The DNA found under the fingernails of a murdered Las Vegas journalist matched that of a local county administrator arrested for his murder, a prosecutor told a judge this week. This is additional evidence linking the administrator to the murder of the journalist, which appears to have been motivated by revenge.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Scow told Justice of the Peace Elana Lee Graham on Thursday that Jeff German, a former reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, had DNA matching that of Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles under his fingernails when he was discovered dead outside his home last week.
“The DNA is said to have been recovered from the victim’s hand, presumably during the time he was fighting for his life,” Graham said during Thursday’s hearing.
She also mentioned that police investigations revealed several defensive wounds on his body, indicating that he died while attempting to defend himself against the attack.
The murder charge against Telles has sparked rumors that the administrator may have committed the crime in retaliation for a series of reports authored by German, which commentators believe may have harmed the county official’s political career.
Investigations conducted by German suggested that Telles had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member and may have also fostered a hostile work environment.
Telles’ primary bid for re-election failed in June, one month after German’s investigation was made public.
At the hearing on Thursday, Telles was denied bail and is due back in court on Tuesday.
matched that of a local county administrator arrested for his murder, a prosecutor told a judge this week. This is additional evidence linking the administrator to the murder of the journalist, which appears to have been motivated by revenge.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Scow told Justice of the Peace Elana Lee Graham on Thursday that Jeff German, a former reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, had DNA matching that of Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles under his fingernails when he was discovered dead outside his home last week.
“The DNA is said to have been recovered from the victim’s hand, presumably during the time he was fighting for his life,” Graham said during Thursday’s hearing.
She also mentioned that police investigations revealed several defensive wounds on his body, indicating that he died while attempting to defend himself against the attack.
The murder charge against Telles has sparked rumors that the administrator may have committed the crime in retaliation for a series of reports authored by German, which commentators believe may have harmed the county official’s political career.
Investigations conducted by German suggested that Telles had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member and may have also fostered a hostile work environment.
Telles’ primary bid for re-election failed in June, one month after German’s investigation was made public.
At the hearing on Thursday, Telles was denied bail and is due back in court on Tuesday.
