Las Vegas police have charged a local elected official for the murder of investigative reporter Jeff German after DNA evidence found underneath the victim's fingernails was discovered.
The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Democrat Robert Telles, has been the subject of German's exposure of misdeeds and turmoil in office in the last few months. The Clark County Public Administrator was taken into custody on Wednesday after police searched his home.
Suspect Charged in Journalist's Murder
Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said on Thursday that Telles had been charged with murder after authorities found a positive match for the official's DNA with the genetic material taken from the victim's fingernails.
The suspect appeared in court for the first time on Thursday afternoon where a judge ordered that he be held without bail until his arraignment. Telles was the subject of a series of explosive articles by the victim.
German described a mismanaged office where employees accused Telles of bullying, favoritism, and allegedly, an inappropriate relationship with another county official. After the journalist's initial reporting this spring, Telles lost his reelection bid, coming only third in the Democratic primary, as per Politico.
The journalist reportedly had been seeking additional records regarding the public administrator's office, which oversees the estates of deceased people. On the other hand, Telles did not hide his disdain for German, who had spent four decades in Las Vegas reporting on corruption and crime among the city's most powerful residents, including elected officials and casino operators.
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Telles repeatedly attacked German with posts on Twitter, calling the reporter a "typical bully" who "can't take a pound of criticism after slinging 100 pounds of BS." The official tweeted in June that he was looking forward to "lying smear piece #4 by @JGermanRJ."
According to the Washington Post, the 69-year-old journalist was found dead on Saturday morning with his cause of death being multiple sharp-force injuries. Telles has been a person of interest early in the investigation as authorities looked into possible work-related grievances or conflicts.
Robert Telles
While Las Vegas police Capt. Dori Koren revealed how Telles was a person of interest, he did not disclose a specific motive for the murder. Other evidence that tied the official to the crime was the recovery of a pair of shoes and a straw hat that matched those worn in a previously released photo of the suspect.
Both of the items were cut, probably in an attempt to destroy evidence, said Koren. The police captain said that the public administrator was upset about the articles that were written about him.
On Wednesday, Review-Journal Executive Editor Glenn Cook said that they were relieved that Telles was in custody and expressed his outrage that a colleague appears to have been killed for reporting on an elected official. He argued that journalists cannot do the important work that communities require if they are afraid a presentation of facts could lead to violent retribution.
Telles was represented by a public defender who said that he was reserving his response to the prosecution's allegations until the defendant's next court appearance. The public administrator did not speak during the hearing and was not asked to enter a plea, CNN reported.
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