Robert Telles, a former Nevada politician, has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a journalist who published critical pieces about his tenure in office.
Telles, 47, has been in jail without bail since 2022 for slashing investigative journalist Jeff German of the Las Vegas Review Journal.
During the trial, prosecutors presented the jurors with DNA evidence discovered under Mr. German’s fingernails, which they claimed belonged to Telles, who had pleaded not guilty.
After two days of deliberation, a 12-person jury found the defendant guilty on Wednesday.
Several hours later, the same jury convicted Telles to life in prison.
Telles, who was elected Clark County’s public administrator in 2018, sat silently in court on Wednesday as the judge summoned the jury.
He bent his head as the guilty verdict was announced.
“The jury unanimously finds the murder wilful, deliberate, and premeditated,” juror number two told the court.
Telles received a life sentence in a separate hearing later on Wednesday. He is eligible for parole after serving 20 years in prison.
The jury of seven women and five men discussed for approximately 12 hours, beginning on Monday, before reaching its decision.
The experiment had lasted two weeks. Dozens of witnesses testified in court, including detectives, forensic experts, former politicians, and Telles himself. He claimed that he had been framed.
“This thing has been kind of a nightmare,” he said about a week into the trial. “I want to say unequivocally—I’m innocent. I didn’t kill Mr. German.”
Mr. German, 69, was discovered in September 2022, having been stabbed seven times in the neck and torso outside his Nevada home.
Prosecutors accused Telles of murdering Mr. German for unflattering articles the journalist had written about his actions as an elected politician.
One accuses Telles of having an “inappropriate” connection with a member of his staff, while others allege a hostile attitude in his Las Vegas office.
Telles, a Democrat, lost his primary for a second term as public administrator in 2022 when Mr. German’s tales appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal before the election.
Security footage retrieved by police and given to the courtroom showed Mr. German’s assailant wearing a wide straw hat and trainers outside the journalist’s home.
Authorities eventually discovered the remains of identical goods at Telles’ home, but they had been torn up.
The prosecution said that Telles appeared in the security video, hiding in the bushes outside Mr. German’s house and attempting to dispose of evidence.
Telles’ defence counsel claimed that the destroyed evidence was put at the ex-politician’s home as part of an attempt to frame their client.
They denied that Mr. German’s publications were “a motive for a murder.”.
However, prosecutors revealed DNA evidence, a timeline, and video of Telles’ SUV moving on the streets near Mr. German’s home just before his murder.
Addressing reporters outside the courtroom on Wednesday, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson celebrated the jury’s decision.
“The jury hit the ball out of the park this time,” he said. “They hit a home run by getting the right verdict.”
Mr. German, a veteran journalist, had spent almost four decades covering the city and corruption.
He had one more article about Telles to print before he died. Glenn Cook, the executive editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, said in a statement that the “jury delivered a measure of justice” to Mr. German with its judgement.
“Jeff (German) was killed for doing the kind of work in which he took great pride: His reporting held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and empowered voters to choose someone else for the job.”
