The second day of the murder trial in the killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative journalist Jeff German ended Tuesday evening with jury selection.
Telles is on trial for murder after prosecutors accused him of stabbing a reporter in September 2022 over articles the reporter had written about his conduct as an elected official.
Here are the three most important findings from the second day of negotiations:
Jury is selected
Seven men and seven women were selected for the jury, which consists of twelve members and two alternates. The jury selection process began on Monday afternoon and continued throughout Tuesday.
There were more than 60 potential jurors on the first day of the trial. That list was whittled down to fewer than 40 on Tuesday, but more than two dozen more potential jurors were asked to join the jury Tuesday afternoon.
Attorneys debated Tuesday night over no-cause objections, which are submitted to the judge in writing to dismiss jurors for virtually any reason. Both sides had as many as nine no-cause objections, but the defense and prosecution each used only eight, said Telles’ defense attorney Robert Draskovich.
Prosecution and defense question potential jurors
Attorneys questioned jurors on a wide range of issues, including their opinions about the fairness of the criminal justice system, whether they would treat police officers differently than other witnesses, and whether a defendant’s decision to testify or not would affect their judgment.
Jurors were also asked whether they had heard about the case through social media or news reports. If they had heard about the case before, they were asked to pledge to remain impartial.
Opening speeches planned for Wednesday
The trial is expected to continue on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. with opening statements.
In homicide cases, it is common for opening statements between the defense and the prosecution to last several hours. The judge has announced that the trial will last until 5 p.m. each day.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at [email protected] or 702-383-0240.
