Las Vegas Democrat official SMIRKS while appearing in court for the murder of journalist
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A smirking Democratic official has appeared in court charged with the murder of a Las Vegas journalist who exposed his affair.
Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, 45, is accused of killing Jeff German, a reporter with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, outside his home.
German, 69, was stabbed to death on September 3 after publishing a series of articles exposing married Telles’ affair and mismanagements of public office.Â
Telles appeared in front of a judge today smirking as he was told his next appearance would be September 20th.
He wore a prison issued navy uniform, remaining in handcuffs while smiling and nodding during the short hearing.
The official did not speak during the hearing, and appeared to have white bandages up his arms.
After his stand off with police, Telles was found with self-inflicted wounds, believed to be a failed suicide attempt, which were not considered to be life threatening. Â
Clark County DA Steve Wolfson says he plans to ask the judge to set Tellesâ bail ‘very high’ because he ‘poses a flight risk and danger to the community.’
Telles is currently being held without bail and faces one count of murder with the use of a deadly weapon.
It comes after city officials said despite the murder charge, Telles will remain in his role and continue receiving his $130,000 salary until another person is elected.Â
Telles was seen smirking in court as a judge arraigned him on the murder charge and organised another appearance
Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles (right) had been the focus of recent articles by Las Vegas journalist Jeff German (left) who had spent three decades covering crime and corruption in the city before he was stabbed to death on September 3Â
He wore a prison issued navy uniform, remaining in handcuffs while smiling and nodding during the short hearing, and appeared to have bandages covering his arms
Roberta Lee-Kennett, 45, (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
German spent months reporting on the turmoil in Telles’ office and how he lost his re-election bid in June.
He also revealed that Telles was having an affair with a colleague after German published a video of him exiting a vehicle with his lover.
Staffer Roberta Lee-Kennett, 45, left the backseat of the car at the same time as the official, and can be seen hoisting her skirt down.
Telles has denied all of the allegations made against him by German, including the affair and the claims that he oversaw an abusive workplace.
His home was searched by Las Vegas plice hours before his arrest, after they issued a release saying they were serarching for an individual dressed in a large sunhat and high-vis jacket.
He was released by officers, and refused to deny that he was responsible for the murder of the journalist when approached by reporters.
By 6pm on Wednesday, police had returned to Telles’s home in tactical gear and were surrounding the home while Telles remained inside.
Tellas is being held without bail and faces one count of murder with the use of a deadly weapon and will next appear on September 30
Telles (pictured left with his wife) failed to get reelected after German wrote a series of stories exposing his alleged ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a member of his staff
Reporters who worked with German at the Las Vegas newspaper tracked down the suspect’s home and realized that a red car, matching the police description, was parked in the drivewayÂ
About 30 minutes later, he was wheeled out of the home on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance.
Police sources also claim that DNA from under Germans fingernails matched a sample taken from Telles, which led to his arrest.Â
DailyMail.com previously revealed Telles had been railing against German for months â 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.
They discovered that a red GMC Yukon Denali – matching the police description – was parked in his driveway.
Using skills they learned on the job with German, the five-person team at the newspaper sprung into action ‘because that’s what Jeff would have wanted us to do.’
Police later carried out a search warrant on the home, and his car was towed by midday on Wednesday.
Telles accused the reporter of writing several ‘smear’ pieces against him after losing a re-election bid in JuneÂ
Staffer Roberta Lee-Kennett, 45, 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
German 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
The DNA of the public official was found at the site of the investigative reporter’s fatal stabbing.
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 heâs mad that I havenât 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 itâs Jeff German going through our trash for his 4th story on me.” Oh, Jeff⊒
German’s colleagues said that they were just doing what he had taught them to do -follow the story and ‘aggressively’ try to find out what happened.
Following the arrest, Executive Editor Glenn Cook said: ‘The arrest of Robert Telles is at once an enormous relief and an outrage for the Review-Journal newsroom.
‘We are relieved Telles is in custody and outraged that a colleague appears to have been killed for reporting on an elected official.Â
‘Journalists canât do the important work our communities require if they are afraid a presentation of facts could lead to violent retribution.
‘We thank Las Vegas police for their urgency and hard work and for immediately recognizing the terrible significance of Jeffâs killing.
âNow, hopefully, the Review-Journal, the German family and Jeffâs many friends can begin the process of mourning and honoring a great man and a brave reporter.’