A Las Vegas politician was found guilty Wednesday of murdering an investigative journalist who wrote articles critical of misconduct within the department he led.

Robert Telles lay in wait outside the home of veteran reporter Jeff German and then stabbed him to death, a jury in Clark County, Nevada, has concluded.

“Justice has been served,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters.

“Today’s ruling should send a clear message, and that message is that attempts to silence the media or to silence or intimidate journalists will not be tolerated.”

During the two-week trial, it was heard how German, a 69-year-old reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, had written an article several months before his death describing the toxic atmosphere in Telles’ office.

The piece, published a month before the election in which Telles filed to retain his position, detailed complaints of favoritism and allegations that Telles had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

Telles denied the allegations but lost his re-election bid.

The jury, made up of seven women and five men, heard how an enraged Telles drove to German’s home in September 2022 and hid in the bushes, from where he carried out a savage and fatal knife attack.

Telles denied committing the murder, saying police ignored evidence that suggested other people might be responsible.

In a lengthy monologue from the witness stand, Telles, a lawyer by training, claimed that he was the victim of a conspiracy.

The court will now consider a sentence for premeditated murder with aggravating circumstances, which could lead to life imprisonment.

Glenn Cook, editor in chief of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, said Wednesday that the jury “did Jeff German justice.”

“Jeff was assassinated because he did the job he was proud of: through his reporting, he held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and gave voters the power to elect someone else to the job.”

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 15 media workers have been killed in the United States in connection with their work since 1992.

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