Trial of former county official begins for murder of Las Vegas reporter

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The trial has begun for the former Clark County officer accused of killing a Las Vegas reporter.

The prosecution and defense presented their cases to the jury in opening statements on Wednesday,one day after jury selection in the trial of Robert Telles.

Attorneys use their opening statements to give a preview of what they plan to present to the jury, such as witness testimony and evidence.

Assistant District Attorney Pamela Weckerly delivered the prosecution's opening statement, identifying Telles as the sole suspect in the murder of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German.

She told the jury that German had reported allegations that Telles had an inappropriate relationship with a female employee and created a hostile work environment during his time as Clark County public administrator, and that Telles subsequently lost his bid for re-election.

Weckerly also showed evidence collected by police that she said pointed to Telles, including crime scene photos, video of the attacker and pictures of clothing items found during a search of Telles' home that matched those of the attacker. She told the jury that DNA taken from German's body during an autopsy matched a sample taken from Telles.

“At the end of the day, this case is not about politics,” Weckerly said. “It's not about inappropriate relationships. It's not about who's a good boss or supervisor, or about nepotism in the workplace. It's just about murder.”

Telles, 47, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jeff German, a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He has said he did not kill German, that he was framed and that police botched the investigation.

Robert Draskovich, Telles's attorney, told the jury that Telles believed he had uncovered a corruption scandal in the state administrator's office and tried to get police to investigate. He argued that office employees retaliated against Telles by contacting German.

German had received threats from other people in the course of his work, but police had not investigated other potential suspects, argued Draskovich, who played voicemail messages containing threats. He also said German's articles did not provide sufficient motive for Telles to kill him.

“We all know that killing a journalist does not mean killing a story,” Draskovich told the jury.

Opening statements ended shortly after 12:30 p.m., and testimony began after a recess at about 1:30 p.m.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.