Former politician found guilty of murder of Las Vegas investigative journalist

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FILE – Robert Telles sits on the witness stand during the ninth day of his murder trial at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (KM Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

A former politician has been found guilty of murdering a Las Vegas investigative journalist.

Robert Telles sat in the courtroom on Wednesday as the jury read the verdict after nearly 12 hours of deliberation. The trial began on August 12.

Telles could face life without parole, life with 20 years' probation, or 20 to 50 years in prison. According to the Associated Press, a conviction for using a deadly weapon would add one to eight years to his sentence.

According to AP, jurors will now hear sentencing evidence as part of the trial, meaning the jury that found Telles guilty will be able to hear more testimony and see additional evidence before deciding how long the former politician should be sentenced to in prison.

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Prosecutors presented evidence against Telles, including DNA evidence, linking him to German's killing. Telles claimed he was framed in the case. Telles will be sentenced at a hearing scheduled for a later date.

The 47-year-old has been in jail without bail since his arrest after Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, who covered crime, courts and corruption in Las Vegas for 44 years, was found cut and stabbed to death outside his home on Labor Day weekend 2022.

Telles denied killing German, 69, claiming a conspiracy framed him for German's murder in retaliation for his attempt to root out corruption he had noticed in his office.

According to AP, Telles is a lawyer and practiced civil law before his election in 2018. However, his license to practice law was revoked after his arrest.

The AP found that Telles lost his primary for a second term after German's articles appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal in May and June 2022. The articles criticized Telles' conduct in his elected office, including an alleged romantic relationship between Telles and a female staffer.