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Jury in trial of Robert Telles, former politician accused in killing of Las Vegas journalist, reaches verdict
The jury in the trial of Robert Telles, a former Clark County, Nevada, elected official who is charged with murder in the death of investigative reporter Jeff German, has reached a verdict.
The court said the verdict is expected to be read at 3 p.m. ET, noon local time. The jury began deliberating Monday, ending for the day after four hours without a verdict.
Telles, 47, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon against a victim 60 or older in the 2022 death of German, who was found outside his home with multiple stab wounds. German was a longtime Las Vegas journalist who had written articles critical of Telles and the Clark County public administrator’s office.
Testimony from 28 prosecution witnesses and six defense witnesses, including Telles himself, concluded Friday. He testified that he was being “framed” by people involved in an alleged scheme, accusing office colleagues, real estate agents, business owners and police. He said it was retaliation for his crusading effort to root out corruption he saw in his office of about eight employees handling probate property cases.
“I’m not crazy. I’m not trying to avoid responsibility,” Telles told the jury on Friday. “I didn’t kill Mr. German, and I’m innocent.”
Telles lost his Democratic primary for a second elected term after German’s stories about him appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal in May 2022. The reports described turmoil and bullying at the Clark County Public Administrator/Guardian office and a romantic relationship between Telles and a female employee.
Telles “did it because Jeff wasn’t done writing,” prosecutor Christopher Hamner said during closing arguments on Monday. “It’s like connecting the dots.”
The day before German was stabbed to death, Telles learned that county officials were about to provide German with email and text messages that Telles and the woman shared, in response to the reporter’s request for public records.
None of German’s blood or DNA was found on Telles, in his vehicle or at his home, defense attorney Robert Draskovich said Monday, urging the jury to, “Ask yourself what is missing.”
Telles’ DNA was found beneath German’s fingernails.
Draskovich also presented a surprise image, a piece of prosecution evidence that had not previously been shown to the jury, at closing arguments of a silhouette of a person who did not look like Telles driving a maroon SUV that evidence showed was key to the crime.
Jurors sent the judge a note late Monday asking for a court technician to show them how to zoom in on laptop video while in the jury room, then remained an hour past the usual 5 p.m. court closing time.
The killing drew widespread attention. German was the only journalist killed in the U.S. in 2022, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The nonprofit has records of 17 media workers killed in the U.S. since 1992.
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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