A veteran reporter was murdered outside his home. Now his newspaper is tasked with covering the alleged killer’s trial

As opening statements in the murder trial of Robert Telles began last week, the Las Vegas Review-Journal was confronted with a nightmarish question: How does a newspaper cover the trial of a suspect accused of murdering one of its own reporters?

As opening statements in the murder trial of Robert Telles began last week, the Las Vegas Review-Journal was confronted with a nightmarish question: How does a newspaper cover the trial of a suspect accused of murdering one of its own reporters? The once-unimaginable prospect is one the newspaper and its staff have faced for nearly two years after Telles, a 47-year-old former Clark County public administrator, was arrested and charged in the fatal stabbing of Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German. The shocking death of the veteran journalist came after the reporter spent months covering turmoil and allegations of harassment inside Telles’ office. Telles has proclaimed his innocence and faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted. Newsrooms are no stranger to tragedy and grief, deploying journalists into war zones, interviewing victims and subjects accused of heinous crimes, and receiving threats to their personal safety. But while most newsrooms face their own discrete challenges, offering objective coverage of a colleague’s murder in a publication’s own backyard is a tall order, even for the most seasoned professionals. Yet for the Review-Journal, this tightrope walk has become the norm over the last two years. “Jeff’s reporting revealed a boss who was accused of bullying and retaliation, fostering a hostile workplace, and engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a female coworker,” Rhonda Prast, a former Review-Journal editor who managed the investigative team’s ongoing probe following German’s death, said at last year’s Investigative Reporters & Editors’ conference. In the wake of German’s reporting, Telles went on to lose his Democratic primary race, bringing his time in public office to an end. Following the election, Telles published an angry letter on his website attacking the Review-Journal and its reporting, denying allegations in German’s reporting. After German’s body was discovered outside of his home, Review-Journal reporters, still shaken by the grisly crime, immediately embarked on a reporting offensive to find his killer and finish his work.