Metro Police
The suspect was driving this 2007-2014 red/maroon GMC Yukon Denali SUV in the fatal stabbing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German outside his home Friday, as seen in an image taken from security video footage, Metro Police said.
Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 | 5:11 p.m.
Metro Police released surveillance images of the individual suspected in the fatal stabbing of journalist Jeff German.
Metro Police today renewed a plea for help from the public and released new video footage of the suspect they believe fatally stabbed a Las Vegas investigative journalist last week, along with a description of the suspect’s vehicle.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday at a news briefing, homicide Capt. Dori Koren said Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, 69, was fatally stabbed by an unknown suspect after an altercation outside German’s Las Vegas home, located in the 7200 block of Bronze Circle, near Vegas Drive and Tenaya Way, Friday between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. The suspect was casing the area to potentially commit crimes before being confronted by German, Koren said. Officers were called to the residence about 10:30 a.m. Saturday after a report of a body outside of the house, and German was pronounced dead at the scene with multiple stab wounds.
Police are now seeking a 2007-2014 red/maroon GMC Yukon Denali SUV, with a sunroof, chrome door handles and a luggage rack on top, Koren said. Surveillance footage obtained and released by Metro show the suspect wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat, a bright orange work shirt with silver reflective markings, blue pants, sneakers, gloves and a duffle bag. The suspect has not yet been identified, Koren said.
Few details other than what police released over the weekend were given at Tuesday’s briefing. Koren declined to answer questions such as the suspect’s potential motive, if the body was moved or what weapon was used, citing the need to maintain the investigation’s integrity.
Koren, however, did say the Review-Journal was cooperating with the investigation.
“It’s very important for us not only to identify and arrest the suspect, but we want to do this case in a way where we can have a solid prosecution and hold that person accountable,” Koren said. “And that means that some of the details of the investigation we cannot release at this time because we have to maintain the integrity of the case.”
Koren also emphasized that while Metro is investigating a string of burglaries in which the suspect has been seen wearing a similar construction shirt and sun hat, she said it was too early to connect the cases. The killing appears to have been an isolated incident, Koren said, and there is no imminent threat to the public’s safety.
German, a former Las Vegas Sun reporter, covered some of Sin City’s most noteworthy news events over the past four decades — from the deadly MGM fire in 1980, the death of casino boss Ted Binion in the late 1990s, the FBI investigation in the early 2000s into bribes taken by Clark County Commissioners, and many others. He joined the Review-Journal 12 years ago after more than two decades at the Sun, where he was a columnist and reporter who covered courts, politics, labor, government and organized crime.
He was also the author of the 2001 true-crime book “Murder in Sin City: The Death of a Las Vegas Casino Boss,” the story and death of Binion, heir of the Horseshoe Club fortune. German covered Binion’s death and subsequent murder trial for the Sun, documenting how Binion’s girlfriend s Sandra Murphy and her love interest Rick Tabish — were acquitted on murder charges after initially being convicted in the death.
Metro has initiated “Major Case Protocol” which combines department resources to streamline the investigation’s chain of command in an attempt to solve the killing as quickly as possible, Koren said. It’s a tactic used to investigate matters of high interest, he added.
Investigators have made “tremendous progress” since Saturday, but still need the public’s help with finding any information that may be of interest to the case, Koren said. He also urged members of the public who see suspicious activity in their neighborhoods to contact police immediately.
Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at 702-828-7777, or to email [email protected]. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555, or go online at www.crimestoppersofnv.com.