♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, murder in vegas. a dogged investigative reporter known for getting to the truth -- >> to the powerful on behalf of those who are voiceless -- >> stabbed to death outside his home. the suspect -- >> did you do this? can you tell us anything? >> a local politician he'd been investigating. now charged with murder. how his co-workers helped unravel the crime. plus, explosive new allegation by a new unnamed woman against georgia's republican senate hopeful, herschel walker. >> he encouraged me to have an abortion and gave me the money to do so. >> the staunchly anti-abortion walker saying it's not true. >> i'm done with this foolishness.

i've already told people this is a lie. >> what it could mean for the tight senate race. and elizabeth banks. "the hunger games" and "pitch perfect" actress. her outspokenness and social action coming together in her new film "call jane." >> take a deep breath. >> you've got a knack fthis, could have been a nurse. >> could have been a doctor. >> a role that couldn't be more timely. >> my children had fewer rights than i did growing up. i am now fighting for something that my mother and my grandmother already won. as someone living with type 2 diabetes, i want to keep it real and talk about some risks. with type 2 diabetes you have up to 4 times greater risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. even at your a1c goal, you're still at risk ...which if ignored could bring you here... ...may put you in one of those... ...or even worse. too much? that's the point. get real about your risks and do something about it. talk to your health care provider about ways to lower your risk of stroke, heart attack, or death.

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thanks for joining us. tonight, a former las vegas politician is behind bars. his reputation and his career in tatters as he faces the potential of spending the rest of his life in prison. now charged with the murder of a prominent journalist. was it revenge? las vegas. known for its glitz and glamor. also for its edgy sides. sex, gambling, organized crime. earning its nickname, sin city. a hard-hitting investigative journalist who covered it all found stabbed to death last month, seemingly for doing his job. the suspect, not a mafia hitman,

but a local politician. >> guilty or not guilty? >> not guilty, your honor. >> reporter: robert tellis, a former clark county public administrator, appearing in court pleading not guilty for the murder of reporter jeff gearman. >> almost sort of thought of jeff as a boxer. there was the serious side in the ring, super competitive. was a scoop machine, more scoops than baskin-robbins. he was always digging out stories, always working out sources. everybody trusted jeff. >> just really dedicated to the craft. he was really tenacious with everything that he covered. he was going to keep digging until he got to the bottom of the story or found what he was looking for. >> reporter: his death stunned the city, galvanize his fellow journalists, and raised concerns over the freedom and safety of the press. >> investigative reporter found dead yesterday morning -- >> reporter: the morning of september 3rd, the veteran

reporter found dead just outside his home, stabbed seven times, signs of a struggle. >> i was just shocked. couldn't believe it. needless to say, i didn't really sleep much that night, thinking, like, who could have done this? obviously my mind went to, could it have been somebody that he had been writing about? >> i realize that -- that it was true. and that jeff had been found murdered. my first thought was robert tayis. then i thought, no, it couldn't be. >> rita reid was robert tellis' deputy, working side by side with him for three years. she claims tellis was a bad boss, creating a toxic work environment, alleging he had an inappropriate relationship with a colleague. >> he came into my office several times in a rage. you saw stress every day in multiple employees.

and it just became worse and worse. >> reporter: tellis in a jailhouse interview with our affiliate ktmb denies the allegations. >> it's false. and, you know, i -- the work that we did in that office was -- was very important, very good. we did have a lot of accomplishments. >> reporter: disturbed by tellis' behavior, reid decided to challenge him in the race for clark county public administrator. reid and her co-workers austined off a reporter who had a long history of exposing bad behavior, from corruption to mob murders, jeff gearman. >> so we decided that we would go public, we would try to talk to a journalist here in our community and see if somebody felt it was worthy of reporting. >> reporter: for months, gearman dug into the tip, writing a series of critical articles on tellis' alleged toxic behavior that sent the politician reeling. >> primarily, there were some

things in social media where he the articles. at anger against - >> reporter: in one blog post, tellis taking aim at gearman's reporting, calling it gut-wrenching, writing, it was so ugly you almost had to believe it was true. i could understand why you might have with the writer's skill at pushing buttons. last june, reid defeated tellis in the democratic primary, but never could have predicted what would happen just a few months later. >> i guess maybe i felt there might be an encounter one day or an altercation, a verbal altercation. i just -- i could never have imagined this. >> the prosecutors have officially charged clark county public administrator robert tellis with murder. >> reporter: authorities believe tellis cased gearman's home, lying in wait, according to a criminal complaint. then, disguised in a reflective vest and large hat, fatally stabbed him. >> the victim, 69-year-old jeff gearman, was stabbed seven times. >> reporter: but it wasn't law enforcement alone that helped

