Nevada
Nevada murder trial begins for Las Vegas-area Democrat politician accused in journalist's slaying
A Las Vegas attorney weighed in as the start of the trial of the former Las Vegas-area politician accused of killing an investigative journalist began on Monday with jury selection.
Robert Telles, a former Democrat Clark County administrator of estates, has remained jailed since his arrest in September 2022, days after Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German was found slashed and stabbed to death outside his home over Labor Day weekend.
Marc Randazza, a Las Vegas attorney, spoke to Fox News Digital and said that while he did not know Telles personally, he sensed something was off.
“I would not claim to know Telles, but I have been to dinner parties where he was also a guest,” Randazza said. “Never really sensed that he was capable of such a thing, although I always found him a bit odd. But in a lot of ways, one has to be a bit odd to be ‘normal’ in Las Vegas, something I say with pride.”
JURY SELECTION BEGINS MONDAY FOR FORMER LAS VEGAS-AREA POLITICIAN ACCUSED OF KILLING INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
Former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles is shown during a hearing at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas on Oct. 18, 2023. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Robert Telles washes his car outside his Las Vegas home on Sept. 6, 2022. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
German, 69, was found slashed and stabbed to death in a side yard outside his home, where Telles is accused in a criminal complaint of “lying in wait” for German to come outside.
Prosecutors say articles that German wrote in early 2022 about Telles and a county office in turmoil were a motive for the killing.
Randazza said this case has an interesting angle involving the First Amendment, which he says is the firm’s primary interest in the matter and which really is the only part of it that has far-reaching implications beyond mere fascination with true crime.
“As part of the investigation and prosecution, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department obtained German’s journalistic papers and notes, including those on his cellphone. The Las Vegas Review-Journal, the reporter’s employer, sought to prevent the police and the prosecution from reviewing his devices and papers, citing Nevada’s news shield statute,” Randazza said.
“Journalists generally have a privilege against the disclosure of their papers, which might also include information about their sources for information, under the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of the press. The Nevada Supreme Court found that the privilege does not die with the reporter and protected the information from direct disclosure to the government. Ultimately, the Review-Journal and the prosecution reached a deal where German’s devices could be reviewed by a third party to screen confidential information.”
Telles became a lawyer in 2015 and ran as a Democrat in 2018 to become Clark County administrator of estates. He lost his elected position after his arrest and his law license was suspended. He has pleaded not guilty to open murder and could face life in prison if convicted. He has remained jailed while preparing to face a jury.
NEVADA JUDGE POSTPONES TRIAL OF FORMER LAS VEGAS OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF KILLING JOURNALIST
Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, right, talks to Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German on May 11, 2022. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
Randazza criticized Telles’ choice to originally represent himself.
“He has waffled between being represented and representing himself. Representing himself was one of the most foolish things I’ve ever seen someone do in court, but it is his constitutional right. However, it appears that he has retained counsel again,” Randazza said.
Robert Draskovich, Telles’ defense attorney, said that Telles has “been looking forward to trial and wants to tell his story,” the Associated Press reported.
Prosecutors say they have strong evidence, including DNA believed to be from Telles found beneath German’s fingernails and cut-up pieces of a straw hat and shoes found at Telles’ house that resembled those worn by the person seen on video outside German’s home.
However, Randazza again criticized Telles’ approach and his defense strategy.
“His ‘I didn’t do it’ defense seems like a poor strategy. There are other defenses other than ‘Must be some other guy who looked like me and who had all this evidence in his house,’” Randazza said.
FORMER VEGAS OFFICIAL WHO ALLEGEDLY SLAYED AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST LOSES BID TO GET NEW JUDGE
Robert Telles (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service)
In a court filing, Telles maintains he was illegally detained by police before his arrest, officer body-worn camera video of the traffic stop during which he was taken into custody was improperly deleted, and hospital blood tests taken after his arrest and treatment for what he has called self-inflicted slash wounds to his wrists were not included as evidence in his case.
Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt rejected other requests to dismiss the case, while Telles hired and fired attorneys and served as his own defense lawyer. Telles twice tried to have Leavitt removed from his case, arguing she was biased against him.
“He seems to believe that Judge Leavitt is biased against him and has tried to get [her] recused. This is rarely a strong play, and it has not worked thus far. For what it’s worth, I think that when it comes to a judge with integrity, you can probably find equals with Leavitt, but you’re not going to find anyone who outranks her in the integrity competition,” Randazza said.
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Telles wanted his trial to occur quickly, but progress was delayed in part by a legal battle the Review-Journal took to the state Supreme Court to protect public disclosure of confidential sources on German’s cellphone and computers. The newspaper argued that names and unpublished material were protected from disclosure by the First Amendment and Nevada state law.
Police argued their investigation would not be complete until the devices were searched for possible evidence. The court gave the newspaper, its lawyers and consultants time to review the files first.
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Another platform is coming under fire by the State of Nevada over alleged unsafe conditions for children.
On Wednesday, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford filed a lawsuit against Discord, which is a communication platform that facilitates instant, text, and chat messaging as well as voice and video calls. Users are also able to share media, including photos and videos.
“Discord’s popularity with minors also makes it popular with a much more dangerous cohort: child predators, who seek to groom and exploit minor users,” the 100-page complaint reads in part. “Discord knows that the children on its platform are at risk, and further knows that children and their parents and guardians are afraid of malicious actors on the platform. Yet Discord has done very little to protect these children, and has refused to implement safety features that it knows would greatly ameliorate the risk.”
The complaint lists several cases as alleged proof that the platform is dangerous:
- In 2023, a Las Vegas man was sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting a minor and producing child pornography of his victim, whom he groomed on Discord.
