Deliberations end for day in Las Vegas murder trial of Robert Telles

LAS VEGAS — For the second day in a row, jurors have failed to reach a verdict in the murder trial of former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, accused of killing Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German.

Just before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, District Court spokeswoman Mary Ann Price said the jury has finished deliberations for the day and will resume Wednesday morning. The jury deliberated for more than four hours Monday and just under six hours on Tuesday.

The jury sent three questions to the judge on Tuesday morning, summoning attorneys to the courtroom to send written instructions back to the panel. The jury asked for an extra laptop, to view a side-by-side video of Telles and the assailant walking, and to be provided with the number used to label evidence of the “Jeff German news article videos about Mr. Telles.”

The judge agreed to send another laptop to the jury, but the panel will not receive the specific side-by-side video assembled from existing evidence and used by prosecutors in closing arguments. The jury will also be told to refer to the evidence to find the exhibits they are searching for.

Prosecutors have accused Telles of “lying in wait” for German outside the reporter's home on Sept. 2, 2022, while wearing a large straw hat and an orange reflective vest. Neighborhood video surveillance captured a distant image of the assailant confronting German on the side of the journalist’s house. Prosecutors have said Telles killed German over articles the journalist had written about Telles’ conduct as the Clark County public administrator.

The state’s evidence against Telles included his own DNA found underneath German’s fingernails, plus surveillance footage and items found at his home matching the assailant’s clothing.

Defense attorneys tried to paint a picture of Telles as a public official who was trying to expose corruption within the public administrator’s office.

Telles told the jury he was looking into independent administrators in probate cases regarding property of people who died in Clark County. He alleged that the homes were being flipped for profit, without benefiting the families of the deceased, and that he was “fighting” Compass Realty & Management over the sales.

“Somebody framed me for this, and I believe it’s Compass Realty,” Telles said. “And I believe it’s for the work that I’ve done against them.”

The company has called his accusation “unconscionable and irresponsible.”

Attorneys gave closing arguments on Monday, in which Telles’ defense lawyer, Robert Draskovich, emphasized that the jury needs proof beyond a reasonable doubt to convict Telles. Meanwhile, prosecutors attempted to poke holes in Telles’ claim that he was framed by officials and the disgruntled real estate company.

Metropolitan Police Department detective Derek Jappe testified last week that he investigated the Telles claim and that he found no evidence that Telles received kickbacks, and the Clark County district attorney’s office determined there was not enough evidence for a prosecution in the alleged scheme.

German was a longtime journalist in Las Vegas who had reported on crime and local government. His articles on Telles covered accusations that he created a toxic work environment at the public administrator’s office, and carried on an “inappropriate” relationship with a staffer. Telles lost re-election a month after German first reported on him.

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