A former Nevada official accused of murdering a Las Vegas journalist doubled down in court Thursday on his claims that he is being framed.
“I am not the kind of person who would stab someone. I would never beat anybody up,” Robert Telles, a former Clark County public administrator, told the jury.
Telles is on trial in the killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal journalist Jeff German. The 69-year-old investigative reporter was found stabbed to death outside his suburban Las Vegas home on September 3, 2022.
“I didn’t kill Mr. German,” Telles told the court. “And that’s my testimony.”
Telles, 47, is charged with murder with a deadly weapon against a victim aged 60 or older. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Journalist killings are rare in the United States, and this case marks the first time that a current or former U.S. elected official has stood trial for such a crime.
Prosecutors earlier in the trial described how Telles had been frustrated with German’s coverage of him.
German had portrayed Telles as a harsh boss who bullied his staff and had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. When Telles later lost a reelection bid in 2022, he posted a letter online in which he attacked the Review-Journal for its coverage.
During his two days on the stand so far, Telles has been permitted to give testimony by narration, as opposed to the typical question-and-answer format.
In that time, he maintained that he was framed for the crime by a political and social “old guard” real estate network for trying to combat corruption in his office.
“All I knew was that something funny was going on,” Telles said.
“Somebody framed me for this,” he said, without specifying who. “How Mr. German was murdered … speaks to, I think, something or someone who knows what they’re doing.”
Talking about the knife wounds inflicted on German, Telles added, “That’s some kind of expertise. I mean, and I’m not, I’m personally not combat trained.”
Prosecutors have presented the evidence against as Telles “overwhelming.” That evidence includes DNA from Telles that was found underneath German’s fingernails.
On Thursday, Telles expressed doubt about that evidence, suggesting it was part of a conspiracy to frame him.
“Are you really denying that your DNA is underneath the fingernails?” chief deputy district attorney Christopher Hamner asked Telles during cross examination.
“Without knowing the truth, yes, I am,” Telles replied.
At Telles’ house, police found cut-up pieces of a straw hat and a gray sneaker that looked like those worn by a person captured on neighborhood security video wearing an oversized orange long-sleeve shirt along the side yard of German’s home.
“Your DNA is in those shoes that are found in your house, correct?” Hamner asked.
“I don’t know that to be the case,” Telles replied.
Telles later said, “I believe that there are officers who, when they think that a fellow officer needs help plugging holes in the case, that they’re willing to do what they have to.”
In court earlier in the week, a detective had read out text messages that Telles sent German in which Telles said he was frustrated with German’s coverage of him. Telles’ internet search history showed inquiries into how to “bury” a news story, the detective testified.
No family members for Telles have been called to act as character witnesses. Several of German’s family and friends have attended the trial but have declined to speak to media, The Associated Press reported.
The trial is scheduled to resume Friday.
