LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — On Wednesday, former Clark County public administrator Robert Telles was sentenced by a jury for the murder of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German.
Telles will serve a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 20 years.
German's death has put a spotlight on the journalism profession, chiefly the role of journalists in holding public officials accountable for wrongdoing so voters can find someone else for the job.
Channel 13's Steve Sebelius worked with German, first at the Las Vegas Sun and later at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He recalled German as a tenacious journalist who never let go of a story and was relentless about making sure his facts were right.
But Sebelius also recalled fun times with German and the crew from the Sun — smoking cigars, playing pool at a local PT's Pub and watching football games at German's house, where the superfan had subscriptions to multiple sports packages.
German, who first came to Las Vegas in 1978, worked for the Sun until 2009, when he was laid off. He soon joined the staff of the Review-Journal, initially covering courts and later joining the newspaper's investigative team.
He covered Las Vegas from its mob era to its corporate era, uncovering stories including misspending of money at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the lack of emergency plans filed by major casinos, political scandals involving both Republicans and Democrats and, ultimately, problems in the public administrator's office that eventually led to his murder.
Along the way, German developed a reputation as a hard-nosed reporter, famous enough to once be included in a wall of local celebrities drawn onto the wall of The Palm Steakhouse in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. (That caricature was later removed in a remodel of the restaurant.)
