(CN) — The cross-examination of Robert Telles, the former politician accused of killing an investigative reporter in retaliation for writing a series of critical articles about him, ended Thursday with one more piece of evidence admitted by the prosecution: a text from Telles’ wife asking “Where are you?” on the day the journalist was killed.
Telles had earlier testified that he had been at home and taken a walk on the morning Jeff German was stabbed to death outside of his Las Vegas home in September 2022.
“At that same time, at 10:30 in the morning, we’ve seen video surveillance of a car that you say ‘Looks just like mine’ driving in Mr. German’s neighborhood, correct?” prosecutor Chris Hamner asked.
“Correct,” Telles replied.
The prosecutor questioned Telles for over two hours, asking him about his theory that he had been set up by a local real estate company working in conjunction with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.
Telles suggested evidence had been planted in his house and at the crime scene in an effort to frame him.
“I believe that there are officers who, when they think that a fellow officer needs help plugging holes in a case, they do what they have to do,” Telles said.
He suggested that the police had picked up on his personal details, such as the sneakers he wore that the suspect also wore, while surveilling him for an unrelated investigation into whether he was receiving kickbacks for home sales as a public administrator.
“If the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department wanted to frame you, why didn’t they put the murder weapon in your house?” Hamner asked.
“I think that maybe, I don’t know, I mean it’s a good question,” Telles responded.
Telles has maintained that he believes the police worked in conjunction with Compass Realty, a local company that Telles accused of operating a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud heirs by undervaluing and flipping homes of decedents.
Telles said the company donated $10,000 to his opponent for Clark County Public Administrator and office rival, Rita Reid, in the election he ultimately lost in 2022 in order to prevent him from continuing his investigation into their alleged scheme.
“You’re trying to tell us that Compass Realty was so upset with you that they backed a candidate, a candidate who wins, but then they just can’t wait any longer so they murder a reporter? They can’t wait the three months?” Hamner asked.
Telles said it was because he had the authority to “really crack things open right then.”
“If they hated you so much, why didn’t they just kill you?” Hamner asked.
Telles responded that his death would not have stopped his investigation into the company.
“Murdering me would not have discredited me,” Telles said.
Before getting to cross-examination, Telles continued his direct testimony to the jury. Telles is allowed to testify by narrative, meaning he shared his story himself rather than being guided by questions from his attorney.
He told the jury during his roughly 90 minutes of testimony that he was innocent and the victim of a conspiracy.
“I know I didn’t do this thing and yet the police claim they have this evidence and did what they did to me,” Telles said.
When reviewing photos of his home in disarray after police had searched it, Telles began to cry.
He went through the evidence levied against him piece by piece and offered explanations, but did not address the prosecution’s DNA evidence. He asked the jury to compare the jeans police confiscated off his person the day he was detained to the pair worn by the suspect in police photos.
“I personally don’t believe they look the same,” Telles said before Judge Michelle Leavitt sustained an objection from prosecutors that his opinion is irrelevant.
Telles told the jury his suicide attempt was an effort to shield his family from the “circus” of a murder trial and said he had a life insurance policy on himself.
“I’m not guilty,” he followed up with. “I didn’t kill Mr. German.”
At one point, Telles stood up and removed his shoe to show the jury that he wears special shoe lifts to boost his height and never wore name-brand shoes into the office for that reason.
Telles ended his direct testimony imploring the jury to believe his innocence. He attempted to say variations of the statement “I’m not the kind of person who would stab someone” but Leavitt sustained multiple objections from prosecutors.
“I’ve never beat anybody up. I’ve never killed anybody. I didn’t kill Mr. German. And that’s my testimony,” Telles finally said.
Telles will have a chance to give re-direct testimony when the trial resumes on Friday.
The prosecution rested its case on Monday, having called 28 witnesses to the stand over four days. The defense has called six witnesses.
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