- In 2024, a Reno man was sentenced to 10 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime supervised release for grooming a minor on Discord.
- In 2025, a sting captured eight individuals who had used Discord — among other communications platforms — to solicit sex from law enforcement agents posing as children.
According to the complaint, a group called 764, which was located on a Discord server that contained violent videos and “how-to” guides on sexually exploiting and extorting minors online, “has acknowledged a presence in Nevada”. The FBI’s Las Vegas field office is part of one or more of the agency’s 250 investigations into the organization.
Ford’s team also alleges that Discord has several flaws in its design, which is putting children at risk. For example, insufficient barriers for strangers contacting children, misleading and/or ineffective filters, parental control issues, and an “absence of age or identity verification in the account creation process.”
In February 2026, Discord tried to implement a requirement where users had to authenticate their age “with a face scan or by uploading a form of ID if they want to access adult content.” However, the complaint states that after user backlash to that announcement, “Discord immediately went into damage control mode and walked backed its commitment.”
According to the complaint, Ford’s team is seeking civil penalties of up to $15,000 per violation of the Nevada Deceptive Trade Practices Act and up to $25,000 for each violation directed at a minor.
Discord has denied the claims made in the complaint and sent Channel 13 the following statement:
“The lawsuit’s characterization of Discord does not reflect the platform we have built or the investments we have made in user safety. Discord is a communications platform built to connect people around playing games. Users join Discord communities intentionally, based on their interests, and unlike social media, the platform has no algorithmic feed, infinite scroll, or public “likes” pushing content to mass audiences.
Our safety systems combine advanced technology and human-led investigations, alongside user reports to help identify accounts or spaces engaged in harmful activity, including exploitative and child sexual abuse materials. We require all users to be at least 13 to use Discord and also provide teen users and their parents and guardians with important privacy and safety tools, including Teen Safety Assist and our Family Center. We look forward to collaborating with policymakers in working toward a safer online experience for all users on Discord and across the internet.”
Discord Spokesperson
This is not the only platform that is facing lawsuits in Nevada.
Last month, Ford announced the State of Nevada had reached a settlement with the online gaming platform Roblox.
In addition to abuse concerns, 13 Investigates partnered with ABC News Investigates to tell you how teenagers were being recruited on Roblox to become hackers.
WATCH: 2023 cybersecurity incidents lead to Nevada Gaming Control Board changes
2023 cybersecurity incidents lead to Nevada Gaming Control Board changes
As part of that settlement, Roblox officials agreed to several changes to make the platform safer, including age verification, content control, enhanced parental controls, and agreements to spend $2.5 million for online safety awareness campaigns as well as workshops and training for law enforcement.
APRIL 2026: Nevada reaches settlement with gaming platform Roblox
FULL PRESSER: State of Nevada reaches settlement with online gaming platform Roblox
Ford’s office has filed similar consumer protection lawsuits against TikTok, Snap, Meta, YouTube, and Kik, all alleging harmful design features and a lack of common-sense online safety measures for children.
According to Ford’s office, they’re set to go to trial against TikTok and Snap next year.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada is teaming up with a screen tourism app to help visitors find, and go to, the real-world locations behind famous movie and TV moments.
The Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Film Nevada announced a new partnership with SetJetters, an app that maps filming locations around the world and encourages users to visit them in person.
Film Nevada Director Kim Spurgeon says the app makes it easier for fans to “relive their favorite cinematic moments,” pointing to Nevada staples like The Shootist house in Carson City, Genoa’s main street featured in Misery, the Ocean’s Eleven closing scene at the Fountains of Bellagio, and the Hangover quote many visitors still repeat in Las Vegas: “Did Caesar live here?”
AMPLIFIED: New guidebook highlights hidden gems across Las Vegas for locals, visitors alike
So what changes for movie fans—and for Nevada tourism?
Through the SetJetters campaign, users will be able to discover more movie, TV, and video-game locations across Nevada, along with additional film-related points of interest. There’s also a new Las Vegas-area badge users can earn by visiting 12 select scenes, and the app allows people to submit filming locations they think should be included.
“Screen tourism is no longer a niche campaign idea; it’s a core travel channel,” said SetJetters CEO Erik Nachtrieb. “Nevada’s cinematic history, from mountain and desert backdrops to the neon of Las Vegas and Reno, makes it a natural stage for this next phase of bringing films to the state. The real opportunity now is conversion, and this is exactly where Film Nevada’s partnership with SetJetters comes in. What we’re really looking at is the evolution from destination marketing to destination storytelling with screen content at the center.”
You can download the app from Apple or Google.
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LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — State officials say they are ready to provide assistance to the 999 people laid off from Spirit Airlines.
The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) said it will support former Spirit employees with reemployment services, retraining opportunities and more.
Impacted workers can also file for unemployment insurance at NUI.nv.gov.
“DETR is committed to supporting every Nevada worker affected by the Spirit Airlines layoffs,” department Director Christopher Sewell said in a statement. “Our team is ready to provide timely resources, guidance, and individualized assistance to help impacted employees navigate their next steps.”
Rapid Response is a free program that provides strategies for layoffs and plant closures. It quickly coordinates services and provides immediate support to employers and affected workers.
Employees can access no-cost career and training services through EmployNV. This includes career counseling and job-search assistance, skills assessments and re-skilling opportunities, and training grants for high-demand career fields.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo encouraged anyone who was laid off to use DETR’s resources.
“Our priority is getting folks back to work right away, and the state stands ready to assist with no-cost employment services to help with the transition,” Lombardo said in a statement.
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Spirit ceased operations on May 2 after failing to secure a government bailout. The company notified Nevada DETR that it was laying off 999 employees based at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas as a result.
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