A Clark County, Nevada, Democrat official was arrested on Wednesday evening on suspicion of murdering Las Vegas Journal-Review investigative reporter Jeff German after a series of reports exposing corruption.
Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles was booked in Clark County Detention Center for suspicion of murder after German, 69 years old, was found dead outside his home with multiple stab wounds last Saturday.
Authorities alleged Telles, whom German had recently run investigative reports exposing corruption, had self-inflicted stab wounds when authorities arrested him following a “standoff with SWAT at his home,” according to ABC News.
The Review-Journal reports:
The stunning development came a day after Las Vegas police asked for the public’s help in identifying a suspect in the case. An early morning search of Telles’ home on Wednesday provided the first indication that the Friday killing might be related to German’s work exposing public wrongdoing. The investigative reporter was pursuing a potential follow-up story about Telles in the weeks before he was killed. [Emphasis added]
…
German spent months reporting on the turmoil surrounding Telles’ oversight of the public administrator’s office. [Emphasis added]
The 45-year-old Democrat lost his re-election bid in the primary after German’s findings were published. German also had recently filed public records requests for emails and text messages between Telles and three other county officials: Assistant Public Administrator Rita Reid, estate coordinator Roberta Lee-Kennett and consultant Michael Murphy. Lee-Kennett was identified in previous stories as a subordinate staffer allegedly involved in an “inappropriate relationship” with Telles. [Emphasis added]
Robert Telles just arrived at his house. Reporters asked him if he had any comment. I asked why police towed his vehicle. He had no comment. Story: https://t.co/3CSa7B4XeS pic.twitter.com/tgQ7JuI9BX
— Brett Clarkson (@BrettClarkson_) September 7, 2022
Robert Telles returned home Wednesday afternoon in a white bodysuit. Sources say police took his clothes while questioning him and that investigators found bloody items inside his house.
German, a veteran journalist of 40 years, was repeatedly attacked by Telles following the investigative reports, according to the Guardian:
Telles, 45, a career attorney who ran for office as a Democrat, had denied the accusations and repeatedly lashed out at the reporter investigating his conduct, calling German a “bully” on Twitter and writing that a request for comment was “a veiled threat”. On his campaign website, Telles had added a section he labeled “the truth,” where he denied accusations staff members had made against him and criticized German and the Review-Journal. [Emphasis added]
A REPORTER’S LEGACY: Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German was one of Nevada’s most accomplished and trusted journalists.
A brief look at his legacy.#RJNow pic.twitter.com/ZBL58g6426
— James Schaeffer (@jamesmschaeffer) September 6, 2022
Telles, a Democrat, lost his re-election bid in June’s primary after Jeff German exposed the hostile work environment in the Democrat official’s office.
Jeff German had also recently filed a public records request on emails and text messages between Telles and others in his office, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
According to the Daily Mail, hours before Jeff German was stabbed to death, Robert Telles was told Clark County was going to release private texts and photos with his mistress.
The Daily Mail reports:
The Las Vegas Democrat who is accused of fatally stabbing a journalist who exposed his martial affair was allegedly told by his mistress that photos revealing their tryst were set to come out hours before the killing.
Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, 45, was arraigned in late September, officially being charged with the ‘unlawful, heinous, senseless murder of [Las Vegas Review-Journal] reporter Jeff German.’
Hours before German – a journalist who often exposed corruption throughout the region – was killed, Telles was told that Clark County was going to release emails and Microsoft Teams messages to the paper detailing his ‘inappropriate relationship’ with Roberta Lee-Kennett.
German had done stories on the allegations and was working on a follow-up story at the time he was murdered.
Lee-Kennett emailed Telles about what the county attorneys had told her at 7:30 the morning of September 3, with Telles responding that he would ‘review’ it, according to affidavits.
Sources:
