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.
JETT/Terrible’s Gaming announced the launch of Terrible’s Mobile Gaming, a new real-money five-card draw poker app available in Nevada, according to a press release.
The multi-player game includes features such as Royal Flush bonuses of up to $4,500 and four-of-a-kind payouts up to $175. To celebrate the app’s launch, Terrible’s Mobile Gaming is offering a deposit match of up to $500 each week.
Terrible’s Mobile Gaming is available for download on iOS and Android devices.
“JETT/Terrible’s Gaming and the Terrible’s brand in general have been making life more convenient for Nevadans for over 65 years,” said Tim Herbst, president of JETT Gaming & Terrible Herbst Inc. in a statement. “Now, we are excited to bring that same level of convenience to mobile gaming—delivering the excitement of Multi-Player 5 Card Draw Poker directly to our customers, wherever they are, and within the palm of their hand.”
The app is available in collaboration with Real Gaming, the igaming platform co-founded by South Point casino-hotel owner Michael Gaughan and tech entrepreneur Lawrence Vaughan.
“Nevada players know that both the JETT Gaming and Terrible’s Gaming brands mean convenience, and that’s exactly what we’ve delivered,” Vaughan said in the news release.
Culinary Local 226 ratifies Fontainebleau Las Vegas labor contract
Members of Culinary Union Local 226 recently voted to ratify a labor contract with Fontainebleau Las Vegas. According to the union, 99.6 percent voted in favor of the labor deal.
The new contract covers nearly 3,300 non-gaming employees at the Fontainebleau casino-hotel, located at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip. It is the first labor contract with the new resort, which opened in December 2023.
According to previous reports, the Culinary workers’ contract is for slightly less than five years, timed to match the span of the citywide contracts agreed to at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 with other Strip operators.
The deal with Fontainebleau comes as Culinary Local 226 workers at the off-Strip Virgin casino-hotel have been striking for more than seven weeks. The union rejected the casino-hotel’s invitation to arbitration in late December.
Sports wagering
Two U.S. states that haven’t legalized sports wagering are making efforts to win approval in 2025.
Oklahoma state Sen. Dave Rader has introduced legislation in the Sooner state to modify the state’s compact with tribal casinos there to allow betting on sports. The bill’s first reading is scheduled Feb. 3.
Under Rader’s proposal, tribes would be required to pay the state 5 percent of the first $5 million in gross gaming revenue, 6 percent of the next $5 million and 7 percent for any revenue over $10 million as a fee.
A bill introduced in Oklahoma last year never made it out of committee.
In Minnesota, state Sen. Matt Klein said he will reintroduce a bill that failed to win approval last year early in that state’s legislative session. The session opens Jan. 14 in St. Paul.
Bill opponents have blocked passage because of fears of gambling addiction and family bankruptcies. Klein said his legislation has protections that would make it the safest sports-betting law in the country.
Washington D.C. and 38 U.S. states have legalized sports wagering and Missouri is establishing rules and regulations to begin this year.
Raising the age limit
New Hampshire lawmakers will consider raising the minimum age to place a sports bet from 18 to 21 under a bill that is expected to be reviewed Wednesday by the state’s House Ways and Means Committee.
New Hampshire is one of seven states and Washington D.C. that set the minimum gambling age at 18 and most neighboring states — Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, and New York — have 21 as their minimum age.
If signed into law, the bill would likely take effect in mid-2026. Lawmakers will take into consideration the possible loss of $640,000 a year in gaming revenue with the age increase.
DraftKings is the only online sports-betting option in the state.
Macao
Gross gaming revenue in Macao totaled $28.3 billion (U.S.) in 2024, a 23.9 percent increase over 2023, the special administrative region’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau reported last week.
December revenue of $2.3 billion was off 2 percent from a year ago and was the first month in 2024 to have less monthly revenue than in the previous year.
October was the strongest month of the year with revenue of $2.6 billion.
By comparison, Nevada’s October gaming revenue total was $1.286 billion.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Nevada State Police said a 51-year-old North Las Vegas man died in a crash at Red Rock Canyon.
The crash happened Thursday, Jan. 2 at 2:25 p.m. near Red Rock Canyon and Fossil Ridge roads.
Police say Shawn Raymond Pierson drove too fast during a curve and drove left of center into the eastbound travel lane as traffic approached.
Pierson struck a broken paddle marker base and overturned. Police say he died at the scene.
The investigation is being conducted by the Nevada State Police Highway Patrol – Traffic Homicide Unit.
2025 Year to date: The Nevada State Police Highway Patrol Region 1 (Southern Command) has investigated 1 fatal crashes resulting in 1 fatalities.
2025 fatalities details preliminary and may change/be updated based on final investigation.
Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.
A body found in the Nevada desert is believed to be a teenager who went missing last week after a family dispute.
Police in the city of Henderson said in a statement that the body matches the description of 17-year-old Jennaleah “Jenna” Hin.
Hin was reported missing on December 30, 2024, after she left the home in Henderson following a family issue.
“It’s just a normal family dispute, you know, that teenagers have with their parents. Nothing out of the ordinary,” Mark Speer, Red Rock Search & Rescue commander said.
She said something to the effect of, “You don’t have to worry about me anymore,” according to Speer, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Hin did not have a phone or money on her the night she disappeared, her family members said, according to CBS affiliate KLAS.
On Sunday, Henderson police responded to an area of the desert just east of Desert Sunflower Circle and Spanish Needle Street around 10:42 a.m. after a K-9 unit was alerted to her scent, officials said. They discovered a “deceased female” who they say matches the description of Hin.
According to their “preliminary investigations, there does not appear to be signs of foul play,” police said.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office will release official identification of the body, pending notification of next of kin.
A cause of death has not been revealed.
The discovery of the body comes just two days after her mother pleaded for the public’s help in finding the teen at a press conference on Friday.
“Jenna, wherever you are or whoever you’re with, I just want you to come home,” Hin’s mother, Jennifer Swanson, said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I want you safe. We love you so much — please come home.”
On Sunday afternoon, her mother shared a photo of Hin on her Facebook page, writing “Jenna, I love you… Where are you, who are you with, who has you, please come home…”
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