LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After nearly two years, justice has been served for Jeff German, the Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter who was brutally stabbed to death outside his home.

German was killed on September 2, 2022.

On Wednesday, a jury in Clark County found former county executive Robert Telles guilty of German’s murder.

Before the jury deliberated on Telles’ sentence, German’s family members gave statements.

During the trial, a group of about a dozen of German’s relatives were present at each court hearing. This was the first time I heard from them and learned more about German as a person.

WATCH | Jeff German’s family talks about who Jeff was as a person.

Testimony from Jeff German’s family in the sentencing phase of Robert Telles’ murder trial

German was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved to Las Vegas in 1978.

He was the eldest of four siblings.

RELATED STORY | Joe Moeller and Steve Sebelius look back on the life and legacy of Jeff German

His two sisters, Jill Zwerg and Julie Smith, and his brother Jay German testified in court.

His brother Jay remembers Jeff German as a natural athlete who taught him how to play golf. His older brother took him to his first Milwaukee Brewers game and they saw a lot of movies together.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to go through this,” Jay told jurors of his brother’s murder. “It was devastating to the family. It really was. We loved him.”

Zwerg and Smith told the jury he was a “wonderful uncle” who never forgot birthdays.

“The tragic and brutal end of his life has resulted in a loss that I don’t think we will ever get over,” Smith said.

German was a respected journalist in the Las Vegas Valley, where he reported on mafia crime and exposed corruption.

“He wrote about crimes of gangsters, gaming officials, politicians, corporations, basically anybody who was corrupt,” Zwerg said. “I don’t think they could hide from him.”

Zwerg said that the past two years felt like I was living in a story that German could have written.

“The past two years have felt like I was living in a chapter of a murder novel that my brother Jeff might as well have written: Murder in Sin City Part Two: The Death of a Journalist,” Zwerg said.

Telles shook his head and showed no remorse as his verdict was read. But he began to cry when his own family members testified on his behalf during sentencing deliberations.

His family did not attend the trial. But on Wednesday, his wife Mary Ann Ismael, his ex-wife Tonia Burton and his mother Rosalinda Anaya pleaded with jurors to give the former politician turned murderer a second chance.

WATCH | The family of Robert Telles gives their testimony on Wednesday.

Testimony from Robert Telles’ family in the sentencing phase of his murder trial

Telles has three children: a stepson, a daughter from a previous marriage and a daughter from his current marriage.

Both Ismael and Burton testified that he is a “great father.”

“He tries to stay involved with the kids to this day,” Ismael said. “I would like my kids to not lose that, at least not for the rest of their lives.”

Telles was seen muttering the words “I love you” to Ismael as she left the witness stand.

Anaya told the judges about Telles growing up in El Paso, Texas. She said she had Telles when she was 18 years old.

When Telles was 13, Anaya said she got divorced and he became the “man of the house.”

She took a moment to ask the judge if she could make one final request of the jurors.

“I’m asking you, please,” Anaya said. “I accept the verdict. Please give my son a chance for parole. His family is still very young.”

Before Anaya left the courtroom after her testimony, she turned to Telles and said, “I love you, son,” before leaving the courtroom in tears.

The jury returned a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years. But because of the aggravated charges in this case, Telles could face an additional 1-8 years in prison on top of his sentence, his attorney Robert Draskovich said.

The ruling on the increases is scheduled for October 16 at 8:30 a.m.

“I’m relieved that they gave me a life sentence with the possibility of parole,” Draskovich said. “Since the beginning, since I got involved in this case, Telles has maintained his innocence. I’m sure he plans to appeal.”

Draskovich said he also spoke with jurors in the case, who he said were “very concerned” about the close-up screenshot of the surveillance camera he showed during his arguments. However, jurors said they found Telles’ narrative testimony disturbing.

Channel 13 also had the opportunity to speak with Deputy District Attorneys Christopher Hamner and Pamela Weckerly, the prosecutors in the case.

“Every case is unique. Every case has its own facts,” Hamner said. “It just so happened in this scenario that there was an individual in our community who was offended by what someone wrote and went to the extent of seeking retribution.”

We also asked Hamner and Weckerly if Telles had been offered a plea deal before the trial. They told Channel 13 that they could not negotiate because Telles maintained his innocence.

Channel 13 also spoke with Kevin Cannon, a photographer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and a close friend of German.

“We’ve been friends for a long time,” Cannon said. “It’s been a tough couple of weeks. It’s been a tough couple of years. Justice has been done. I know he would be proud.”

German would have turned 71 last Friday.