Democrat lawmaker in Vegas who fatally stabbed local reporter who exposed his affair is DENIED bail

The lawmaker accused of the stabbing death of a Las Vegas reporter broke down in tears in court while being denied bail on Tuesday as his wife and mother watched from the galley.

Robert Telles, 45, who was seen smirking in court only a month prior, appears to have succumbed to life behind bars. An attorney for the Las Vegas Democratic requested a ‘reasonable’ bail for his client accused of murder but was denied.

‘In this case, the safety of the community argument, Mr. Telles is a danger to no one,’ said the attorney of a man accused of stabbing a man in his neck and torso, causing him to bleed out in minutes. 

District Attorney Steve Wolfson previously said Telles was a ‘flight risk and a danger to the community’ and that he would argue for a ‘very high bail,’ according to Fox5.

Telles’ attorney unsuccessfully argued that ‘this isn’t a no bail case.’

A criminal complaint reads that Telles was ‘lying in wait’ to kill Jeff German, 69, of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on September 3.

A judge on Tuesday denied Telles, who appeared to be praying in court, bail. His attorney had argued Telles was a ‘danger to no one.’

Visible were scars from Telles’ alleged suicide attempt, which took place as a SWAT team zeroed in on his house in September following German’s murder. 

Prosecutors say Telles was motivated to kill German because of reporting German was doing on Telles’ office. He served as Clark County Public Administrator. 

Telles was seen smirking in court just last month, as a judge arraigned him on the murder charge and organized another appearance

Telles appears to have succumbed to life behind bars, and was seen appearing to pray in court as the motion to set bail was discussed on Tuesday

Robert Telles’ wife watches as he is denied bail in court on Tuesday

Telles appeared in court alongside his attorney who argued Telles should be granted a high bail as he is not a flight risk. His argument did not sway the judge

German was killed after a series of articles German published, accusing him of having an affair with staffer Roberta Lee-Kennett, 45, and for facilitating a toxic workplace.

Prosecutors alleged that the public official blamed German for ruining his career and marriage, according to the New York Daily News.

When police searched Telles’ home, they found bloodied shoes and a cut up straw hat, similar to the one seen on the suspect in the surveillance footage. 

Telles’ car – a red GMC – was also found to match the vehicle seen on surveillance. Reporters also stalked the public official’s home and found him washing his car after the incident. 

Telles was arrested on September 7 after DNA evidence found under German’s fingernails allegedly matched his.  

When Telles was arrested, he reportedly had self-inflicted cuts on his arms. 

An arrest report obtained by DailyMail.com shows that he barricaded himself inside his home, made suicidal statements and slashed his arms with a knife when SWAT teams arrived to arrest him.   

He was also suspected of taking drugs in the moments before he was cuffed, forcing officers to take him to the hospital before he was booked into the county jail.

Prosecutors have accused the public official of ‘lying in wait’ to kill the journalist, who had extensively reported on the turmoil in Telles’ office, including an alleged inappropriate relationship with Lee-Kennett. 

His affair was revealed after German published a video of him exiting a vehicle with his supposed lover.

Judge Karen Bennette-Haron presides over Robert Telles’ bail hearing at the Regional Justice Center, on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. She denied Telles bail on Tuesday

Prosecutors have accused the public official of ‘lying in wait’ to kill the journalist, who had extensively reported on the turmoil in Telles’ office, including an alleged inappropriate relationship with Roberta Lee-Kennett, 45

The public official admitted he has been in contact with his wife and children since being incarcerated 

Lee-Kennett (pictured with her husband) was accused of having an affair with Telles. German claimed that the two were having an affair, and published video of her getting out of a car and pulling her skirt down after being in the back seat with the official

Kennett left the backseat of the car at the same time as the official, as she pulled her skirt down. The clip was published by the late reporter in May

Alleged killer Robert Telles, 45, seen leaving the backseat of his car, along with a member of his staff. The story was reported by the journalist he allegedly killed

Lee-Kennett left the backseat of the car at the same time as the official, and can be seen hoisting her skirt down.

He did admit to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there was ‘hostility’ in the office, despite his efforts ‘to improve that office,’ he claimed. 

‘It’s unfortunate that that narrative somehow grew legs and ran,’ he said. 

DailyMail.com previously revealed Telles had been railing against German for months – including in an angry series of messages on social media in which he accused him of rifling through his trash and writing ‘lying smear pieces’ about him.

His colleagues at the Review-Journal helped to track down the suspected killer when they staked out the suspects home, after recalling the tweets sent by Telles to German.

Telles lashed out at German in a series of public Twitter posts, accusing the reporter of preparing ‘lying smear piece #4 by Jeff German, #onetrickpony I think he’s mad that I haven’t crawled into a hole and died.’

In a second post he added: ‘Wife hears rustling in the trash* Her: “Honey, is there a wild animal in the trash?”

‘Me: “No, dear. Look like it’s Jeff German going through our trash for his 4th story on me.” Oh, Jeff…’

Surveillance footage showed a suspect wearing gray shoes and a straw hat, which were later found at Telles’ home

In a jailhouse interview last month, Telles spoke about trying to rectify ‘mistakes’ he’d made in his past.

‘I’ve just really try to do my best, to live my life doing good for others, and I’m hoping that, again, with everything that’s rolling around in the media these days, that people really see that,’ he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal from inside the walls of the Clark County Detention Center. 

The married man – who has had contact with his wife and children – was open to talking about the domestic violence case against him in the jailhouse interview. 

In March 2020, he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after his wife Mae Ismael called the police and told them Telles was ‘going crazy.’

Telles admitted to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he ‘struggled with alcohol’ at the time and that moment was a ‘wake-up call.’

‘I don’t drink anymore,’ he told the outlet. ‘My wife and I have a much better relationship [now].’ 

He said he has been sober since that night and had only uncontrollably drank on special occasions beforehand. 

The case was eventually dismissed and he received a suspended 90-day sentence for resisting arrest – where he allegedly told officers while being arrested: ‘You guys just want to take me down because I am a public official.’ 

Telles claimed he doesn’t remember speaking to officers. 

German (left) and Telles (right) speak in Telles’ Vegas office on May 11, 2022

German was found with stab wounds outside his home, which is near North Tenaya Way in Las Vegas

German was known for his stories about government malfeasance and political scandals and coverage of the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival, during which 60 people were killed and 400 were wounded.

He held a master’s degree from Marquette University and was the author of the 2001 true-crime book ‘Murder in Sin City: The Death of a Las Vegas Casino Boss,’ the story of the death of Ted Binion, heir to the Horseshoe Club fortune.

Cathy Scott, a former colleague, recalled that she and German broke the story of the killing of Las Vegas mafia associate Herbert ‘Fat Herbie’ Blitzstein in 1997.

German specialized in stories about organized crime. He hosted a season of the Review-Journal’s true crime podcast, ‘Mobbed Up: The Fight for Vegas.’ 

The podcast was described as a sketched of the secret power mafia crime families weld over more than a third of the Strip’s casinos, and the enormous job federal and state agents have in pushing them out.

He also broke stories about government corruption and campaign finance violations in Nevada.