Washington — The trial of a former elected official in Nevada accused of murdering an investigative journalist in 2022 is set to begin on Monday in Las Vegas.
Jeff German, a longtime reporter at The Las Vegas Review-Journal, was found stabbed to death outside his suburban home on September 3, 2022.
Former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, 47, is charged with open murder, meaning he could be found guilty of first- or second-degree murder or manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty.
German, 69, reported extensively on alleged mismanagement in Telles' office. When Telles then lost a reelection bid in 2022, he posted a letter online in which he attacked the Review-Journal for its coverage.
"German's killing was really shocking to the whole press freedom community, to the world of media," Clayton Weimers, who heads the U.S. bureau of Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, told VOA. "Accountability in this crime is essential to demonstrate that no one can intimidate, threaten or hurt a journalist because they don't like the coverage they're getting."
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday. The judge will also consider a renewed request for dismissal from Telles.
Telles has indicated that he wants the trial to begin as soon as possible. He has spent months hiring and firing different lawyers and even served as his own attorney for a period, according to media reports.
His two requests to remove the judge from the case over claims that she was biased have failed.
"He wants to proceed to trial, wants to have his day in court," Robert Draskovich, the current attorney for Telles, told reporters outside court on Wednesday. "He's been fairly adamant since the get-go that he wants to tell his story."
Journalist killings are rare in the United States. Data from the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, shows that 17 journalists and media workers have been killed in the U.S. since the watchdog started keeping records in 1992. Of those, the CPJ has said it believes 15 cases — including German's — were in relation to the journalist's work.
"German is the only journalist suspected of having been killed by a politician in the United States since CPJ began keeping record," Katherine Jacobsen, the U.S. and Canada program coordinator at CPJ, told VOA.
"It's really important that any time a journalist is assaulted or killed, that the perpetrator is held responsible," Jacobsen, who is based in Washington, said.
"This sends a very clear message to both those who might have committed the crime that it's not OK, and also to any would-be perpetrators of crimes against journalists that there are very real consequences and that they should think twice before harming reporters," she said.
Impunity in journalist killings is a global problem. Nearly 80% of journalist killings over the past decade remain unsolved, CPJ reported in 2023.
German's case has had sweeping press freedom implications for the U.S.
As part of the investigation into his killing, city police seized the reporter's cell phone and computers in a move that the Review-Journal said was unlawful.
The Review-Journal argued that since German's devices could also contain sensitive information, such as the names of confidential sources or unpublished information, independent hearing masters should first review the devices.
Press freedom groups were concerned that if police were given unrestricted access to German's devices, it could set a legal precedent allowing journalists' private source material to be accessed after they are killed.
"We need a better sense of awareness from law enforcement officials of the sensitivities of investigating a crime against the journalist," said Weimers, who is based in Washington.
"It needs to be very, very clear for law enforcement that they need to respect the confidentiality of journalistic sources. It has a profound chilling effect on the work of investigative journalists like Jeff German if they're not able to safely communicate with their sources," Weimers said.
Nevada's Supreme Court in October 2023 ruled in favor of shielding German's devices from an unchecked police search.
"Jeff would be very happy with this decision," Glenn Cook, the Review-Journal's executive editor, told VOA after the ruling was announced. "Jeff would be appalled if he thought his death could compromise the sources that he held so closely."
Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty in this case. But if convicted, Telles could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
