LAS VEGAS (AP) — A jury began deliberating Monday in the trial of a former Las Vegas-area Democratic politician accused of killing an investigative journalist who prosecutors said the official blamed for writing stories that destroyed his career, ruined his reputation and threatened his marriage.
“And he did it because Jeff wasn’t done writing,” prosecutor Christopher Hamner said during closing arguments of defendant Robert Telles and the reporter, Jeff German. “It’s like connecting the dots.”
Jurors deliberated for about four hours before breaking for the evening, to return Tuesday.
Earlier, they sent the judge a note seeking more note paper and a court technician to show them how to zoom in on laptop video while in the jury room. They remained an hour past the court’s usual 5 p.m. end time.
Telles lost his Democratic primary for a second term after German’s first stories for the Las Vegas Review-Journal in May 2022 about Telles’ conduct heading an obscure county office that handles unclaimed estates. The reports described turmoil and bullying in Telles’ workplace and a romantic relationship between Telles and a female employee.