A Las Vegas jury has concluded its second day of deliberations in the murder trial of Robert Telles, a former Democratic official accused of killing investigative reporter Jeff German. The crime occurred two years ago after German published stories that Telles claimed ruined his career, reputation, and marriage. Jurors have spent over 10 hours deliberating since Monday's closing arguments.
Prosecutor Christopher Hamner argued that Telles' guilt was evident, and that the jury simply had to "connect the dots." On the eve of German's murder, Hamner said Telles discovered German planned to write about his alleged affair with an employee, following a previous series of damning articles. Defense attorney Robert Draskovich shared a photo of a person behind the wheel of a maroon SUV that has been linked to the crime; the profile does not resemble Telles, who owns a maroon SUV.
And while DNA presumed to be Telles' was found under German's fingernails, the defense pointed out that no blood or DNA of German's was discovered on Telles or his property. Telles maintains his innocence, alleging he was framed by people as payback for his efforts to rid his office of corruption. If convicted, Telles faces a life sentence. The trial has seen 28 prosecution witnesses and numerous pieces of evidence, with the jury set to continue deliberations on Wednesday. Families of both German and Telles have remained largely out of the courtroom spotlight. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)