On Oct. 3, 2022, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department found journalist Jeff German stabbed to death in his driveway. His murder shook the staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where German earned a respected reputation for tenacious reporting and, among others, protecting his sources.
According to the Review-Journal, German once tested Nevada’s shield law by refusing to divulge his sources to a mafia attorney in court, an act that has imprisoned journalists in federal courts and states with fewer protections. However, German’s murder investigation is now challenging this law with little legal precedent that would allow Metro police to search through German’s phone, computers and external hard drive — all of which Metro seized during the investigation.
