LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The former Clark County official accused of murdering local journalist Jeff German made an appearance in district court on Tuesday morning for a pre-trial hearing.
Former Public Administrator Robert Telles was indicted by a grand jury in October 2022 and charged with the murder of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, 69, who was found stabbed to death outside his Summerlin home on September 3, 2022. Telles was arrested by Las Vegas police four days later.
After months of representing himself, Telles has taken up a private attorney, Robert Draskovich. During a recent hearing, Draskovich filed a motion asking for evidence related to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department bribery investigation.
During the hearing, state prosecutors revealed that they had received a voicemail that contained a death threat against Jeff German, which was located during a search of German’s devices.
Draskovich told Judge Michelle Leavitt that he had listened to the voicemail alongside Telles, and advised him to ask for a continuance of the trial so the voicemail could be used as evidence.
“I believe this is exculpatory evidence, obviously, you have a death threat directed at Mr. German back in February 2022,” he said.
However, Draskovich says Telles still wishes to go forward with a trial date of March 8.
The state says they learned of the voicemail on Friday, but have no contextual information about it yet.
“For us to proceed to trial, we’re entitled to investigate this piece of information and determine what additional witness we want to call in trial to address this particular item…,” the state said. “We can’t do that until the Review-Journal is finished going through the device.”
Prosecutors added that if the trial date goes ahead as planned, moving forward with the voicemail will only be possible once it becomes clear when the Review-Journal will be done searching German’s device.
An attorney representing the Review-Journal said that “substantial progress” in searching the phone, though another review of the device’s information is needed to decide what can be shared during the trial. This comes after a court ruled that the Review-Journal could review the information on German’s devices to protect confidential sources and information related to his reporting.
Telles is due back in court for a follow-up hearing on March 6.
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