The arrest of a suspect in connection with the death of Las Vegas Review-Journal writer Jeff German was reported by Las Vegas police Wednesday evening.
The culprit was not immediately identified, and no other information was provided. However, police had earlier Wednesday searched the home of a local elected official and took away a vehicle similar to one sought in the criminal probe of the deadly stabbing of a veteran journalist whose investigative work had angered the official.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal and local television news crews reported seeing police trucks at the residence of Clark County Public Administrator Robert “Rob” Telles, who has been the subject of recent reporting by German. According to KTNV-TV, officers entered and exited the residence.
The culprit in the murder that occurred on 2 September 2022 has been apprehended.
— LVMPD (@LVMPD) September 8, 2022
When he arrived home hours later and was confronted by a KLAS-TV reporter wearing a white hazardous materials-style jumpsuit, Telles declined to talk, according to the television station.
Evening news teams witnessed uniformed officers pounding on the door of a residence, but no one answered.
In recent months, Telles had posted complaints about German on Twitter, including assertions in June that German was a bully who was “obsessed” with him, according to the Review-Journal.
Requesting the public’s aid in identifying the culprit in the homicide that occurred near Vegas Dr. and Tenaya Way on September 3.
Anyone with information can call the LVMPD Homicide Section at 702-828-7777 or tweet @CrimeStoppersNV. pic.twitter.com/qhlwAwXsRj
— LVMPD (@LVMPD) September 5, 2022
Officials believe the 2007-2014 red or maroon GMC Yukon Denali four-door SUV with chrome handles, a sunroof, and a luggage rack may be connected to the case. The developments occurred after police on Tuesday released a brief video of a possible suspect walking on a sidewalk while wearing bright orange “construction attire” and a photo of a four-door SUV with chrome handles, a sunroof, and a luggage rack that may be connected to the case.
On Tuesday, newspaper images showed Telles washing an identical vehicle parked in his driveway, and on Wednesday, KTNV-TV reported that the vehicle was towed after police arrived.
German spent months reporting on the turbulence surrounding Telles’ supervision of the office that manages the property of those who pass away without a will or family contacts.
After German’s reports were published beginning in May, county officials hired a consultant for the office of public administrators. Telles, a 45-year-old Democrat, lost his primary race in June. His mandate expires in January.
The Review-Journal reported on Wednesday that German requested emails and text communications between Telles and three other county officials.
Former Clark County coroner Michael Murphy, who was hired to handle discord and concerns of bullying and favoritism in the public administrators’ office, did not immediately respond to a telephone message.
German, 69, was discovered stabbed to death outside his home on Saturday morning. Friday, he was allegedly slain in a fight with another person, according to the police, who described the attack as an isolated occurrence.
According to the Clark County coroner, German died of “several sharp force injuries,” and the death was deemed a homicide. The Associated Press sent messages for Telles at his county office, but they were not immediately returned.
The security photographs displayed by the police of the probable suspect did not depict the person’s entire face. The individual sported a wide-brimmed straw hat, an orange reflective long-sleeve shirt, blue pants, gray footwear, and a black or dark blue shoulder bag.
German joined the Review-Journal in 2010 after more than two decades at the Las Vegas Sun, where he covered courts, politics, labor, government, and organized crime as a columnist and reporter.
He was recognized for his coverage of government corruption and political scandals, as well as the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival in which 60 people were murdered and more than 400 more were injured.
Current News