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Robert Telles, the Las Vegas politician accused of fatally stabbing a journalist who wrote unflattering articles about him, has been found guilty of first-degree murder at his blockbuster trial.
Telles, 47, looked somber in court as he donned a gray suit, white shirt and yellow tie Wednesday as a jury of seven women and five men found him guilty of fatally stabbing Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, 69.
German was found dead in September 2022 after writing a series of stories about Telles, a former Clark County Public Administrator, including reporting on an alleged affair between him and a staffer.
Telles was arrested after his DNA was found under German’s fingernails. He maintained his innocence throughout his two years in custody and claimed he was framed. He had pleaded not guilty.
During the eight-day trial, jurors listened to testimony from dozens of witnesses, detectives, forensic experts, and Telles himself. His attorney, Robert Draskovich told the Review-Journal that the multi-day deliberation was ‘clearly to benefit the defense.’
Robert Telles, the Las Vegas politician accused of fatally stabbing a journalist, was found guilty of first-degree murder at his blockbuster trial
German was found dead in September 2022, after writing a series of stories about Telles, a former Clark County Public Administrator, including reporting on an alleged affair between him and a staffer
German had published a series of articles accusing Telles, a father-of-three, of having an affair with staffer Roberta Lee-Kennett, 45, and for facilitating a toxic workplace.
According to prosecutors, Telles walked into German’s side yard at 11:18am on September 3 and waited five minutes before the reporter emerged from his home.
When German walked out, he was immediately attacked and stabbed to death.
Police say they discovered Telles’ DNA in German’s fingernails, spotted his car near the victim’s home and collected clothing that matched the description of the killer inside Telles’ home.
Those clothes – namely tennis shoes and a straw hat – had been cut up by the time they were recovered from Telles’ home.
Police say they uncovered Telles’ DNA from German’s fingernails, spotted his car near the victim’s home and collected clothing which matched the description of the killer inside Telles’ home
Surveillance footage showed a suspect wearing gray shoes and a straw hat, which were later found at Telles’ home. Telles claims all the evidence was planted
Surveillance footage showed a suspect wearing gray shoes and a straw hat, which were later found at Telles’ home. Telles claims all the evidence was planted
German had published a series of articles accusing Telles, a father-of-three, of having an affair with staffer Roberta Lee-Kennett, 45, (pictured) and for facilitating a toxic workplace
Lee-Kennett told police that Telles was ‘very upset and angry’ with German over his reporting, with his re-election campaign nearing its end.
Telles insisted that he was framed in a 90-minute plea to the jury last week, adding that the ordeal had ‘been a nightmare, frankly.’
‘Unequivocally, I am innocent,’ he said. ‘I did not kill Mr. German.’
‘I’m a little nervous. This is a day I’ve been waiting for for nearly two years,’ Telles told the jury last Wednesday.
Telles had to be told by the judge to stick to his ‘personal knowledge and the facts’ rather than express theories and opinion.
He argued that German’s injuries, based on what he saw in the photos, must have been the result of someone ‘with some kind of training’.
During his testimony, Telles maintained that he was framed in a 90-minute plea to the jury last week, adding that the ordeal had ‘been a nightmare, frankly.’ (Pictured: German (left) and Telles in May 2022)
In a 90-minute plea to the jury, Telles said: ‘Unequivocally, I am innocent’
‘I’m not personally combat trained,’ Telles said.
Telles argued he was ‘set up,’ and that he ‘started to get really scared’ when the thought of being framed 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 near the victim’s home.
After the incident, Telles was seen outside of his home washing his car.
Speaking to the jury last week, he said his decision to wash his cars was ‘just to take his mind off things.’
He said the surveillance image police released of the car in question had different rims than his, meaning it was ‘clearly not my vehicle.’
In a dramatic moment in court, prosecutor Christopher Hamner asked Telles to read aloud a chilling three-word text message that his wife, Mae Ismael, sent to him at 10:30 am on September 2, 2022 – the exact time security footage showed a vehicle matching Telles’ near the murder scene. ‘It says, “Where are you?” ‘ Telles admitted to the jury.
The bombshell text, discovered on Telles’ wife’s Apple Watch, was absent from phone records presented by the defense. Telles revealed that it’s possible he could have deleted the text, but did not admit that he had done so.
Telles lost the primary election for a second elected term after German’s stories were published in May and June 2022, the Associated Press reported.
Telles is an attorney who practiced civil law before he was elected in 2018. After he was arrested, he was stripped of his legal license.
German spent 44 years covering courts, crime and corruption in Las Vegas and a number of his family members were present at the trial. They declined to comment.
