Robert Telles Is Guilty of Killing a Las Vegas Journalist — Can He Get the Death Penalty?
Jeff German's siblings took to the stand to share stories about their late brother, who was described as quirky and caring.
Published Aug. 28 2024, 6:31 p.m. ET
On Aug. 28, 2024, a stricken Robert Telles sat in a Las Vegas courtroom shaking his head no while the jury read his guilty verdicts out loud. The jury found the ex-politician committed murder that was "willful, deliberate and premeditated," and carried it out by "lying in wait."
In September 2022, Telles stabbed a Las Vegas journalist to death after waiting outside of his home on a bright, sunny day.
Jeff German had been writing a series of unfavorable pieces about Telles, which the prosecution says caused the Clark County public administrator to then don a disguise in order to murder him. The state said Telles was enraged by the prospect of a soon-to-be-released article.
Once the conviction was handed down in August 2024, the sentencing phase began. Here's what we know.
Robert Telles's sentencing phase started mere hours after his conviction.
Telles doesn't have to wait long to learn his fate, as the jury pivoted to the sentencing phase after deciding he was guilty, per 8 News Now. It began with victim impact statements from German's friends and family. His brother, Jay German, went into detail about how much his brother loved his work. "Jeff took seriously every story he worked on," said Jay. "He really enjoyed being an investigative reporter."
German's two sisters took the stand and described his relationship to his family. One spoke about how much he loved spending time with his nieces and nephews. His other sister brought up German's "quirky sense of humor" and lamented the fact that they would never experience it again. "The tragic and brutal taking of his life has resulted in a loss that I don’t think we’ll ever recover," said his sister Julie Smith.
Telles's family was also able to make statements that involved pleading with the jury for mercy. Maryann Ismael, Telles’s wife, focused on what kind of father he was. She shared stories of Telles dutifully decorating Easter eggs for their children, and asked that he be given the chance to be with them again. His mother echoed this sentiment while his first wife recounted how much Telles cared about their daughter.
Does Nevada have the death penalty?
According to the Death Penalthy Information Center, not only does Nevada have the death penalty but it was also the "first state in the United States to use the gas chamber, and executed 32 men with that method from 1924–1979." After that, the state switched to lethal injection. Fortunately for Telles, the death penalty is off the table for him.
Prosecutor Pam Weckerly informed the jury that there are three options for Telles. The first is 50 years in a Nevada Department of Corrections facility with the possibility of parole after 20 years, the most lenient sentence. He could also get a life sentence with a chance for parole after 20 years. And finally, there's life without the possibility of parole which is of course the harshest punishment.