crack the case. it was partly the work of gearman's colleagues. david feraro worked with gearman at the paper, sharing a closet-sized office with him at one point. >> for me, what i was thinking about what would jeff have done in this situation if he was a reporter on this? i had him in the back of my mind when i was doing these stories, thinking, like, we've got to do our best job on this story for him. because that's what he would have done. >> reporter: before they could mourn their friend, they had to investigate his murder. >> within moments of them vehicle, a friend of mine who had used to -- who used to work the paper sent me an image from tellis' facebook page that showed the same vehicle that was described by the police, same vehicle that appeared to be in the photo, this dark maroon yukon denali.

and it was tellis' wife and children standing right next to the vehicle. when we saw that, i think there was shock and realized, like, oh my god, this -- this is, you know -- i think this is the guy. >> reporter: after a standoff with police, tellis was arrested and charged with murder. >> did you do this? can you tell us anything? >> reporter: investigators say they found dna evidence linking tellis to the crime. >> dna recovered from the victim's hands, under his fingernails, they do identify the dna of the defendant's. >> reporter: at that point, the mourning process for gearman could begin. >> he really cared about what he was doing. and thought that it was important and that it was his role, and he took it seriously. >> reporter: gearman's career as an award-winning journalist spanned 40 years. he was known as a fierce and fearless investigative reporter who covered everything from

casino corruption to the deadliest mass shooting on american soil. >> i think he covered just about every big news story in, you know in las vegas and nevada for the past 20, 30 years. >> reporter: larry henry worked with gearman at the "las vegas sun." >> watching jeff put a story together and hearing him on the phone, his sense of fairness and balance. on the personal side, you know, from jeff, i just really learned how to be compassionate and empathetic. everybody's story is valid. everybody's story has relevance. and that's what jeff always, always understood. >> reporter: reid believes gearman's commitment to her story cost him his life. >> his death was absolutely devastating to myself and my co-workers, the people that he advocated for. he was our hero. i mean, we can never thank him enough. >> reporter: but gearman's legacy lives on in his stories, in his newsroom, and in the many

lives he touched. >> the work that he did had a great impact on the community. what i feel like i have to think about is to keep that memory of what he was doing alive. >> jeff stood up for people who didn't have any power and didn't have a voice and were often quashed by people in power. also, just being compassionate and empathetic and being a good human being. we turn now to the explosive new allegation against herschel walker. an unnamed new woman has come forward, accusing the republican senate hopeful of pressuring her into having an abortion. here's abc's linsey davis. >> reporter: a second woman is now coming forward claiming georgia senate candidate h herschel walker paid for her to have an abortion r. the woman, who is remaining anonymous, spoke by speakerphone held in the office of her attorney,

gloria allred. she claims when she became pregnant in 1993, he pressured her to have an abortion. >> he encouraged me to have an abortion and gave me the money to do so. >> reporter: the woman, whose claims have not been verified by abc news, said she went to a dallas clinic but couldn't go through with it. she said she left, and told walker, who allegedly became upset. the next morning she claims he drove her back to the clinic herself and waited outside until she had had the procedure. the woman provided what she calls evidence of the relationship but not of the actual abortion itself. today, walker denied it all. >> i'm done with this foolishness. i've already told people this is a lie. i'm not going to entertain, continue to carry the lie on. i also want to let you know, i didn't kill jfk either. >> reporter: walker has previously denied paying for an abortion of another woman, the mother of his children. she's provided receipts from the abortion clinic and a copy of the the $700 check she says walker gave her to pay for the

abortion. did you ever have a conversation with this woman at any time about an abortion? >> no. >> is she lying? >> yes, she's lying. yeah, she's lying. yes, she's lying. >> reporter: walker later acknowledged he did give her the check but claimed it was not for an abortion. as a candidate, walker is a staunch opponent of abortion rights. >> i'm a christian, i believe in life. >> our thanks to linsey. when we come back, "hunger games" actress elizabeth banks on her new film "call jane" and why it couldn't have been more timely. ve had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. you know, insomnia. before i found quviviq, an fda-approved insomnia medication for adults. you would not believe the things i used to think about when i couldn't sleep. hey, linds. i need you to sign this business contract. all 114 pages. lindsey, lindsey!! hey, lindsey! it's workout time. hey, big man, we're in the middle of something here. yeah, it's called physical fitness. just a couple dozen more questions, lindsey.

