Prosecutors want postponement in Telles murder trial while lawyers review victim’s phone
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — In light of the revelation in court Wednesday that the Las Vegas Review-Journal is claiming 5,000 electronic files contained its slain reporter’s cell phone are “potentially privileged,” prosecutors told a Clark County District Court judge that she should postpone the March 18 murder trial.
Robert Telles, the disgraced former public administrator for Clark County, stands trial for the stabbing death of the newspaper’s investigative reporter, Jeff German, in September 2022. Telles, prosecutors, and attorneys for the R-J and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department argued for months over who should be entitled to review the contents of several electronic devices in German’s possession at the time of his death. Ultimately, the parties agreed to let attorneys for the newspaper handle the review.
Las Vegas judge allows newspaper to review slain reporter’s phones, computers
“We now have to have the lawyers look at what the search team has identified as privileged just to make sure it is in fact privileged,” Joel Tasca, an attorney for the Review-Journal, said in court Wednesday. Tasca said it could take “a few weeks” for the next phase of the review given certain technological hurdles.
“We’ve just sort of begun that process,” Tasca said, admitting that Metro had offered assistance in downloading the unprivileged files more quickly, but that the newspaper is not comfortable with the police or prosecutors having access to any of the privileged files.
“We need a little time to work on that technical solution,” Tasca said.
Telles, with this news and last week’s revelation that German’s phone contained a death threat aimed at the reporter wants the trial to proceed as scheduled.
As such, Robert Draskovich, Telles’ attorney, asked the judge to inquire about “matters [Telles] may or not be waiving ” in a closed-door hearing should Leavitt decide to start the trial before the review of those privileged files is complete.
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