Dem Vegas politician accused of journalist murder testifies: ‘Unequivocally I’m innocent’

A former Las Vegas Democratic politician on trial for allegedly murdering a veteran investigative journalist who wrote critical articles about officials took the stand Wednesday to tell his story and protest his innocence.

“I am absolutely innocent,” Robert Telles, 47, testified on the witness stand in Nevada before 12 jurors and two alternate jurors.

Telles, a former Democratic property manager in Clark County, was charged with murdering Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative journalist Jeff German in September 2022, just months after German wrote a damning article about Telles and his workplace behavior, including allegations of inappropriate relationships with female coworkers.

German was found slashed and stabbed to death in the backyard of her home after Telles “lied in wait” for her to come outside, the complaint said.

Jury selection begins Monday for former Las Vegas-area politician accused of murdering investigative journalist

Telles, who could face life in prison if convicted, claims he was entrapped by real estate agents who tried to fight corruption he witnessed in his office. He has not offered any explanation for his actions that day and is due to resume testimony on Thursday.

“I’ve been waiting for this day,” Telles said after the judge gave him permission to testify in a “narrated format” rather than the usual question-and-answer format.

His lawyer, Robert Draskovich, took the seat afterward. He had urged Telles not to take the stand and risk being questioned in sworn depositions by the two prosecutors, who wrapped up their murder investigation on Monday after a four-day investigation that included 28 witness testimony and hundreds of pages of photographs, police reports and video evidence against Telles.

“I did not kill Mr. German,” Telles said. “It is my right to share my views with you all, and it is your right to decide whether you agree with my views or not, whether you doubt my views or not. I just hope that nothing will stop me from sharing with you what I have to say.”

“I was in solitary confinement for almost two years,” Telles told jurors, adding at various times that he was “very nervous.”

Germann’s family members appeared confused at times while Tellus was on the stand. Fox 5 reportsJurors were seen taking notes throughout his testimony. At times, evidence was not yet ready for Telles to show the jury. The judge ordered the defendant to continue without presenting the evidence, despite Telles’s insistence that the jury needed to see it.

Telles told jurors how he began his career in high school, worked in a number of unrelated jobs before becoming a lawyer and met his wife, with whom he has three children.

He said the way Jarman was killed indicates someone knew what they were doing.

Robert Telles (right) talks with Review-Journal reporter Jeff German on May 11, 2022, at the newspaper’s Las Vegas offices. (KM Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via The Associated Press, File)

“The idea that he slit Mr. Jarman’s throat and stabbed him in the heart, I don’t know if an untrained person could have done that,” Telles said. “Someone framed me, I believe it was Compass Real Estate, and this has to do with the work I did with them.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Compass Realty for comment.

The manager of the sports club testified that records show that a Tellus membership was used to check in at the Las Vegas facility just after noon on the day German was killed, but said video of guest arrivals and departures from that time period was no longer available.

Earlier, a cell phone data expert testifying for Telles’ defense acknowledged under questioning by prosecutors that Telles’s phone had no records of calls between 8:48 a.m. and 2:05 p.m. on the day of the shooting – the time period that evidence shows German was killed. Police and prosecutors have said they believe Telles left his phone at home.

Nevada judge postpones trial of former Las Vegas official accused of murdering journalist

Terres was arrested days after German’s death after police circulated a video showing a man wearing an orange work shirt, a wide-brimmed straw hat and carrying a shoulder bag walking toward German’s home.

Prosecutors say they have strong evidence, including DNA believed to be Telles’s found under German’s fingernails and pieces of a straw hat and shoe found in Telles’ home that resemble those worn by a man seen on video outside German’s house.

Police also released photos of the same distinctive maroon SUV that a Review-Journal photographer saw Tellez washing a car outside his home a few days after the murder.

Defendant Robert Tellez was sworn in Wednesday at the Las Vegas Regional Justice Center for the eighth day of his murder trial. (KM Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via The Associated Press)

Jurors heard Monday that Telles had hundreds of photos of German’s home and neighborhood on his phone and computer.

Other photos taken from Telles’ device included an image of a pair of gray athletic shoes with a distinctive black pattern, a photo of Telles’ work computer at the Clark County Commissioner’s Office, and the results of an Internet search through a password-protected site that displayed German’s name, home address, vehicle registration number and date of birth.

Click here to get the FOX News app

Prosecutor Christopher Hamner told jurors the photo was taken on Aug. 23, 2022, just under two weeks before Jarman was found dead in a pool of blood.

Telles grew up in El Paso, Texas, and lived in Colorado before moving to Las Vegas. He became an attorney in 2015 and ran for Clark County Commissioner of Property in 2018 as a Democrat. After his arrest, he lost his elected office and had his law license suspended.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty, and Tellez remains jailed.

Fox News’ Daniel Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.