Prosecutor interrogates Robert Telles; defendant denies murder but admits affair

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Day 9 of the Robert Telles murder trial continued with narrative testimony from the defendant followed by cross-examination by prosecutor Christopher Hamner.

Telles is the former Clark County public administrator who is accused of killing Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German in September 2022.

WATCH LIVE UPDATES | Jaewon Jung is in the courtroom during the murder trial of Robert Telles

The prosecution believes that articles German had written about Telles were a motive for the murder.

During continued testimony Thursday, Telles broke down at one point when pictures of his home were shown after police served a search warrant.

“I'm sorry. I knew I didn't do that, but the police claimed they had that evidence,” Telles told jurors.

Telles ended his statement by saying he was “not the type of person who would stab someone.” However, this statement was interrupted by several objections from Hamner.

“I never beat anyone. I never killed anyone,” Telles said.

After a break, Hamner began cross-examining Telles.

Because Telles was on the witness stand, he could not invoke the Fifth Amendment and was open to all of Hamner's questions.

Hamner asked questions about everything from articles German had written about Telles to evidence police found in his car and phone, and even his own words told jurors.

Telles had said the killer looked like a “professional,” so Hamner asked why the suspect was wearing conspicuous clothing and returning to the crime scene.

“Sir, doesn’t that look a bit amateurish?” asked Hamner Telles.

Hamner also asked about Telles' statement that he washed his vehicles shortly after German's murder.

“Don’t you think that washing might make the evidence disappear?” Hamner pressed.

Telles said he washed all three of his vehicles, but only the outsides.

At the heart of Telles' defense from the beginning has been the claim that he was being framed by both the police and a private real estate group called Compass Realty & Management because he wanted to expose them for alleged bribery.

“The most important piece of evidence, the murder weapon, is not in your house, despite the theory that the crime is being framed on you?” asked Hamner.

Telles replies that this is correct.

Then Hamner asks how the real estate company manages to “plant” all the evidence…

“The best way to bring me down was to frame me for the murder of Mr. German,” Telles said.

Hamner then asked about the articles German had written about Telles and how he had sent text messages to his colleague Nichole Lofton about the impact of those stories.

Telles admitted that the articles cost him his re-election and even said he was angry.

He also admitted for the first time to having had an affair with Roberta Lee-Kennett, a fellow bureau employee, a key element in German's first article on Telles.

Telles also said he lied to German about the affair during an interview.

“I didn’t think it was any of the public’s business,” Telles said.

The cross-examination ended with Hamner asking about the text message exchange between Telles and his wife on the day German was killed.

Hamner showed messages his wife received from her Apple Watch on her iPhone at around 10:35 a.m. on September 2, 2022.

It says: “Where are you?”

The same message was not found on Telles' phone.

Telles had said he was at home at the time of German's murder, but told jurors he was “out for a walk” when he received the news from his wife.

The cross-examination ended on Thursday afternoon.

Telles is expected to continue the examination on Friday morning.