How long will Robert Telles spend in prison for killing Jeff German?

Robert Telles, the former Clark County public administrator found guilty of killing Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, could spend the rest of his life in prison.

But the 47-year-old is also eligible for parole, and under Nevada law, District Judge Michelle Leavitt can order him to spend even more time in prison with sentencing enhancements. She has ordered Telles to appear in court on Oct. 16 for that sentencing hearing.

Jurors found Telles guilty on Wednesday of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon against a victim 60 or older for killing German over articles he wrote about Telles’ conduct as an elected official. The jury then determined that he will spend life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years.

“The best-case scenario is he could be eligible for parole after 21 years, and he’s been in custody now for two,” Telles’ defense attorney, Robert Draskovich, told reporters on Wednesday. “Every day that he’s in the Clark County Detention Center applies to his ultimate sentence.”

The two years Telles has spent in custody since he was arrested in the September 2022 stabbing death will reduce the amount of time he has until facing a parole board.

Sentencing enhancements are factors that can add additional years to a defendant’s time in prison. It used to be possible to double a defendant’s sentence with additional penalties, but enhancements now carry anywhere from one to 20 more years in prison, according to local defense attorney Josh Tomsheck.

Neither the main sentence nor an enhancement sets an exact number of years for a defendant to spend behind bars.

“Just like any other sentence in the state of Nevada, they will impose two terms, a bottom number and a top number,” Tomsheck said.

Enhancements can’t be ‘stacked’

In Telles’ case, the “bottom number” on his sentence will affect when he will first see a parole board. A judge has the power to set an enhancement’s bottom number at anywhere from one to eight years, meaning Telles could be eligible for parole in 19 to 26 years with credit for the time he already has spent in jail.

Regardless of the “top number” on his enhancement, Telles will still be facing a maximum term of life in prison.

Telles faces two additional penalties — the deadly weapon enhancement and an enhancement for killing an older person. But additional penalties can’t “stack” under Nevada law, meaning only one of the enhancements will add more time to his sentence.

In Nevada, inmates have the option to earn “credits” through education and good behavior, which reduce the number of years or months they spend in prison before being eligible for parole. But state law indicates that credits cannot be earned by inmates convicted of a category A felony, like first-degree murder.

Although Telles may not be able to earn credits, Tomsheck said a future parole board will have multiple factors to consider when determining if Telles will be released, including his prior criminal history and his behavior in prison.

A parole board also can consider what programming Telles participates in while in prison, statements from German’s family, and whether Telles has expressed any remorse.

During trial, prosecutors accused him of failing to take responsibility for killing German. Telles maintained when he testified that he was framed, repeating over and over that he did not commit the crime.

He shook his head back and forth when the guilty verdict was announced to the courtroom on Wednesday.

Telles is expected to appeal

Draskovich also has stated that Telles is already looking at how to appeal the case. The attorney told reporters on Wednesday that Telles could appeal based on search warrants issued in the case, which Telles tried and failed to challenge before the trial.

“He’s going to continue on fighting this case,” Draskovich said, adding that an appeal would be handled by an appellate attorney, and that he was only retained for trial.

Tomsheck said a parole board will not hold appeals against a defendant, and that appeals are standard following most jury trials. A defendant could decide not to pursue the appeals process, but that rarely happens, the attorney said.

The case against Telles was staggering. Officials testified at trial that Telles’ DNA was found underneath German’s fingernails, Telles’ phone data contained images of German’s home from Google maps, and his work computer contained information about German’s address. Police found cut-up pieces of tennis shoes and a straw hat at Telles’ home, matching items seen on the assailant when he attacked German outside the reporter’s home.

Telles did not have an explanation for the DNA and physical evidence, other than his belief that there was a conspiracy to frame him for murder.

Prosecutors asked for the jury to give Telles a life sentence, but they left it up to the jurors to decide if Telles would receive parole. Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly told reporters on Wednesday that she felt comfortable allowing the jury to decide between life in prison with or without parole.

“We knew that the jurors had spent a lot of time with the case, and we also knew that there were two families involved,” she said. “It’s a complicated situation. He doesn’t have an extensive criminal history.”

Employees at the Clark County public administrator’s office, who worked under Telles and spoke to German for his articles, told the Review-Journal on Wednesday that they feared Telles being released from prison one day.

“We’ve always said if he ever sees the light of day we’re in trouble,” said Aleisha Goodwin, adding that she was a “little disappointed” in his sentence.

Jessica Coleman, who also worked at the office and said she acted as a confidential source for German, was not sure that about 20 years in prison would be enough to rehabilitate Telles. She hopes that a parole board will not release him in two decades.

“I’m going to try not to be in fear of that and just work to keep the system going,” she said.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.