Former politician Robert Telles, accused of killing a Vegas reporter, testifies

CNN
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The former Nevada politician accused of stabbing a Las Vegas investigative journalist to death after a series of critical reports testified before the jury in his murder trial on Wednesday and maintained his innocence.

Robert Telles, the 47-year-old former Clark County public administrator, has pleaded not guilty to murder with use of a deadly weapon in connection with the September 2022 killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German.

“I want to state unequivocally that I am innocent and did not kill Mr. German,” Telles said in a lengthy report, addressing the jury directly.

Telles, who was not interviewed by a defense attorney, repeatedly said he was “nervous” during his testimony and said being charged with this crime was a “nightmare” for him.

His statements were frequently interrupted by objections from prosecutors, which the judge supported. Judge Michelle Leavitt cautioned him to limit his testimony to his personal knowledge and facts, not his opinions.

Telles echoed arguments made by defense attorney Robert Draskovich in his opening statements at the trial, saying he was framed when he tried to root out corruption while serving as Clark County public administrator.

“It would be quite a coincidence that the fact that Mr. German was killed and I was blamed gave them a lucky break,” Telles said. “It's done.”
No consequences, nothing.”

Telles was still giving his account and presenting evidence when the hearing ended for the day. and he is expected to continue his testimony Thursday morning. The trial will resume at 10:30 a.m.

Prosecutors allege Telles was angry about German's articles exposing the unrest in his political office and hid outside the reporter's home in a disguise before stabbing him. About two dozen witnesses testified for the prosecution, which used video and physical evidence to link Telles to the suspect's disguise, a maroon vehicle at the crime scene and DNA under German's fingernails.

The defense, however, claimed that Telles was framed for the murder because he wanted to implement changes in his political office that would have angered the “old guard.”

“From the beginning, they are concerned about Robert Telles and only Robert Telles,” Draskovich said in his opening statement.

The trial in Clark County comes nearly two years after the killing and has revived concerns about violence against journalists even in the United States. Fourteen journalists have been killed in the U.S. since 1992, most recently a television reporter who was shot dead in Florida last year while covering an earlier shooting, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

German, 69, wrote about the underbelly of “Sin City” and covered mobsters, corrupt officials and corrupt government agencies during his life. But prosecutors said his reporting on a little-known office of a county elected official led to the murder.

German had written about allegations of misconduct in the Clark County Public Administrator's office, reporting that Telles had created a hostile work environment and had an inappropriate relationship with a co-worker.

In response to the articles, Telles posted on his campaign website and wrote a letter to German calling the allegations “false” and insisting that German was trying to “drag him through the mud.” In June 2022, Telles lost his bid for re-election in a Democratic primary.

The reporter was found dead with multiple stab wounds outside his home on September 2, 2022. According to the Review-Journal, he was working on a story about Telles the week he was killed.

The indictment states that the murder was “arbitrary, deliberate and premeditated” and/or committed by “ambushing” him.

Prosecutors presented evidence from videos, DNA evidence and a search of Telles' home, as well as equipment, through about two dozen witnesses linking him to the murder. Witnesses included German's neighbors who found his body, those who worked with Telles and investigators who investigated the case.

The key evidence was surveillance video from German's neighborhood the morning of his death, which shows a suspicious person wearing a large sun hat, orange jacket, and gray Nike sneakers, driving a maroon SUV. In the video, the suspect can be seen hiding in the bushes on the side of the house waiting for German, then walking away, returning with the SUV, then driving away again.

The maroon SUV belonged to Telles' family, and a search of his home turned up a cut-up sun hat and cut-up gray Nike sneakers, according to prosecutors. Additionally, DNA under German's fingernails matched Telles' DNA, prosecutors said.

Investigators also examined Telles' phone and found images of German's house and searches related to him on Google Maps, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also provided an explanation for the timing and motive of the murder: German had reported critically about Telles' management, and Telles had received an email related to a public records request 15 hours before the murder, prosecutors said.

Draskovich said in his opening statement that Telles had tried to push through changes in the Clark County public administrator's office, angering an “old guard” in the office. That prompted an investigator to open a bribery investigation into Telles, but tracking of his cellphone showed it was not at the scene at the time of the murder, Draskovich said.

He also questioned the quality of the police investigation and raised the possibility of a conspiracy.

“There is no reasonable explanation for why the hat and shoes were cut into pieces other than to make them easier to conceal and place,” he said. “Importantly, there is no blood on them. There is no connection between the items found in Mr. Telles' house and Jeff German.”