LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former elected official accused of killing a Las Vegas investigative reporter wants to go to trial in March, his new lawyer said Thursday, after a supervisory judge rejected his second bid to remove the state court judge overseeing his case.
Robert Draskovich, a criminal defense attorney who has handled several high-profile cases during more than 25 years in practice, told The Associated Press that Robert “Rob” Telles has hired him to represent him at trial, currently set to begin March 18.
“We anticipate keeping the current trial date,” Draskovich said.
Gary Modafferi, another lawyer who has advised Telles on pretrial matters, declined Thursday to comment.
Telles, now 47, was once the Democratic county administrator of estates. He has pleaded not guilty to murder in the September 2022 death of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German and has remained jailed without bail while serving as his own defense attorney. A court hearing is scheduled Feb. 7.
German, 69, spent more than 40 years as an investigative reporter in Las Vegas. He was found stabbed to death in September 2022 outside his home, months after he wrote articles critical of Telles and his managerial conduct.