Public Administrator Robert Telles appears before a judge at the Regional Justice Center on Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, following his arrest on a murder charge in connection with the stabbing death of Las Vegas investigative journalist Jeff German.
Published Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022 | 11:47 a.m.
Updated Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022 | 12:25 p.m.
DNA evidence linked Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles to the scene where a Las Vegas investigative reporter was found stabbed to death last week, Metro Police said today.
Hours after a search of his west valley house Wednesday, Telles was arrested on a count of murder in the death of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, police said.
Telles, who was taken from his home in an ambulance, suffered from self-inflicted wounds that were not life threatening, police said.
Police also revealed they recovered a pair of cut-up shoes and a cut-up hat similar to those worn by a suspect identified in surveillance camera images, police said. No weapon was recovered, police said.
German, 69, was found dead with multiple stab wounds Saturday morning outside his home in the 7200 block of Bronze Circle, near Vegas Drive and Tenaya Way, police said. He was involved in an altercation Friday that led to the stabbing, police said.
At an initial court hearing for Telles today, Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Scow said German was stabbed seven times and suffered defensive wounds. A judge ordered Telles, who was in shackles and had bandages on his forearms, held without bail.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said his office anticipated filing a formal murder charge against Telles next week.
German had written stories detailing allegations by current and former employees under Telles that the public administrator fueled a hostile work environment and had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. Telles has denied the accusations.
Police did not speculate about a motive, but Capt. Dori Koren said Telles was upset about German’s stories and that “additional reporting was pending.”
Telles took to Twitter in June to vent frustrations about German, calling him “obsessed” and a "typical bully.” In another post, Telles said, "I think he's mad that I haven't crawled into a hole and died."
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said detectives were still sifting through evidence and following leads to “solidify the case.”
“This has been an unusual case from the beginning — the murder of an investigative journalist and the main suspect an elected official here in Clark County,” Lombardo said.
He called German’s death a “terrible and jarring homicide, one that has deeply impacted Las Vegas. Every murder is tragic, but the killing of a journalist is particularly troublesome.”
In a statement, Review-Journal Executive Editor Glenn Cook said “the arrest of Robert Telles is at once an enormous relief and an outrage for the Review-Journal newsroom.”
“We are relieved Robert Telles is in custody and outraged that a colleague appears to have been killed for reporting on an elected official,” Cook said.
Koren said the suspect, who appeared to be trying to disguise their identity, walked to the side of German’s house Friday and waited for him to come out of his garage. The person was wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat and a bright orange shirt with silver reflective markings.
After exiting the garage about 11:15 a.m., German went to the side of the house, where the altercation and stabbing took place, Koren said.
During their investigation, police also released a photo of a GMC Yukon Denali SUV that Koren said was “suspiciously driving around the neighborhood” and linked to the suspect.
A similar vehicle was towed from Telles’ house on Wednesday. Koren said the SUV, registered to Telles’ wife, was gone from the home from about 9 a.m. to noon on Friday.
German, a longtime Las Vegas reporter, joined the Review-Journal in 2010 after spending more than two decades at the Sun.
He covered some of Las Vegas’ most noteworthy news events over the past four decades — from the deadly MGM fire in 1980 to the death of casino boss Ted Binion in the late 1990s to an FBI investigation in the early 2000s into bribes taken by Clark County commissioners.
His family today issued a statement describing German as a “loving and loyal brother, uncle and friend who devoted his life to his work exposing wrongdoing in Las Vegas and beyond.” The statement said the family was “shocked, saddened and angry."
Mike Smith, the Las Vegas Sun cartoonist who is married to German’s sister, called German a "model for all aspiring journalists."
"Jeff was committed to searching for truth and he had little patience for corruption, deception or abuse of the public trust. He was driven to shine a bright light into dark places in a search for the facts," Smith said.
Rebecca Aguilar, president of the Society of Professional Journalists, released a statement today calling German a “fearless reporter” and a champion of the First Amendment.
“We should honor Jeff by continuing to be like him, a person of courage, compassion and commitment to the truth,” Aguilar said, noting German's death "is a reminder that every day journalists around the world put their lives on the line to uncover the truth."
In June, Telles lost his reelection bid for the county office, which oversees probate estates for residents who have died. Telles, who came in third in the Democratic primary, said he planned to return to practicing probate law, German reported June 22. It was his last story on Telles, the Review-Journal noted.
Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa issued a statement expressing shock over German’s death and condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
He said the county was “reviewing its options under the law regarding Robert Telles’ current status as the public administrator.”
Employees of the office are working from home, and the office will remain closed for the time being, Pappa said.
When county management was made aware of personnel issues at the office a couple months ago, the decision was made to no longer have staff report to Telles, he said.
