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The former Nevada politician accused of fatally stabbing a Las Vegas investigative journalist after a series of critical stories was found guilty of murder on Wednesday in a trial that highlighted concerns about press safety.

Robert Telles, a 47-year-old former Clark County public defender, was convicted in the September 2022 shooting death of Jeff German, a longtime reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The jury found the killing was “willful, deliberate and premeditated” and carried out “by lying in wait.” Telles shook his head as the verdict was read.

Telles faces a maximum prison sentence of life. The sentencing phase of the trial begins Wednesday afternoon.

Glenn Cook, editor in chief of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, issued a statement praising the ruling, calling it a “measure of justice” for German and murdered journalists around the world.

“Jeff was assassinated because he did the kind of work he took pride in: His reporting held an elected official accountable for bad behavior and gave voters the power to elect someone else to the job,” Cook said.

“Today, justice has also been served for murdered journalists around the world. Our jobs are becoming increasingly risky and sometimes dangerous. In many countries, the murderers of journalists go unpunished. Not so in Las Vegas. Our thanks go to the police and prosecutors whose diligent work brought this conviction.

“Let us also remember that this community has lost much more than a trusted journalist. Jeff was a good man who left behind a family who loved him and friends who cherished him. His murder remains a disgrace. He will be missed.”

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said the verdict sent a clear message: “Any attempt to silence the media or to silence or intimidate any journalist will not be tolerated.”

The trial in Clark County comes nearly two years after the killing, which raised concerns about violence against journalists, even in the United States. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 14 journalists have been killed in the U.S. since 1992.

German, 69, had written about the underbelly of “Sin City” and had covered mobsters, corrupt officials and corrupt government agencies in an ink-stained life. Yet prosecutors said it was his reporting from a little-known office run by an elected county official that led to the killing.

German had written about allegations of misconduct in the Clark County Public Administrator’s office, reporting that Telles had created a hostile work environment and had an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. Those articles helped lose Telles’ bid for re-election in a June 2022 Democratic primary.

The reporter was found dead with stab wounds outside his home on September 2, 2022.

Prosecutors alleged that Telles killed German because he was angry about the reporter’s articles and worried about another upcoming story. Telles wore a disguise — including a large sun hat — and hid outside the reporter’s home before fatally stabbing him, prosecutors said.

About two dozen witnesses testified for the prosecution, which used video and physical evidence to link Telles to the suspect’s disguise, a maroon vehicle at the crime scene and DNA found under German’s fingernails.

“He killed him because Jeff’s writing destroyed his career, destroyed his reputation, probably threatened his marriage and exposed things that he himself admitted he didn’t want the public to know,” prosecutor Christopher Hamner said in his rebuttals Monday. “He did it because Jeff wasn’t done writing.”

In contrast, the defense said Telles was framed for death because he tried to make changes in his political office that angered the “old guard.” Telles testified in his own defense at trial and denied wrongdoing, alleging a conspiracy that a real estate agency had hired a hitman to kill the reporter and then frame him.

“I want to say unequivocally that I am innocent. I did not kill Mr. German,” Telles testified.

The trial began about two weeks ago and the jury began deliberations on Monday.

The prosecution focused on surveillance footage from German’s neighborhood on the day of the killing, which showed a suspect wearing a large sun hat, an orange jacket and gray Nike sneakers, driving a maroon SUV. The suspect hid in bushes on the side of German’s house, waited for the reporter to come home, then fatally stabbed him and left him to die, prosecutors said.

The maroon SUV belonged to Telles, and he was later seen washing the vehicle in front of his home, prosecutors said. When police executed a search warrant at Telles’ home, they found a large sun hat and gray Nike sneakers that had been cut up and hidden, prosecutors said.

In addition, DNA found under German’s fingernails was consistent with Telles’ DNA, prosecutors said. Detectives also examined Telles’ phone and found Google Maps images of German’s home, prosecutors said.

During Monday’s arguments, Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly summarized the evidence again, showing Telles’ texts criticizing German’s articles.

“He was clearly very upset that those articles were written and that he lost the primary because of it,” Weckerly said.

Defense attorney Robert Draskovich focused the defense on challenging the quality of the investigation and arguing that there was a lack of evidence. He said investigators found no blood from German on Telles’ belongings and raised questions about the damage to the hat and shoes.

Telles, who is trained as a lawyer, took the stand and testified in a narrative style, meaning he spoke without being questioned by his own lawyer. He offered a conspiracy theory of events in which a real estate agency, his office colleagues, the police, the DNA lab and prosecutors all agreed to hire a hitman to kill German and then frame him.

“I didn’t cut up a shoe and hide it under my couch. I didn’t cut up a hat and put it in an open door of my toolbox. I didn’t kill Mr. German,” he said.

Telles said that on the day of the murder, he was at home watching TV before going for a walk and going to the gym. He showed a phone log of his activities that day and said there was nothing “suspicious” about it.

But during a tense cross-examination, prosecutor Christopher Hamner pointed out an inconsistency between Telles’ phone records and text messages on his wife’s Apple Watch, including a message from his wife asking, “Where are you?”

In his closing argument, Telles’ own attorney indicated that he did not fully endorse Telles’ theory of the conspiracy, although he did understand his client’s way of thinking.

“It’s understandable why he believes in this far-reaching conspiracy,” Draskovich said. “What other options does he have under these circumstances?”

But in the prosecution’s defense, Hamner ridiculed the conspiracy, bluntly telling the jury, “It made no sense.”

“What it does give you a glimpse into is what’s going on in his mind. That’s how important Mr. Telles sees himself to be. That each of these people, these entities, were literally willing to kill another human being — who isn’t him — just to trap him,” Hamner said. “Is that true? And more importantly, where is the evidence to support that?”

This is a developing story and will be updated.