The wheels of justice generally grind slowly in murder cases. The arraignment of accused killer Robert Telles Wednesday in district court, however, was the essence of judicial economy.

Indicted last week for the Sept. 2 stabbing death of Las Vegas investigative reporter Jeff German, former Clark County Public Administrator Telles entered a not-guilty plea. On a day that saw the District Attorney’s Office decline to seek the death penalty in the high-profile case, no-nonsense District Judge Tierra Jones swiftly assigned the case to District Judge Michelle Leavitt, set a status check for Nov. 2, and moved on to other business.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson later explained the legal reasoning behind his office’s decision. The short version: Although the evidence against Telles is overwhelming, the aggravating circumstances necessary to warrant the state’s ultimate penalty aren’t present.

Six public administrator employees, each identifiable by the pin they wore bearing German’s image, watched the brief proceeding in silence from the back of the courtroom.

In the noisy hallway following the hearing, Assistant Public Administrator Rita Reid, a candidate for the office Telles held until just weeks ago, spoke on behalf of co-workers she says are processing trauma that began with alleged workplace harassment and ended with the murder of a reporter who was willing to tell their story.

“We just wanted to be there and have Jeff’s presence with us, as kind of a reminder that he’s not forgotten in all of this,” Reid says. She was one of two veteran staffers who complained about Telles’ behavior, which she says led her to challenge him in the Democratic primary.

She heaped praise on the reporter’s effort to get their story out. As accusations of a hostile workplace and keeping an “inappropriate relationship” with a favored employee rose in the headlines, Telles’ re-election hopes faded. When he lost, he blamed his critics and German for his defeat. This, police say, was a motive for murder.

Veteran staffer Aleisha Goodwin, who filed an 18-page complaint about Telles with Clark County, accompanied the group to court but declined an interview request.

Instead, it was Reid, the office veteran-turned-candidate who says she was driven to run against Telles because of the toxic work environment, who answered reporters’ questions. She described how German’s efforts “changed our lives” and “changed our office for the better. We just want to honor him.”

The public administrator’s office investigates and processes the probate of people who die without a will or family. Although the office has a history of scandal, Telles was elected in 2018 as a practicing probate attorney with an eye on efficiency and reform.

In the wake of German’s murder, Reid says the office remains understaffed but is striving to move forward with four full-time and 15 part-time staff. The office is also receiving assistance from other departments, including the coroner’s and public guardian offices.

“It’s been very challenging emotionally,” she says. “… The dedication to the work is what this was all about in the first place. These individuals, and myself included, we’re trying to live up to that and take care of families. Is it as good as it should be right now? No. We’re trying to build it back up.”

While police, prosecution, defense and the Las Vegas Review-Journal continue to struggle for control of German’s laptops and cell phone in an issue that has now reached the Nevada Supreme Court, the decision not to seek the death penalty was easier, Wolfson says: The known facts didn’t fit any of the 15 aggravating circumstances listed in Nevada law. Pam Wecklerly, Chief of the DA’s Major Violators Unit, is prosecuting the Telles case.

The facts of the case, Wolfson says, “scream out for justice,” but, “Nevada law provides that we can only seek the death penalty if there’s an aggravating circumstance we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. …Based on the facts of the case, we have a very strong case, and I’m confident that we will obtain a conviction.”

With professional experience that includes work as a management analyst with the District Attorney’s Office, Reid knows that homicide cases often turn into marathons that stretch over years. She says she and other staff members will continue to try to make their support felt for the victim.

“It's going to be a difficult time, but we’re going to move on as best we can in the office and try to make that better,” Reid says. “That’s what Jeff was trying to do, improve the services of a government office. As small as we are, we are important to the people that we serve, and he felt that that was important. And so, the team here and others are working extremely hard to make that happen.”

John L. Smith is an author and longtime columnist. He was born in Henderson and his family’s Nevada roots go back to 1881. His stories have appeared in Time, Readers Digest, The Daily Beast, Reuters, Ruralite and Desert Companion, among others. He also offers weekly commentary on Nevada Public Radio station KNPR.