Opening arguments presented, first witnesses take the stand during trial of Robert Telles

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Opening arguments took place on Wednesday in the trial of a former politician accused of killing a Las Vegas investigative reporter.

A jury was selected Tuesday after hours of questioning from prosecutors and defense attorneys. The 12-person panel, including the alternates, consists of seven men and seven women, who will decide the fate of former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles.

On Monday, documents from several electronic devices possessed by German while working as an investigative reporter were handed over to lawyers in the trial. That data was the source of consternation leading up to the trial, as Review-Journal officials were responsible for stripping those documents of privileged information shielded by the First Amendment. Although that process started in May, it was not completed until Monday.

Just before 10:45 a.m., Robert Telles, flanked by his attorneys, entered the courtroom. Prosecutors were in the courtroom, and the jury was sworn in. The indictment was read aloud to the jury, and Judge Michelle Leavitt reminded the jury that Telles pleaded not guilty and that he is presumed innocent.

The jury of seven men and seven women listened to Judge Leavitt giving instructions regarding the jury’s role in the trial, saying that they are able to take notes, although notebooks are not allowed to leave the courtroom until deliberation.

Prosecution’s Opening Statement

Chief Deputy District Attorney Pam Weckerly began opening statements, and said neighbors were worried about Jeff German, as communications to the late investigative journalist went unanswered until he was found dead on Sept. 9, 2022, decomposing with his phone in his pocket. She also said that no forced entry was found when his body was found in front of his home.

Shortly after the prosecution’s opening statements began, technical difficulties stopped a video slide show from being played. Eventually, the slideshow was revived, and prosecutors continued.

Weckerly went on to detail that as German was more than 60 years old, it was initially believed that he had had a medical episode before it became clear that he was killed on Sept. 2. She described the blood at the scene.

German was seen at a taco shop in surveillance video captured the night before his body was found. The silent jury was shown a grainy video of German being attacked outside his home. Weckerly said the video showed the perpetrator “lying in wait” for German, before walking away to a maroon SUV. The jury was then shown autopsy photos.

Weckerly recapped German’s reporting on Telles and the problems in his office, telling the jury that Telles lost his primary election and that the former administrator disputed German’s articles. She spoke about Telles’ tweets regarding German, calling him a bully and saying that his stories were “politically motivated.”

She said that police learned that Telles has a maroon SUV and then displayed a mapped route between the homes of German and Telles. Video was shown of a person with a hat, wearing orange walking into German’s neighborhood and to his house. Video was then shown of the attack of German. Telles was able to monitor the video via a display at the table at which he was sitting, as well as two large monitors in the room.

Weckerly recapped the investigation, detailing the Sept. 7 interview detectives had with Telles when they discovered that he had a cut on his hand, which was photographed. Police executed a search warrant at Telles’ home, where they found a shoe and a bag with pieces of a shoe. Additionally, they found a hat that appeared to be the same one shown in the surveillance video. DNA evidence, Weckerly said, found under German’s fingernails was consistent with Telles’.

Video from a video interview with Telles by German was shown in which the former administrator addressed turmoil in his office and denied allegations of an improper relationship with an employee. He told German he was a good person and that people were trying to ruin his personal life to win a race.

The prosecution showed communication between Telles and German, then stated that detectives found data in the former politician’s phone showing a photo of the side of German’s house and located indications that Telles had looked upon the make and model of German’s phone on his work computer.

German filed a public records request in July 2022 requesting communication between Telles and the employee he was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with, Weckerly said, adding that the county notified Telles about the request 15 hours before the reporter was killed.

Weckerly concluded by saying the case was “just about murder” and not about politics, who was a good boss, or otherwise before the court was placed in recess just before 11:45 a.m.

Defense’s Opening Statements

Just before noon, the defense began its opening statement. Attorney Robert Draskovich said Telles is a family man, married with three children, a loving father and a husband. He described Telles as “self-made,” performing HVAC duties to put himself through law school, becoming student body president, and doing pro-bono work for the three years he had a law practice before he became an elected official.

Draskovich then detailed changes made to Telles’ office, which were not well-received by longtime public administrator’s office employees. He said Telles cut back on overtime for employees, including for one employee who made over $140K in overtime, saying that Telles “upset the apple cart.”

The defense attorney began recounting what he described as corporate interest over public interest in Telles’ office, saying that the office was favoring Compass Realty. He detailed contact Telles had with District Attorney Steve Wolfson to explain his concerns, who placed him in contact with a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detective. Draskovich said that Telles provided the detective with evidence of alleged corruption and that the detective said he would look into it, prompting an investigation.

