigham and Estelle Atkinson contributed to this report.