Ex-politician Robert Telles pleads not guilty to killing Las Vegas reporter Jeff German

Prosecutors said they won't seek the death penalty against a former Las Vegas-area politician who pleaded not guilty Wednesday to killing a veteran investigative journalist who wrote articles critical of him and his managerial conduct.

"Not guilty, your honor," Robert Telles, a Democrat who has been stripped of his elected position, responded during his arraignment on an indictment in the Sept. 2 stabbing death of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German outside of his home.

Telles, 45, appeared with his new lawyer, Ryan Helmick, who Telles hired to replace deputy public defenders initially named to his case at taxpayer expense following a declaration by Telles that he was unable to afford a lawyer.