According to the defense attorney, the “old guard” at the public administrator’s office began to push back, contacting Jeff German to investigate Telles, even following the former politician to dig up dirt on him. Draskovich then said that a longtime employee announced a run against Telles for public administrator before adding that that employee received a donation from Compass Realty. At that point, Draskovich said, the investigation into corruption alleged by Telles seemed to stop.

The defense claimed the investigation seemed to turn toward Telles, as the LVMPD detective submitted a search warrant to trace the location of his mobile phone. That warrant is dated August 17, 2022. Draskovich said the mobile phone data, which was being traced at the time of German’s killing, did not trace its location to the crime scene.

Draskovich said that 67 vehicles matched the description of the red or maroon Yukon Denali seen near the crime scene, citing that information from the Department of Motor Vehicles, saying that police only focused on Telles’ vehicle. The defense attorney said none of German’s blood was found on the bag, shoes, or hat found at Telles’ home. He said that the surveillance does not incriminate Telles.

The defense attorney pointed to what he described as “strange behavior” from an LVMPD detective, saying that he “inserted himself” into Jeff German’s murder case. Draskovich claimed that evidence was destroyed while “Mr. Telles’ life [was] coming apart.”

“Losing a job is not a motive for murder,” Draskovich said, adding that, “We all know killing a journalist does not kill a story.” He went on to say German did a good job of digging, saying that the reporter “would take on dangerous opponents” and was “no stranger to making people upset.” Draskovich also said that German often had people threaten him, was known for the “boldness of his inquiries,” saying that it came with the job and that it’s unfortunate “that we no longer have him.”

The defense then played two threatening voicemail messages received by Telles, which included vulgar and homophobic language.

“We’re coming for your [expletive]. We’re watching you [expletives,]” one of the messages said.

Draskovich concluded by saying there was a “bigger picture,” adding that it was unclear if those threats were investigated but that all avenues should be investigated.

The court then went to recess just before 12:45 p.m.

The Prosecution Calls Witnesses

Just after 1:30 p.m., the court reconvened with the calling of witness Holly Bailey to the stand. She said she was Jeff German’s neighbor for 27 years while being questioned by prosecutor Chris Hamner. She recounted Sept. 2, in which she noticed German’s garage door was open, something she said he never did. Bailey told the court that she was busy that day but “had a feeling of angst like something was wrong.”

She said she texted German with no response. She later recapped walking over to German’s house to close his garage door. The next day, German said that her husband walked to German’s house and found the reporter’s body. She recounted the shock that she and her husband felt and the 911 call, in which she said her husband told dispatchers, “We know he’s dead.” She said she and her husband prayed over German and talked to him. “It was just very not natural,” she said during the emotional testimony.

The defense attorney had no questions for the first witness.

Roy Bailey, Holly’s spouse, was the second witness called to the stand for the trial. He spoke on his daily routine, noticing that German’s garage door was open, which was unusual. Roy recounted finding German’s body, breaking into tears on the stand.

“I found Jeff,” he said. “I called 911.”

After his witness testimony, defense attorney Draskovich asked Bailey if police conducted a formal interview with him. He told the court that he spoke with police and that he believed that the conversation was recorded.

The next testimony came from Debbie Ryan, German’s neighbor of 27 years, who lived across the street from German. She also testified that she noticed German’s open garage door, and knocked on his door, with no answer.

She recounted a call she received from Holly Bailey on Sept. 3, in which she said the neighbor was screaming and crying.

“Jeff’s dead,” she said.

The defense then cross-examined Ryan, asking if she was interviewed by police and if she was aware that a recording was made of the interview. She said she did not know.

Claire Browning, a 9-year senior crime analyst, was called to the witness stand. She was asked about her training, her job duties, and about how to respond to a crime scene. She described that she was with another analyst and a supervisor. She told the court that typical behavior is to do a walkthrough on the scene to determine what is important.

“We work in tandem,” Browning said.

Browning was shown a stack of photos, submitted as evidence, asking if she recognized them. She confirms that she does. The process continued for several stacks of photos. The photos shown included images of German’s home. Browning described the scene to the court. Images included as evidence included a graphic photo of German’s body in a state of decomposition, bloody, with legs spread wide open. The investigator detailed that German’s cell phone was in his pocket, along with money and identification, still in his wallet.

She described the crime scene protocol of “bagging” a victim’s hands to preserve any evidence that may exist. Jurors appeared to be intently focused on the testimony. Browning said that there was blood on bushes near German’s body and that rocks and shrubbery were “disturbed.” Photos were shown throughout Browning’s testimony.

