Agreement reached in murder case against Las Vegas politician

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Las Vegas newspaper and prosecutors have come to a partial agreement in the murder case against a Las Vegas politician accused of killing a local reporter.

Prosecutors and attorneys for the Las Vegas Review-Journal have reached a partial agreement regarding materials at the center of the murder case against Robert Telles. The disgraced Clark County Public Administrator is accused of killing investigative journalist Jeff German in September 2022.

In a series of contentious court hearings and filings, the Review-Journal had argued that police and prosecutors should not have full access to electronic devices, including cell phones, taken from German during the investigation of his stabbing death because of journalistic privilege. One concern, they contended, is that German’s sources would be revealed.

The Nevada Supreme Court ruled in October that the Review-Journal has standing to assert the privilege, which is known to be one of the country’s strongest protections of freedom of the press, a constitutional right under the First Amendment.

Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Hamner said in court Thursday that the newspaper agreed to turn over roughly 1,200 items from one of German’s cell phones that the newspaper originally deemed off limits prior to their review of the entire contents of the phone. The newspaper had identified approximately 5,500 items from the cell phone to be privileged, according to Hamner. Prosecutors had provided eight categories that would be relevant to the criminal case, and the Review-Journal informed prosecutors that approximately 1200 items may fall into those categories, Hamner said.

Of the approximately 1,200 items that may fall into the eight categories, the newspaper refused to waive the privilege for 36 items, Hamner told Clark County District Court Judge Michele Leavitt. The relevance of those items, along with items from at least two other electronic devices in German’s possession, may be addressed at future dates.

Once turned over, police, prosecutors, and the defense would have access to the material.

Telles, 47, remains in the Clark County Detention Center. A jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 5. Previous trial dates have all been delayed, including one in March.

German, 69, was found stabbed to death outside his home on Sept. 3, 2022. Detectives said Telles’ DNA was found under German’s fingernails and believe Telles targeted German because of articles he wrote about problems in the Clark County Public Administrator’s office, which Telles oversaw. Telles represented himself for much of his defense until recently.

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