Robert Telles, a former Clark County administrator believed to be behind the murder of a reporter, has filed an appeal against his conviction. For context, Telles was deemed guilty in August and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.

Now Convicted, Telles Tries to Appeal the Decision

Telles is believed to be behind the murder of Jeff German, a 69-year-old reporter who was investigating him. He was arrested in September 2022 and has insisted on his innocence since, despite overwhelming evidence against that.

Telles, who continues to insist on his innocence, has now appealed the conviction. In a handwritten document, he asked the Nevada Supreme Court to reevaluate his case.

Telles is currently serving time at the High Desert State Prison in Nevada. If his appeal is denied, he will be eligible for parole in 2050. By then, he would be 74 years old.

Telles Says He Is Innocent

Telles, who is a former attorney himself, mostly ignored his attorneys and defended himself in court. He testified by narrative, insisting that he didn’t kill German and that he had been framed. While Telles remained adamant in his claims, he couldn’t present convincing evidence to prove his point.

Telles tried to argue that a Las Vegas reality company, which he had been investigating in his capacity as a county administrator, had set up German’s murder. The company’s goal, Telles insisted was to stop his investigation. Curiously, however, at the time of German’s murder, Telles had already been voted out of office and wasn’t actively participating in the investigation.

On the contrary, there was significant evidence to suggest that Telles was indeed behind the killing. This included messages from his wife who had inquired about his whereabouts, DNA evidence under German’s fingernails and video recordings showing Telles’ car at the scene.  

German, for context, was a reporter who was tasked with investigating corruption in the government on behalf of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. With over four decades of experience, he was a respected reporter, who was responsible for four articles criticizing the public administrator responsible for overseeing the estates of residents who passed away without leaving a will behind.