Las Vegas judge delays Telles murder trial amid ongoing bribery probe

LAS VEGAS (CN) — The trial of Robert Telles, the former Clark County public administrator charged in the murder of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German was postponed indefinitely Tuesday to give prosecutors more time to sift through evidence from a separate bribery investigation involving Telles.

Clark County District Judge Michelle Leavitt acknowledged the complexity of reviewing the almost five terabytes of digital evidence obtained, highlighting the challenges ahead. “I don't know how long it will take you to go through that information, whether you feel like you have to do more investigation,” Leavitt said.

Telles' lawyer Robert Draskovich emphasized the urgency and priority of addressing the new evidence. “Time will tell,” Draskovich said. “Obviously, we're on this as a priority for myself in my office, so I'm going to try to set this for a status check in two weeks.”

Judge Leavitt agreed and set a status conference update in two weeks.

The postponement follows revelations of an ongoing bribery investigation predating German's murder. Investigators believe Telles exploited his official position through a house-flipping scheme for personal gain. This bribery case, which could potentially influence the murder trial's direction, has prompted both sides to review the evidence.

Telles faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of German, 69, who was found murdered outside his home in September 2022. Despite pleading not guilty and suggesting he was framed, the case against Telles has attracted attention given the investigation into misconduct while in office and has been made even more complex due to efforts by the Review-Journal to shield German's sources and the content of his electronic devices. The Nevada Supreme Court even weighed in, affirming the state's shield law applies even after death.

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