Politician in Dem Vegas testifies: "I'm innocent"

On Wednesday, a former Las Vegas Democratic politician accused of murdering a veteran investigative journalist who had published critical articles about him, testified in court to clear his name.

Robert Telles, 47, declared from a Nevada witness box, "I am unequivocally innocent."

Jeff German, an investigative journalist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was murdered in September 2022 by Telles, a former Democratic Clark County administrator of estates, who had been accused of inappropriate conduct in the workplace by German just months prior.

In a side yard outside his home, German was discovered with multiple stab wounds and slashes, and Telles is accused of waiting for him in a criminal complaint.

If convicted, Telles will face life in prison, despite his claims of being framed by a real estate firm for fighting corruption. He has yet to explain what he was doing that day and is set to resume giving testimony on Thursday.

Telles was ecstatic after his lawyer secured permission from the judge to allow him to testify through narration rather than the traditional question-and-answer format.

Robert Draskovich, his attorney, sat down after strongly advising his client not to take the stand and risk questioning under oath from two prosecutors who rested their murder case Monday after four days, 28 witnesses and hundreds of pages of photos, police reports and video evidence that heavily weigh against Telles.

"Telles stated that he did not kill Mr. German. He emphasized that he has the right to express his opinions and it is up to the listener to decide whether or not they agree with them. He hoped that he would not be stopped from sharing his thoughts."

"Telles, who has been in a cell for nearly two years, expressed his nervousness to the jury multiple times."

Telles' testimony was met with confusion from German's family, while jurors took notes throughout his testimony. At times, exhibits were not ready for Telles to show the jury, prompting the judge to instruct him to continue without them, despite Telles arguing that the jury needed to see those exhibits.

Telles narrated to the jury about his background, starting from his high school days, how he became a lawyer after several unrelated jobs, and how he met his wife. They have three children together.

Someone who knew what they were doing was indicated by the way German was killed, he said.

"Telles stated that he does not know if anyone can perform such a violent act without proper training. He believes that he was framed for the murder and that it was related to his work against Compass Realty."

Planet Chronicle Digital has reached out to Compass Realty for comment.

The athletic club manager stated that records indicated Telles' membership was used to check in at a Las Vegas location at approximately noon on the day of German's death. However, he added that video footage of guests arriving and departing at that time was no longer available.

During Telles' defense trial, a cellphone data expert admitted that Telles' phone had no outgoing activity from 8:48 a.m. to 2:05 p.m. on the day German was killed, a time frame in which evidence indicates the murder took place. Police and prosecutors believe Telles left his phone at home.

German's home was approached by a person wearing an orange work shirt, a wide-brimmed straw hat, and carrying a shoulder bag, which was captured on video by police. Telles was arrested shortly after German's death.

According to prosecutors, they possess substantial evidence, including DNA believed to belong to Telles, which was discovered beneath German's fingernails, as well as cut-up pieces of a straw hat and shoes found at Telles' residence that resembled those worn by the individual seen on video outside German's home.

The police released images of a distinctive maroon SUV, similar to one seen washing outside Telles' home several days after the killing.

On Monday, the jury learned that Telles had numerous images of German's residence and surroundings on his phone and computer.

An image of a single gray athletic shoe with a distinctive black pattern and a shot of Telles' work computer at the Clark County Public Administrator and Guardian office were among other photos taken from Telles' devices that included results of internet searches through a password-protected site that retrieved German's name, home address, vehicle registration, and date of birth.

The photo was taken on Aug. 23, 2022, which was nearly two weeks before German was discovered dead in a pool of blood.

Telles, who grew up in El Paso, Texas, and lived in Colorado before moving to Las Vegas, became a lawyer in 2015 and ran as a Democrat in 2018 to become Clark County administrator of estates. However, he lost his elected position after his arrest and his law license was suspended.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty and Telles has remained jailed.

Planet Chronicle’ Danielle Wallace and the Associated Press contributed to this report