A politician murdering a journalist who cost him an election is like something out of a paperback thriller. However, the real-life killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal journalist Jeff German may turn out to be stranger than fiction.
Police raided the home of Clark County public administrator Robert Telles in connection with German's alleged stabbing death last week, the Conservative Brief reported. The Democrat had a public feud with the 69-year-old journalist after he made revelations that may have cost Telles his re-election bid.
German's body was found outside of his Las Vegas home on September 3, though authorities believe he died the previous day. Police issued a plea for the public's help gathering evidence and identifying a suspect, and they were almost immediately interested in Telles.
Surveillance footage showed a maroon or red GMC Yukon Denali at the crime scene. Later, police executed a search warrant and seized a vehicle matching that description in Telles' driveway and seized the vehicle, the Associated Press reported. Telles was arrested Wednesday and charged with murder.
Before German was murdered, Telles had tweeted several times about his news reporting, with each subsequent post becoming more pointed. German had shared employees' reports that Telles' office was a hostile work environment, complete with an inappropriate relationship with a staffer and incidents of bullying.
*Wife hears rustling in the trash* Her: "Honey, is there a wild animal in the trash?" Me: "No, dear. Looks like it's @JGermanRJ going through our trash for his 4th story on me." Oh, Jeff... 😂 @LVRJ #LasVegas
— Rob Telles (@RobTellesLV) June 18, 2022
Telles was running for re-election after serving three terms as a public administrator. However, he lost out to Assistant Public Administrator Rita Reid in June's primary amid German's tenacious reporting.
In the leadup to the election, German penned scathing reports about an administration "mired in turmoil and internal dissension" between new hires and established employees. Telles chalked up the accusations to the "old timers" in his office who were attempting to smear Telles.
Telles is innocent until proven guilty under the law. However, the circumstances are not looking good for the disgraced politician.