The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a press conference on September 8, 2022, to reveal additional details surrounding the death of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German.
The LVMPD arrested Robert Telles, a Clark County elected official on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, in connection with the homicide. German was killed on September 2, 2022, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said in a press release when the news broke.
Here’s what you need to know:
Police Reveal They Have ‘Distorted Video Associated With the Attack’ on Journalist Jeff German
During a press conference in Las Vegas on September 8, the LVMPD revealed to the media that the attack on German was caught on video.
“We have some distorted video associated with the attack and we are in the process of clarifying that video as we speak,” LVMPD Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said.
During the press conference, it was also revealed that the police had recovered a pair of shoes and a straw hat, both seen in the photos released to the media. Both items had been “cut,” the police said.
“We recovered a pair of shoes,” the LVMPD rep said. “As you can see, there’s apparent blood on the shoes, and the shoes were cut, likely in a manner to try to destroy evidence. In addition to the shoes, we recovered a straw hat that was also cut in in a manner that was likely to destroy the evidence. And that straw hat, as you can see, matches the one in the photo.”
Additionally, the LVMPD revealed that Telles’ DNA had been recovered at the scene.
“One of the most important aspects of this investigation was waiting on the DNA results, and we received positive DNA results that showed Robert Telles’ DNA at the crime scene. At that time, we immediately initiated our arrest operation,” the LVMPD representative said.
The murder weapon has not been recovered, the police say.
Police: Telles Was Taken Into Custody With ‘Self-Inflicted’ Wounds That Were Not ‘Life-Threatening’
According to the police, Telles was taken away in an ambulance during his arrest.
“We can’t answer details at this time regarding anything regarding our interaction with the suspect,” the police said. “But I can tell you, in the footage you saw him coming out on the stretcher. He had self-inflicted wounds and we were trying to provide medical attention to help him, so at this time, I cannot describe the wounds, but we do know that they were not life-threatening.”
According to the Review-Journal, German was found outside of his home in the 7200 block of Bronze Circle around 10:30 a.m. on the day after the murder had occurred. “He had apparently been involved in an altercation with someone the previous day that led to his being stabbed,” the outlet reported.
During the press conference, the police gave a play-by-play account of what they think happened the morning that German was killed.
“On that morning [Telles] approached Mr. German’s home and went to the side of the house,” the representative said. “Shortly after, German came outside of the garage door and then went to the side of the house. Ultimately, an altercation took place between the suspect and the victim. We believe this happened around 11:18 a.m. And at that time, our victim was stabbed multiple times.
Telles, a Democrat, lost in a June primary election, and his term as a Clark County public administrator is set to end on December 31, according to the Review-Journal. Telles, who is also a lawyer focusing on probate and estate law, has held the position in the Nevada county office since 2018, according to his website. Telles was the subject of German’s reporting during his failed re-election bid and he had tweeted angrily at German prior to the reporter’s death.
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