LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After the jury returned a guilty verdict in Robert Telles' murder trial, the court moved on to the penalty phase of the trial.
The jury decided that for the murder of Jeff German, Robert Telles should serve life in prison with eligibility for parole after a minimum of 20 years served.
WATCH | The jury announces their decision in front of Robert Telles and the court.
Beginning at roughly 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, character witnesses spoke before the court on behalf of Jeff German and for Robert Telles.
The state called German's family members. His brother, Jay German, and sisters Jill Zwerg and Julie Smith spoke about Jeff's character and memory.
The defense called on wife Mary Ann Ismael, ex-wife Tonia Burton and mother Rosalinda Anaya. All three women, in some form or another, expressed their wish for Telles to still be able to create memories with his family.
The jury is being asked to choose between three penalty options: life without parole, life with parole after minimum of 20 years, or 50 years in prison with minimum parole eligibility after 20 years.
After a short recess, the jury returned to the courtroom to hear final statements from the prosecution and the defense before deciding on a penalty.
Defense attorney Robert Draskovich asks jury to pay special attention to jury instruction 4, which lays out the penalty options for this charge.
Draskovich says there are "two devastated families" and "both families have received trauma."
"Most cultures have this idea of retribution. I would submit to you as a society we've gotten past this idea of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. We end up being eyeless and toothless," he said. "In order for justice to be justice, there needs to be an element of mercy. A person has to pay...but at the same time, there has to be this element of hope."
He argues life in prison without parole is not the appropriate punishment for Telles.
Draskovich urges jurors to show Telles mercy, saying he has no criminal history and is a "hands-on" father.
WATCH | Robert Draskovich's full remarks to the jury:
State prosecutor Chris Hamner offered a rebuttal once Draskovich concluded.
"We are here because of the actions of one person and one person only: the defendant," Hamner said. "He's created the ripple effect on his family and on Jeff's [family]."
On the point of retribution, Hamner says jurors should consider that German's killing was an act of retribution. He argues life in prison is an appropriate punishment, but says the jury should decide whether Telles has the possibility of parole or not.
Hamner asks the jury to consider the people Telles testified that he felt wronged by, and whether his release would pose a danger to them.
"If he truly believes all these people did something to him, then there is a risk that something like this could happen again. It should be considered," Hamner says.
He adds that the circumstances of German's murder and who he was should not be ignored.
"The state doesn't believe that we should ignore the fact that what happened here is, literally, a journalist wrote a story, or a series of stories, and lost their life over it," Hamner says. "That's a pretty serious thing. That doesn't happen very often, and it should be considered, which is why we believe life is appropriate."
WATCH | Christopher Hamner's full remarks to the jury:
Official sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 16 at 8:30 a.m.
