By Eagle news feed
Jeff German was a veteran investigative reporter who had exposed corruption, organized crime, and scandals in Las Vegas for four decades.
He was also a podcaster and an author of a true crime book.
He was stabbed to death outside his home on September 3, 2022, in a brutal attack that shocked the journalism community and raised concerns about the safety of reporters in the US.
German, who was 69 years old, worked for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he had covered some of the most high-profile stories in the city, such as the MGM Grand fire in 1980, the FBI investigation into bribes taken by Clark County commissioners (Operation G-Sting) in the early 2000s, the death of casino boss Ted Binion in 1998, and the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.
He was also the writer and host of the podcast series Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas, which was co-produced with the Mob Museum.
According to police, German was involved in an altercation with someone outside his house on September 2, around 11:30 a.m.
He was stabbed multiple times and left to die on his driveway.
His body was discovered by a neighbor the next day, who called 911.
Police said they had identified a suspect for his murder based on DNA evidence and surveillance footage.
On September 7, police arrested Clark County public administrator Robert Telles on suspicion of German’s murder.
Telles, who was 45 years old, was an elected official who oversaw the estates of people who died without heirs or wills.
German had reported on allegations of mismanagement, unlawful misconduct, and bullying in Telles’ office, as well as an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.
Telles had lost his re-election bid in the Democratic primary after German’s stories were published.
Telles was charged with murder with a deadly weapon and held without bail.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Clark County court, Telles “did willfully, unlawfully, with malice aforethought, kill Jeffrey German, who was 60 years of age or older, with use of a deadly weapon.”
The complaint alleged that Telles stabbed German “multiple times about the body” and that he was “lying in wait” for him. The murder was described as “willful, deliberate, and premeditated.”
The killing of German sparked outrage and grief among his colleagues, friends, and fellow journalists.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s executive editor Glenn Cook said the staff was “devastated to lose Jeff.”
He praised German as “a dogged reporter who never backed down from a tough story or a powerful person.”
He also said that German’s death was “a reminder of the dangers journalists face every day.”
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) condemned the murder and called for justice.
SPJ president Rebecca Aguilar said that German “was killed for doing his job” and that his death was “a tragedy for his family, friends, and colleagues.”
She also said that SPJ would “continue to fight for press freedom and the safety of journalists in this country and around the world.”
German’s former employer, the Las Vegas Sun, also paid tribute to him as “a fearless journalist who took on mobsters and corruption.”
The Sun’s editor Brian Greenspun said that German “was one of those rare reporters who could dig deep into complex issues and make them understandable to readers.”
He also said that German “was a friend and a mentor to many journalists in Las Vegas.”
German’s legacy lives on through his work and his impact on journalism.
His last story, which he co-wrote with Washington Post reporter Shawn Boburg, was published posthumously on February 4, 2023.
It exposed a Ponzi scheme that defrauded hundreds of investors out of millions of dollars.
The story was based on documents that German had obtained from a whistleblower before his death.
German is survived by his wife, two sons, and four grandchildren.
