Dramatic moment Las Vegas politician accused of stabbing journalist who exposed his affair takes the stand at blockbuster murder trial
A Las Vegas politician accused of murdering a journalist who wrote unflattering articles about him testified at his trial that he was innocent.
Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German was found fatally stabbed in September 2022 after writing a series of stories about Clark County Public Defender Robert Telles, including an account of an alleged affair between him and an aide.
Telles was arrested when his DNA was found under German’s fingernails. He was charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon against a victim 60 years of age or older.
He has maintained his innocence throughout his two years in custody, and testified Wednesday he reiterated his belief that he was set up.
In a 90-minute argument to the jury, Telles said the ordeal had been “frankly a nightmare.”
Robert Telles has maintained his innocence throughout his two years in custody and reiterated his belief that he was set up when he testified Wednesday
Telles’ car – a red GMC – matched the vehicle seen on surveillance footage near the victim’s home
“I am absolutely innocent,” he said. “I did not kill Mr. German.”
According to police, Telles’ DNA was found in German’s fingernails. They also saw his car near the victim’s home and collected clothing items matching the killer’s description from Telles’ home.
The clothes – tennis shoes and a straw hat – were already torn when they were found in Telles’ house.
“I’m a little nervous. This is a day I’ve been waiting for almost two years,” Telles told the jury on Wednesday.
According to the judge, Telles had to stick to his ‘personal knowledge and the facts’ instead of expressing theories and opinions.
He argued that based on what he saw in the photos, German’s injuries must have been the result of someone “with some training.”
“I’m not trained in combat myself,” Telles said.
Police say they found Telles’ DNA on German’s fingernails, spotted his car near the victim’s home and collected clothing matching the killer’s description from Telles’ home.
The clothes – specifically tennis shoes and a straw hat – had already been cut into pieces when they were found in Telles’ home
In an interview with the jury, he said he washed his cars to “take his mind off things.”
Telles claimed he was “set up” and that he “got really scared” when the thought of being set up first occurred to him.
One of the first similarities he said he noticed was the cars. Telles’ car — a red GMC — matched the vehicle seen on surveillance footage outside the victim’s home.
After the incident, Telles was seen outside his home washing his car.
He told the jury he had gone to wash his cars “just to take his mind off things.”
He said surveillance footage released by police of the car in question had different rims than his, meaning it was “clearly not my vehicle.”
In a 90-minute plea to the jury, Telles said the ordeal was “frankly a nightmare”