LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas jury has reached its verdict in the trial of Robert Telles for the murder of Jeff German.
This comes after nearly 12 hours of deliberations over three days after closing arguments in the murder trial nearly two years in the making.
The jury found Robert Telles guilty of murder in the first degree with the use of a deadly weapon on a person 60 years or older. The jury also unanimously found the murder willful, deliberate and premeditated, committed by means of elder abuse.
WATCH Robet Telles react to the jury's verdict:
Robert Telles verdict by yolanda.cruz on Scribd
The afternoon was then spent on the penalty phase of the trial.
During the penalty phase, 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 began deliberating at 1:49 p.m. on Monday after hearing closing arguments from both state prosecutors and Telles' defense attorney, Robert Draskovich.
Telles On Trial
LIVE UPDATES: Jury sentence of Robert Telles for the murder of Jeff German
Deputy District Attorney Christopher Hamner emphasized the gravity of the charges against Telles and summarized the State's case as one supported by a thorough examination of evidence and witness testimony. He also told the jury Telles' decision to testify in his own defense was a gift.
"The State would submit to you that arguably, Mr. Telles' testimony — he might have been our best witness, based on his manner on the stand, based on the things that he said," Hamner said.
Draskovich argued the evidence presented did not conclusively prove Telles' guilt and told jurors they should have reasonable doubt about the reliability of certain testimonies.
"Jeff German's DNA wasn't anywhere but at the scene," Draskovich said. "There was no blood or DNA evidence concerning Mr. German in Mr. Telles' home, in or on his vehicles, in or on his clothing. None of that would implicate Mr. Telles."
More than two years ago, workers at the Clark County public administrator's office tipped off German about alleged turmoil at their workplace under Telles' leadership.
It was the subject of a series of articles published by German starting with one on May 2022 titled, "County office in turmoil with secret video and claims of bullying, hostility."
In June 2022, Telles lost his re-election bid for public administrator. A few months later, in September 2022, German was found stabbed to death outside his home. Police eventually obtained enough evidence to arrest Telles for German's murder.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal, where German was working at the time of his death, released the following statement in the wake of the verdict:
| “Today a Clark County jury delivered a measure of justice for Jeff German, and we hope it brings some solace to his family, friends and colleagues,” Cook wrote in a statement. “Jeff was killed for doing the kind of work in which he took great pride: His reporting held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and empowered voters to choose someone else for the job. Robert Telles could have joined the long line of publicly shamed Nevada politicians who’ve gone on with their lives, out of the spotlight or back in it. Instead, he carried out a premeditated revenge killing with terrifying savagery. |
From then until now, Channel 13 has been at Telles' court hearings and will continue our coverage with reaction to the jury's verdict on Wednesday.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson spoke outside the courtroom after the verdict was read.
He said during the penalty phase of the trial, they can come back with sentences of either life without parole, life with parole after minimum of 20 years, or a sentence of 50 years with minimum parole eligibility after 20 years.
