LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Just minutes after the jury returned a guilty verdict for Robert Telles, Clark County District Attorney Steven Wolfson shared his thoughts on the case.
Robert Telles was on trial for the 2022 murder of Las Vegas investigative journalist Jeff German.
He began thanking the jury for their work in reaching this verdict, the family and friends of Jeff German for what they have endured over the past couple years, as well as acknowledging the lawyers on both sides for the "remarkable" jobs they did on behalf of their clients.
"Today's verdict should send a message that any attempts to silence the media, or to silence or intimidate a journalist will not be tolerated," Wolfson said in his statement before taking questions. "That's what occurred in this case and today; justice was served."
After that, Wolfson took questions. You can watch that full video here.
"There was a lot of evidence in this case, a lot of video evidence," Wolfson said. "I want to commend this jury. I think they took a lot of time to review this evidence. This is an important verdict. They gave the defendant in this case what he has a right to, which is an examination of this evidence. But at the end of the day, the jury did the right thing."
Here are some of the questions asked to Wolfson and his answers.
The jury was thrown sort of a curve ball in closing with the defense basically pointing out the silhouette of a different-looking person than Robert Telles in the suspect's alleged vehicle. How do you think that played in the delay?
"Defense lawyers sometimes have to throw curve balls. That's their job. The jury hit the ball out of the park this time. They hit a home run by getting the right verdict."
Were you surprised by the length that the jury deliberated?
"To be candid, I think most everybody that followed this trial and watched this trial and was familiar with the evidence thought the verdict would come a little quicker, but again, there were more than 400 exhibits …We want them to look at all of the evidence. We want them to consider what the defense offers… After looking at all the evidence, their verdict was clear and convincing."
Can you address him [Telles] taking the stand in his defense?
“The defendant has the right to testify or choose not to testify. In this case, Mr. Telles chose to testify; he gave narrative testimony. I think the jury listened carefully. I was in the courtroom for a number of hours in this trial, and I was watching how the jury reacted to this trial...but again, the jury verdict speaks for itself.”
What was the significance of testifying by narrative?
“It’s certainly unusual. It’s certainly rare, but sometimes based upon the ethical rules that apply, a decision is made for a defendant to give a narrative.“
Generally, in a case where you go to a penalty phase, what is it that a prosecutor is asking a jury to consider?
"During the guilt phase, they are asked to consider the evidence of guilt — what evidence the prosecution have to suggest that a crime was committed and that the accused person committed the crime. There’s a different consideration now: what is the appropriate punishment?"
Did you know Jeff German personally?
"I knew Jeff for probably close to 40 years. He had a stellar reputation in this community. He was a zealot. He was an excellent investigative reporter. …It’s a crying shame, literally and figuratively, that he’s no longer with us."
Wolfson also outlined what the jury's options will be when they consider what penalty Telles should face. They have three options:
life without parole;
life with parole after a minimum of 20 years in prison;
or 50 years in prison with minimum parole eligibility after 20 years.
When asked about the claims of a conspiracy to from Telles for German's murder, which Telles expounded on during his first day of testimony, Wolfson said "the only conspiracy was between him and his evil mind," and that the jury's verdict spoke to that.