“There were no knives missing from the block,” Browning said concerning German’s kitchen, adding that there were no signs of disturbance. German’s car was still in the garage and had not been stolen or broken into. Browning confirmed that the scene was isolated to where German’s body was discovered.

In his cross-examination, Draskovich asked Browning about details on the times surrounding the investigation, when detectives arrived at the crime scene and which vehicles in which they arrived. He also asked about who bagged German’s hands and if Browning knew how long his hands had been left exposed before investigators arrived. Browning said she did not.

The prosecution asked for details about how crime scenes are preserved with analysts wearing gloves. The defense attorney pointed out that the scene was not initially handled as a homicide scene.

With that, the trial moved on to the next witness, Jamie Ioos, director of the office of public information for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Ioos worked on press releases and video evidence released to the media regarding German’s death. During cross-examination, Drascovich asked about another case of a burglar who was wanted around the same time and wore similar clothing to the person seen on the neighborhood surveillance video.

Stephanie Smissen, a senior crime scene analyst for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, took the stand next. Smissen recounted the process of analyzing a crime scene, which includes taking notes and photographs, collecting evidence, processing fingerprints, and rendering that information into a report.

Draskovich then cross-examined Smissen, asking her about who was at the crime scene. Smissen named several individuals involved in law enforcement, although later admitted that an exhaustive list of individuals present on the scene was not listed in her report. The defense argued that “there were so many people” at the crime scene.

After the witness testimony of six individuals, the court took a recess until just before 3:20 p.m. 8 News Now Investigator Kyle J. Paine called the tone “subdued” but said that the testimony and content were “dynamic and grave.”

Court reconvened after an approximately 20-minute break just before 3:40 p.m. The prosecution, called Jonathan Martinez, was working on a plumbing project on the same street where German was killed. He testified that he encountered and waved at a person dressed in orange, driving a red SUV, and driving away from the area on the day of the homicide. Upon cross-examination, Martinez said he never spoke with the person driving the vehicle.

Cliff Mogg, a retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detective took the stand next, recounting his job of finding surveillance footage from a variety of different locations. He and approximately 25 detectives were tasked with casting a 5.3-mile-wide net to find video that pertains to the crime, Telles and German.

Mogg recapped, camera by camera, tracking the red SUV’s path. The footage on display was captured by security and surveillance cameras. The retired detective noted that the Yukon was observed with untinted windows in the front driver’s side and passenger side, and tinted windows in the back, and without a license plate. It was driven by an individual wearing orange clothing who was eventually seen walking around wearing a hat and a bag with bluish-grey straps on it. Mogg tracked the suspect’s journey to German’s home, where the two converged and German was killed.

Later the suspect was seen putting the bag back in the Yukon and leaving. Sometime later, Mogg said the video shows the Yukon with a license plate reattached. Mogg told the prosecution that he had canvassed Telles’ neighborhood looking for other red Yukons, and was unable to find any.

When asked about the tracking of Telles’ phone, Mogg said that the device was pinging cell towers close to Telles’ home during the time of German’s killing. Prosecutors asked Mogg if he had, in his time as an investigator, seen suspects leave their mobile devices behind or turned off during crimes to avoid being tracked. Mogg said that he had.

Court took a recess until 11:00 a.m. on Thursday when the trial of Robert Telles will resume.

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Who is Robert Telles?

Robert Telles is a lawyer and former public official with Clark County. According to the county, Telles has lived in the area for at least 20 years. He was the focus of several investigative stories by Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German.

Telles graduated from UNLV’s Boyd School of Law in 2014. One year later he founded Accolade Law, which was located on West Charleston Boulevard between Rancho Drive and Valley View Boulevard and focused on estate planning and probate.

In 2018, Telles first ran for Clark County public administrator as a Democrat. He claimed victory over Republican candidate Thomas Fougere and took office in January 2019 to serve a four-year term, which ended on Jan. 2, 2023. Telles ran for re-election, losing to fellow Democrat Rita Reid.

His campaign was mired in controversy surrounding stories written by the Review-Journal, specifically German, who uncovered claims of bullying and retaliation within his office.

Who was Jeff German?

Jeff German had been an investigative reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal since 2010 after more than two decades at the Las Vegas Sun, where he was a columnist and reporter who covered courts, politics, labor, government, and organized crime.

Glenn Cook, the Review-Journal’s executive editor, said German was known to break big stories and develop “impactful investigations across every part of Southern Nevada life.”

German had published several stories about Telles’ office, saying it was in “turmoil” in the months leading up to his stabbing death on Labor Day weekend of 2022. German was found with seven stab wounds, including ones to his neck and torso, according to police documents.