Telles Murder Trial: Robert Telles resumes testimony, faces questions from state
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Robert Telles continues to claim his innocence in the murder of Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German nearly 2 years ago.
Telles was on the stand Thursday morning for an hour and a half. He picked up right where he left off Wednesday when he started to testify.
It’s hard not to focus on every word he is saying because we have been waiting nearly two years to hear him talk about whether he did it or not. Talking about everything from the evidence planted against him to the emotional toll his arrest has had on his family.
Telles himself breaking down in tears on the stand when talking about the mess police made at his home searching for evidence.
“I would never beat anyone up. I have never killed anybody, I didn’t kill Mr. German and that is my testimony,” Telles said.
Those were his last words before the prosecutors started cross-examining him.
Later in the afternoon, before the state began, a back and forth between parties ensued on what evidence would be entered into the record of the court. This includes everything wanted in German’s public records request - the conversations between Roberta Lee-Kennett and Telles. The two of them were at the center of a news report published by German in May of 2022.
Until today in court, we have never heard about the contents of what German would ultimately never get to publish - the actual revealing text messages between the two.
The state asked Telles if he was dishonest to German regarding his alleged relationship with Lee-Kennett during an interview at the public administrator’s office. Telles responded with “yes.”
Telles has always said he was framed and he was waiting for this trial to take the stand and tell his side of the story.
Throughout his testimony, Telles has just been freely talking about how he didn’t murder German and now he faced tough questions from the prosecutors about the evidence.
Telles said on the stand that it was a professional assassin who stabbed German to death. From the beginning, we knew the evidence here was overwhelming and Telles claims it was planted.
“You believe that professional assassins want to draw attention to themselves when they are carrying out murder right?” asked district attorney Christopher Hamner. “When they are framing someone, yes,” Telles said.
“What we know is the killer decided to kill someone in broad daylight, made it a point to park on another, different street but then decided oops I forgot something and came back?” questioned Hamner. “My belief is that he wanted to commit the crime and then when he was done he wanted to make the SUV was seen in front of the house,” Telles replied.
Telles later said “I think the killer got a car like mine,” in response to the state probing him on how similar Telles’ dark red Yukon compared to the killer’s car.
The state moved on to the gray Nike shoes worn by the assassin. “Under your couch are shoes and a chopped-up shoe right?” Hamner asked. Telles acknowledges the evidence.
STATE: “It’s the same shoe isn’t it?”
TELLES: “Yes it is potentially the same shoe.”
STATE: “You’re saying now that it is a coincidence that it’s the exact same shoe that was underneath your couch with your DNA on it, that’s not your shoe?”
TELLES: “Again, I didn’t commit the murder.”
Hamner continues on to discuss Telles’ DNA under German’s fingernails.
STATE: “Are you really denying that your DNA is under the fingernails?”
TELLES: “Without knowing, yes, I am.”
STATE: “Sir please tell us, how in the world does your DNA get underneath his fingernails?”
TELLES: “I don’t know because I didn’t kill Mr. German.”
STATE: “And yet these two people who aren’t friends, your DNA just happens to be under his fingernails.”
TELLES: “At some point or another I believe it was planted because I did not kill Mr. German.”
Then, in a dramatic turn of events, prosecutors show incoming messages on Telles’ phone the day of the murder from his wife. However, one message was sent from her Apple Watch that was not in Telles’ phone.
“It says where are you?” Hamner said as he showed an image of the watch with a timestamp of 10:36 a.m. on September 2, 2022. “That message isn’t on your phone is it?” Hamner questioned. “From what you showed me, it is not,” Telles said.
“At that same time, we see surveillance video of a car that you say looks just like mine driving in Mr German’s neighborhood correct?” Hamner continued. “That is correct, yes,” Telles answered.
“Sir, if you left your phone at home, you wouldn’t have been able to respond to that message, correct, if you were not next to it, correct?” Hamner questioned. “That’s speculative,” Telles said.
“But you left your house and left your phone at home on the morning of September 2, your wife’s texting you, ‘Where are you?’ You wouldn’t have been able to respond to that correct?” Hamner asked. “But I did not,” Telles replied. “I didn’t ask you that. If you were not in your house on September 2, in the morning, your wife sent you a message with a phone you had left at home, it would have been impossible for you to answer that question correct?” Hamner tried to ask again.
Telles’ defense attorney Robert Draskovich objected to it being a speculative question. The judge looked at the state and Telles saying, “You can answer it.”
“I’ll ask you again,” Hamner said. “Again, that would have been if, if in fact, that was the case, if in fact, I left my phone at home. Sure, yes,” Telles responded.
Friday we expect to hear more from Telles as he will have the chance to redirect the state’s questioning.
LIVE UPDATES
4:12 P.M. - The state wraps up its cross-examination. Court is in recess until Friday at 9:30 a.m.
3:35 P.M. - Court is back in session.
1:35 P.M. - Robert Telles is now under cross-examination by the state.
11:50 A.M. - Telles ended his testimony with this: “I would never beat anyone up. I have never killed anybody, I didn’t kill Mr. German and that is my testimony.”
We will hear cross-examination after a recess.
11:33 A.M. - Telles is speaking about September 7, 2022, when police took him to Summerlin Area Command and later stormed his home to take him into custody after retrieving a positive DNA match.
TELLES: “They took me back home and the media was outside my house and somebody followed me all the way to my garage door with a microphone in her hand and I wouldn’t say chasing me but walking briskly I wasn’t sure that was her right but it didn’t help my situation.”
Telles then asks his attorney to show a number of photos from inside his home after detectives searched it. The photos show the mess left behind following the search.
TELLES: “This for me was the thing that broke me.”
TELLES: “I know I didn’t do this thing, yet the police claimed they have this evidence did what they did to me i have a million-dollar life insurance policy I didn’t want my family to go through more torture. I don’t know what I was thinking you know, what if I could avoid the pain. I was going to suffer doing this circus and put some money in their hands for not being there. This was the thing I needed to do.”
TELLES: “I am not guilty I didn’t kill Mr German.”
TELLES: “As you can see I attempted suicide. SWAT came in and pulled me out and put me into that ambulance. Det. Jappe came into the ambulance.
TELLES: “When he came into the ambulance he came to extract a confession out of me.”
11:16 A.M. - Robert Telles began where he left off yesterday.
TELLES: “I would like to show a picture of the killer’s pants i believe it was a video provided by the state.”
TELLES: “I would like to show my jeans versus the killer’s pants I personally don’t believe they look the same.”
The state objected due to Telles sharing his opinion. Judge Michelle Leavitt “sustained” the objection.
TELLES: “As a result of my jeans being taken from me that day I was put into that paper suit and you have seen the photo of the paper suit and the room was cold.”
TELLES: “When I attempted to have the temperature adjusted there was no help there i spent the day freezing in that paper suit.”
TELLES: “There were various things done to I believe break me I conveyed concern all along about my family and as time went on during this detention I learned various things tend to break someone’s spirit.”
TELLES: “I was informed all my vehicles were being taken away and this was early in the investigation.”
TELLES: “I was denied any ability to make any phone calls when I wanted to speak to an attorney. I did not have the ability to talk to an attorney, it is my understanding that my rights were taken away because I wasn’t arrested but detained.”
10:43 A.M. - Telles resumes his testimony.
10:40 A.M. - Robert Telles is in the courtroom.
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