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 (KSNV) — Authorities have canceled an AMBER Alert after they say a 10-month-old child taken by a non-custodial parent was found safe.
North Las Vegas Police said Thursday that Leilani Williams (aka Leilani Duke) was taken by her father, Roderick Duke.
Duke and Leilani were last seen at an apartment complex in the area of Martin L. King Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue at 1:40 a.m.
“An AMBER Alert has been activated due to Roderick being in emotional crisis and making threats to harm himself and 10-month-old Leilani,” NLVPD said in a statement.
By 10:05 a.m., NLVPD said that Leilani was located unharmed.
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Officers took Duke into custody without further incident, and the AMBER Alert has been canceled.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed Nevada Democrats who packed a Las Vegas brewery Wednesday evening for a discussion about his upbringing, his political life and efforts his state has taken to combat the Trump administration agenda.
Newsom, who has been floated as a possible White House contender for 2028, sidestepped a quip from former Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak who introduced him as the next U.S. president amid cheers from the crowd.
“I’m very grateful for your friendship, and a friendship that’s only strengthened over the course of the last year or so,” Newsom told Sisolak.
Book tour stop
The event, which served as a book tour stop for the California governor, was organized by the Nevada Democratic Party. It took place at Nevada Brew Works near Summerlin.
Nevada Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, the state party chair running for North Las Vegas mayor, moderated the discussion.
It was part of the party’s Local Brews + National Views series that’s been bringing Democrats for similar discussions at intimate venues. Past speakers have included former President Joe Biden, Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
Criticizing President Donald Trump, Newsom spoke about the immediate aftermath of the 2024 general election.
“We were handwringing, a lot of finger pointing, and a sense of weakness,” Newsom said. “And just incapable of dealing with this moment, this existential moment.”
He said he is taking account for what he described as his own complicity.
“This happened on my watch. This is all happening on our watch,” Newsom said. “And so I realized that I needed to be better.”
That included his advocacy to redraw California’s Congressional map after Trump called for the same in Texas, he said.
“They’re not screwing around, nor are we,” he said about Trump and his administration. “All of us.”
‘You’re giving us a voice’
Newsom spoke out against the surge of federal immigration enforcement operations in California and later Minnesota, calls from the Trump administration to nationalize elections, and cuts to government funding due to the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
He said that pushback against Trump’s policies, including dozens of lawsuits filed by California, were making the president retreat on some of his proposals and policies.
“You’re filling the void, you’re giving us a voice, you’re giving us courage,” he told the crowd. “For things to change, we have to change. And it’s changing.”
The Republican National Committee reacted to Newsom’s Las Vegas visit. Earlier in the day, Newsom attended a private Boulder City event.
“Democrats are selling out to the spoiled, phony rich kid governor from California for years,” RNC spokesperson Nick Poche wrote in a statement. “President Donald Trump and Republicans are delivering major tax cuts and keeping Nevadans safe, unlike Democrats.”
The national Republican Party also criticized California’s policies, and tied them back to Nevada Democrats.
Most of Newsom’s remarks weren’t specific to Nevada. He didn’t take any questions from media.
Polling shows Newsom and Vice President JD Vance leading in hypothetical races for their parties’ nomination. That includes a survey of likely Nevada voters conducted one by Emerson College Polling in November.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – It’s time to “free your heels” and embrace Tahoe’s winter recreation at the Nevada Nordic Freeheel Festival on March 7. Whether you’re a seasoned pro at cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, or you’re trying to get your feet wet, Saturday’s event is teeming with nature, brews, and camaraderie.
Travel North Tahoe Nevada (TNTNV) is teaming up with Nevada Nordic, Tahoe Multisport, Alibi Ale Works, UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation and other local partners in the wondrous Tahoe Meadows, providing attendees a chance to engage with outdoor recreation experts, check out free cross-country and snowshoe rentals, and more.
“We’re excited to see the Nevada Nordic Freeheel Festival enter its second year, building on last year’s strong community response. In collaboration with our local partners, this event is thoughtfully curated with residents in mind – offering free equipment for the day, expert instruction, locally crafted brews, and other experiences in a welcoming setting,” said Andy Chapman, President and CEO of Travel North Tahoe Nevada. “It’s designed to make it easy for residents to get outside, try something new, and bring people together. Events like this reflect the spirit of North Lake Tahoe and what’s possible when our community comes together.”
Along with opportunities to test out free demos and rentals, there will be live music, beer tasting and races.
Tahoe Meadows is known for its gentle trails, and is a popular spot for snowshoeing due to its flat terrain. This event, located near Chickadee Ridge, will offer stunning views of the surrounding mountains.
This family-friendly event is on the second to last day of the 10-day SnowFest winter festival that’s been taking place in the North Lake Tahoe area. It starts bright and early at 9 a.m. and will close out at 2 p.m.
“Nevada Nordic is thrilled to be a part of SnowFest again this year,” said Meghan Pry, Nevada Nordic Board Member. “We love sharing our passion for cross-country skiing and watching our community grow. We are proud to keep winter recreation accessible by offering free access to our 20km trail network. This is the perfect opportunity for our community to gather together and free our heels!”
For more information about the Nevada Nordic Freeheel Festival or to check out the SnowFest schedule, visit tahoesnowfest.org.
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