Former politician accused of killing Vegas reporter testifies: ‘I am innocent’

(CNN) — The former Nevada politician accused of fatally stabbing a Las Vegas investigative reporter after a series of critical stories took the stand Wednesday, telling the jury in his murder trial he is innocent.

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

“I want to say, unequivocally, I am innocent, I didn’t kill Mr. German,” Telles testified during a sprawling narrative, speaking directly to the jury.

Telles, who was not questioned by a defense attorney, repeatedly said he was “nervous” during his testimony, and indicated that being accused of the crime has been a “nightmare.”

His narrative was interrupted often by objections from prosecutors that were sustained by the judge. Judge Michelle Leavitt reminded him to limit his testimony to his personal knowledge and facts, rather than his opinions.

Telles reiterated what defense attorney Robert Draskovich argued during opening statements in the trial, saying he was framed after trying to root out corruption while serving as the Clark County Public Administrator.

“It’d be quite a coincidence, the fact that Mr. German was killed and it was put on me, that they just had a serendipitous benefit from that,” Telles said. “It’s done. No repercussions, no nothing.”

Telles was still giving his narrative and presenting exhibits when court ended for the day and he is expected to continue his testimony Thursday morning. The trial resumes at 10:30 a.m.

Prosecutors have alleged Telles, angry about German’s articles exposing turmoil in his political office, wore a disguise and hid outside the reporter’s home before fatally stabbing him. About two dozen witnesses testified for the prosecution, which used video and physical evidence to tie Telles to the suspect’s disguise, a maroon vehicle at the scene and DNA from under German’s fingernails.

In contrast, the defense said Telles had been framed for the death because he was trying to make changes in his political office that upset the “Old Guard.”

“From the get-go, they are concerned with Robert Telles, and Robert Telles alone,” Draskovich said in opening statements.

Telles lost reelection bid in 2022

The trial in Clark County comes nearly two years after the killing highlighted concerns about violence against journalists, even in the United States. There have been 14 journalists killed in the US since 1992, most recently a TV reporter who was fatally shot 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 had covered mobsters, crooked officials and corrupt government agencies in an ink-stained life. Yet prosecutors said it was his coverage of a little-known office run by an elected county official that led to the murder.

German had written about allegations of wrongdoing in the Clark County Public Administrator’s office, reporting that Telles created a hostile work environment and carried on an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.

In response to the articles, Telles published posts on his campaign’s website and wrote a letter to German in which he called the allegations “false” and insisted German was trying to “drag me through the mud.” In June 2022, Telles lost his bid for reelection in a Democratic primary.

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

The indictment alleges the killing was “willful, deliberate and premeditated,” and/or perpetrated by “lying in wait” for him.

How the trial has gone so far

Over about two dozen witnesses, the prosecution presented evidence from videos, DNA and a search of Telles’ home and devices connecting him to the killing. The witnesses included German’s neighbors who found his body, those who worked with Telles and the detectives who investigated the case.

The key evidence was surveillance video from German’s neighborhood on the morning of his death showing a suspicious person wearing a large sunhat, orange jacket and gray Nike sneakers, and driving a maroon SUV. The suspect is seen on video hiding in the bushes on the side of the house and waiting for German to arrive, leaving and then returning in the SUV and then leaving again.

The maroon SUV belonged to Telles’ family, and a cut-up sunhat and cut-up gray Nike sneakers were found in a search of his house, according to prosecutors. Further, DNA from under German’s fingernails was consistent with Telles’ DNA, prosecutors said.

Investigators also examined Telles’ phone and found images from Google Maps of German’s house and searches about him, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also provided an explanation as to the timing and motivation of the killing: German had been reporting critically on Telles’ management, and Telles had received an email related to a public records request 15 hours before the murder, according to prosecutors.

For the defense, Draskovich said in opening statements that Telles had tried to make changes at the Clark County Public Administrator’s office, angering an “Old Guard” at the office. That led a detective to conduct a bribery investigation into Telles, but tracking of his cell phone showed it was not at the scene at the time of the murder, Draskovich said.

Further, he challenged the quality of the police investigation and raised the possibility of a conspiracy.

“There is no rational explanation as to why the hat and shoes were cut into pieces, except that they would be easier to conceal and plant,” he said. “What’s important is there’s no blood on them. There’s nothing tying those articles found in Mr. Telles’ house to Jeff German.”

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