Telles Murder Trial: State rests its case, defense to begin calling witnesses Tuesday
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - It is week 2 in the murder trial of Robert Telles, the former Clark County official accused of killing Las Vegas investigative journalist Jeff German.
After several more witnesses were questioned, the State of Nevada rested its case Monday afternoon.
Week 1 wrapped up Friday with dramatic testimony from a woman who worked in the public administrator’s office, as well as, several Metro detectives explaining the investigation that ensued following German’s brutal death.
In a preview of the defense’s case, FOX5 spoke to Telles’ attorney Robert Draskovich, who said Telles is expected to share his testimony with jurors.
Earlier Monday, the state called three Metro officials who worked on the case.
We heard from a criminal intelligence detective who worked undercover. Detective Taylor Tolliver told the jury how she had surveillance on Telles - as part of another corruption investigation into him.
Pictures she took of Telles on September 1, 2022, one day before German was murdered, were shown to the jury.
Then, on September 6, she told the jury how she saw Telles washing all three of his cars including the car he allegedly used to drive to German’s house.
We have heard from Mathew Hovanec, who works in the Metro digital forensic lab, collecting information from Telles’ phone after German’s murder.
In court, we found out Telles had looked up German’s home numerous times, nearly 20 days before the killing.
“What were the words being typed into Google search?” asked district attorney Christopher Hamner. “Jeff German Las Vegas,” Hovanec replied.“How many images related to Google map images were tagged for this report?” then asked Hamner. Hovanec replied, “132.”
“So that signifies that there were 132 images on his phone related to this topic?” Hamner added. “This is one of the images that were found inside Mr Telles’ phone,” Hamner says as he shows the photos to jury members.
Another Google photo shows a security camera on German’s home.
Telles’s defense attorney Robert Draskovich cross-examined Hovanec asking him whether the phone could have been hacked. His response was it could be a possibility but he has personally never seen it happen.
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5:59 P.M. - Defense attorney Robert Draskovich confirms to FOX5′s Cody Lee that Robert Telles will testify in his murder trial. During a conversation following Monday’s proceedings, Draskovich said “He [Telles] has made it clear in the past, before I was on the case, that he wants to testify, so I expect he will.”
Draskovich says that will happen either Tuesday or Wednesday, but implies it’s looking more like the latter.
The defense will begin laying out its case Tuesday.
4:20 P.M. - The state rests case in Robert Telles murder trial. The defense is expected to bring in witnesses Tuesday. Court is back in session at 10:30 a.m.
3:36 P.M. - Court is back in session. Defense attorney Draskovich continues cross-examination of Metro detective Justine Gatus.
3:08 P.M. - Court is in a 15-minute break.
2:57 P.M. - Detective Gatus says she showed up at German’s home and advised her team to start gathering surveillance footage from the area.
During this time German’s body was shown again as his family was present in the courtroom and Telles looking closely at the evidence presented.
Gatus is asked about how police released surveillance footage of the suspect and car after German was murdered. Then she spoke about a search warrant she had drafted to get Telles’ DNA.
Det. Gatus says, “We [LVMPD] received emails, phone calls, crime stopper tips that came in.”
“Did some of the tips suggest to you that you should look at Robert Telles as a suspect?” asked district attorney Pamela Weckerly. “Yes that is correct,” Gatus replied. “I found several articles that Jeffrey German had wrote about Rob Telles, they weren’t flattering,” Gatus added.
Telles was pulled over on the morning of September 7, 2022, in his Tesla.
On that morning Telles was pulled over he was taken to the Summerlin Area Command where his DNA was collected.
Detective Gatus says it was around this time when other officers were at Telles’ house finding other key pieces of evidence like the cut-up straw hat and shoes similar to what the suspect was seen wearing.
Gatus has been on the stand for more than an hour so far.
1:35 P.M. - Court resumes with the state calling in LVMPD detective Justine Gatus. She was one of many working the day German was found dead. She was the lead detective at the scene.
12:15 P.M. - Court is in recess for lunch.
11:45 A.M. - Hovanec lays out searches and activity on Robert Telles’ device including a photo of the gray Nike shoes from August 2022. Those look similar to the shoes worn by Jeff German’s assailant.
Dozens of photos showing German’s home were also found in Telles’ phone nearly 20 days before the killing.
11:24 A.M. - Metro forensic lab supervisor Matthew Hovanec is on the stand now.
11:11 A.M. - The state calls in Christie Baxter, a crime scene analyst with Las Vegas police.
11:05 A.M. - Court is back in session. Metro detective Taylor Tolliver is on the stand. She conducted surveillance on Robert Telles on September 1, 2022, at the request of fellow Metro detective Derek Jappe. They were investigating him on other allegations involving the public administrator’s office. Tolliver also surveilled Telles on September 6 following the killing of Jeff German.
10:48 A.M. - Clark County DA Steve Wolfson enters the courtroom. We are still waiting for proceedings to begin.
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