The trial of a Las Vegas-area politician accused of killing investigative reporter Jeff German starts Monday with jury selection in Nevada.

Jeff German, 69, was a respected journalist with deep sources in Las Vegas, known for reporting on courts, organized crime, government corruption, political scandals, and mass shootings. His death on Labor Day weekend 2022 drew national attention as he was the only journalist killed in the U.S. that year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Prosecutors allege that articles German wrote about Robert Telles, a public official, motivated the murder. Telles, 47, is accused of lying in wait for German outside his home and stabbing him to death. Police identified Telles from surveillance footage showing a person in an orange work shirt and straw hat near the crime scene. Telles was later seen washing a maroon SUV similar to one spotted near German’s home.

Telles, who became a lawyer in 2015 and served as a Democrat in 2018 as Clark County administrator of estates, lost his position and had his law license suspended after his arrest.

Robert Telles pleaded not guilty to open murder and could face life in prison if convicted.

Jury selection involves over 100 prospective jurors, with interviews and empaneling expected to take several days. The trial testimony will likely last less than two weeks, and prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.

Judge Michelle Leavitt will also hear a final request from Telles to dismiss the case, citing claims of illegal detention, deleted evidence, and omitted hospital blood tests. Telles has faced numerous legal setbacks, including failed attempts to have Leavitt removed from the case.

German’s family has not publicly commented, but prosecutors say they have strong evidence including DNA from Telles found beneath German’s fingernails. The trial’s progress was delayed partly due to a legal battle over the disclosure of confidential sources on German’s devices.

Telles seeks to block trial testimony about a hostile workplace and a discrimination lawsuit pending against him. The Committee to Protect Journalists notes that 17 journalists have been killed in the U.S. since 1992, including 15 for work-related reasons.

“The ability of journalists to do their job freely and safely is essential for public accountability,” said Gabe Rottman from the Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press. “Threatening a journalist’s life for doing their job should never happen.”