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♪

actress elizabeth banks is passionate about her new film "call jane," and she's hopeful that the story of a 1960s suburban woman seeking an abortion will resonate and inspire men and women today. she stopped by and spoke with my "nightline" coanchor, byron pitts. >> my children have fewer rights than i did growing up. and i am now fighting for something that my mother and my grandmother already won. >> this particular film, is it a space in which your activism and your acting are aligned? >> i think when you're an artist and you can make something that aligns with your values, there's a real special significance to it. >> reporter: in her latest film "call jane," elizabeth banks is stepping into a role that couldn't be more timely. >> the film coming out right now does feel there's a real urgency in it. hopefully this film presents people with the real circumstances pre-roe america in which women were in back alleys

and dying. >> reporter: "call jane" is set in the late 1960s when abortion was widely illegal. banks plays joy, a suburban chicago housewife forced to make a difficult decision about a life-threatening pregnancy. >> mrs. griffin, your pregnancy is endangering your life. >> the character i play, she's a 40-year-old woman who finds herself pregnant who never in a million years thought that she would have to seek abortion health care. >> reporter: inspired by a real group known as "the jane collective" -- >> julie? yes. >> get in. >> reporter: joy turns to an underground network of women to get an abortion. >> so which one of you is jane? >> we're all jane. >> reporter: their leader, played by sigourney weaver. >> this woman's pretty judgmental of people who seek abortion health care. and has a real political awakening by realizing that, and death. erybody, it's life - >> reporter: the writer, director, producer, and actress has made a name for herself playing dynamic characters on

screens. >> happy hunger games! >> reporter: in "the hunger games." >> may the odds be ever in your favor. >> reporter: and in "pitch perfect." >> john, you're so right, everything else seems wrong. >> reporter: for banks, "call jane" is both personal and political. it's the continuation of years of activism and advocacy. she chairs the creative council at the center for reproductive rights. and last year, banks released the six-part podcast called "my body, my podcast." in it, you advocate for men to get involved in the conversation. what's the conversation, why is this engagement important to you? >> i'm raising two sons. so my goal is to involve them particularly in these conversations. and to educate them about women's rights. >> what do you say to those who say hollywood should not be engaged in taking sides in these very sensitive, personal issues? >> i'll just say this. i'm here today as a storyteller who made a fictionalized version

of a historical event. that's what i did as an artist. i talk to you about my stance on abortion as a citizen of the united states. i have every right to talk to anybody i want to about how i vote. >> you don't have to tell my mom, right? >> that's between you and your mom. >> reporter: "call jane." it comes out at a particular time in our nation's history. accident, coincidental? >> we knew that we were making a film that would hopefully honor the story of the jane collective of chicago, this group of women who provided safe abortions at a time when abortion was illegal and put too many women into dangerous life-threatening situations. >> reporter: some members of the real jane collective were even arrested. charges were later dropped after the supreme court's historic 1973 decision that gave women the constitutional right to an abortion.

even though this is an issue that directly impacts women, men somehow have this unbalanced participation in the process. >> is there a chance that she can survive the pregnancy? >> maybe 50%. >> resulting in the birth of a healthy child. >> i'm here. i'm right here. >> i don't know, gentlemen -- >> you know, that was the reality back then. 11,000 patients had a free abortion health care from the jane collective in the late '60s in chicago. >> what does that say to you? >> it reminds me that abortion is normal. i think the whole point of the film is choice. >> reporter: the movie also addresses the lingering inequities experienced by women of color. >> well, these women need our help just as much as the ones with money. >> we can't change what it costs, joy. it's economics. >> it's interesting how economics always seems to mean that black women get screwed. >> there is the series of moments in the movie where it seems you deal with the issue of abortion and race and equity.

>> there's no doubt that abortion bans disproportionately affect women of color in this country. and that the maternal mortality rates for black women especially are abysmal. >> reporter: banks is hoping "call jane" makes an impact, especially in the lead-up to the midterms. she and her costars are teaming up with abortion providers to screen the film across the country. >> we must protect independent abortion clinics and ensure that everyone has access to the reproductive health care they deserve. >> are there particular audiences that you want to see this film? >> if the movie can do anything, it can hopefully inspire people's empathy for a path that they may never walk, but other women will feel that they need to. >> our thanks to byron. "call jane" is in theaters friday. up next, the wait is almost over. rihanna fans are all fired up about her new single "lift me up."

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fans have waited six long years. and they've been blowing up the internet over the news that her new single is dropping friday. "lift me up." ♪ a tribute to chadwick boseman will be featured on the soundtrack to the "black panther" sequel, "wakanda forever." will she play the single at her super bowl halftime show? only time will tell. that's "nightline." you can watch all our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.