Hello and welcome to the sidebar presented by true crime news taking you inside the courtrooms of high profile and notorious cases from across the country. I'm your

host Joshua Ritter. I'm a criminal defense lawyer based in Los Angeles and previously an LA County prosecutor for a decade.

We are recording this on Thursday, August 29, 2024.

On today's episode, a high-profile attorney who defrauded his vulnerable clients out of millions of dollars,

using his celebrity status and reputation to embezzle money from victims.

Plus, a very young teen forced to make the adult decision

to face trial for the shooting death of her mother.

But first, a politician's disastrous testimony and life sentence for the murder of an investigative journalist

I am flying solo this week, so we're gonna just jump right into these cases. First out of Las Vegas, Nevada, a politician

received a life sentence for the fatal stabbing of an investigative journalist whose articles

cost the former public official an election.

Jurors found Robert Teas guilty of the stabbing death of a reporter Jeff German,

though Teas proclaimed he was unequivocally innocent.

Teis' own assertions likely inflected

in measurable damage to his defense,

as the disgraced politician took the stand

for nearly three days in a sprawling testimony that continued in a narrative form without

questions from his defense attorney.

Shortly after the verdict was read, the trial transitioned to the punishment phase,

Hending Teis a life sentence with parole eligibility after 20 years.

If we look at the evidence against Mr. Teas in this case. I have to say I think it was overwhelming. I mean I tried my best to be as

objective as I can and allow the juries to speak in these cases.

...