Robert Telles testifies in reporter murder trial – WATCH LIVE | Courts

Former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles will take the witness stand for the third consecutive day Friday in his own murder trial for the killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German.

Telles, 47, faced cross-examination on Thursday after giving his testimony to the jury in the form of a report without being interrupted by questions from his defense attorney.

He will have another opportunity to address the jury on Friday as part of the reordering of witness testimony. After that, prosecutors can ask more questions and call rebuttal witnesses before beginning closing arguments.

Experienced lawyers said it was unusual for defendants to give their testimony in the form of a narrative text.

Prosecutors accuse Telles of stabbing 69-year-old German to death on September 2, 2022. The reason for this was articles the journalist had written about Telles' conduct as an elected official. The articles said, among other things, that he had created a hostile work environment and had an “inappropriate” relationship with a co-worker.

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Hamner questioned Telles for more than two hours Thursday, bombarding Telles with a series of rapid-fire questions as Telles continued to insist that he was framed for German's murder.

Telles claimed evidence was planted on his phone and in his home. He said police officers may have tampered with evidence, and he said he did not know how his own DNA ended up under German's fingernails.

Hamner also questioned Telles about a message he found on his wife's Apple Watch in which she asked him “Where are you?” on the morning of the German's death. The message was not found on Telles' phone.

Telles also admitted in an interview with German that he lied about the nature of his relationship with his co-worker Roberta Lee-Kennett.

“We had a romantic affair with each other,” Telles said.

Telles' extensive testimony before the jury focused primarily on an alleged bribery scheme in housing construction that he had reported to authorities.

Metropolitan Police Department Detective Derek Jappe testified last week that he investigated both the bribery scheme reported by Telles and allegations that Telles himself received bribes.

Jappe said he found no evidence that Telles received any bribes, and the Clark County District Attorney's Office concluded there was insufficient evidence to prosecute in the alleged scheme reported by Telles.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at [email protected] or 702-383-0240.