Prosecution picks apart ex-politician’s conspiracy defense in Vegas reporter’s death: ‘It didn’t make sense’

By Eric Levenson, CNN

(CNN) — Late last week, Robert Telles, the former Nevada politician accused of killing a Las Vegas investigative reporter, took the stand and alleged he had been framed in a vast conspiracy.

He alleged the real estate company Compass Realty, his office co-workers, Las Vegas police, the DNA lab and prosecutors had all conspired to hire an assassin and kill the reporter, Jeff German, on September 2, 2022, and then plant evidence to make him look guilty.

But in the prosecution’s rebuttal argument Monday, Christopher Hamner mocked the conspiracy and told the jury plainly, “It didn’t make sense.”

“What it does give you a window into is what’s in his mind. That is how important Mr. Telles views himself. That every single one of these people, these entities, were literally willing to kill another human being – who is not him – just to frame him,” Hamner said. “Does that make sense? And more importantly, where is the evidence to support that?”

Even Telles’ own attorney, Robert Draskovich, did not fully endorse Telles’ theory about the conspiracy, although he empathized with his client’s mindset.

“It’s understandable why he believes this wide-reaching conspiracy,” Draskovich said in his closing argument. “What other options does he have under these circumstances?”

After the rebuttal, the jury was sent to begin deliberations. After meeting for about four hours, the jury was sent home for the day and will return Tuesday at 9 a.m. PT.

The closing arguments and the rebuttal come several weeks into the murder trial of Telles, the 47-year-old former Clark County Public Administrator. He has pleaded not guilty to murder with use of a deadly weapon in the stabbing death of German, a Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter.

The trial in Clark County comes nearly two years after the killing highlighted concerns about violence against journalists, even in the United States. There have been 14 journalists killed in the US since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

German, 69, wrote about the underbelly of “Sin City” and had covered mobsters, crooked officials and corrupt government agencies in an ink-stained life. Yet prosecutors said it was his reporting on Telles and his little-known office that led to the murder.

Prior to his death, German had written about allegations of wrongdoing in the Clark County Public Administrator’s office, reporting Telles created a hostile work environment and carried on an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.

The reporter was found dead with multiple stab wounds outside his home on September 2, 2022. He was working on a story about Telles the week he was killed, according to the Review-Journal.

What happened at trial and in closings

Over the last two weeks, prosecutors have alleged Telles killed German because he was angry the reporter had written articles exposing turmoil in his political office. Because of the articles, Telles lost his bid for reelection in a Democratic primary in June 2022, according to prosecutors.

Months later, while German was working on another story on him, Telles allegedly wore a disguise, hid outside the reporter’s home and fatally stabbed him, the prosecution said.

About two dozen witnesses testified for the prosecution, which used video and physical evidence to tie Telles to the suspect’s disguise, a maroon vehicle at the scene and DNA from under German’s fingernails.

Parts of the disguise – a large sun hat and gray Nike sneakers – were found cut into pieces in Telles’ house, prosecutors said. Investigators also examined Telles’ phone and found images from Google Maps of German’s house, prosecutors said.

At closing arguments Monday, Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly summarized the evidence again and showed Telles’ texts criticizing German’s articles.

“He was clearly incredibly upset that those articles were written and that it resulted in him losing that primary,” Weckerly said.

The defense has said Telles had been framed for the death because he was trying to make changes in his political office that upset the “Old Guard.” Telles testified in his own defense during the trial and denied wrongdoing, saying a real estate company had hired an assassin to kill the reporter and then frame him.

“I’ve never beat anybody up, I’ve never killed anybody. I didn’t kill Mr. German. That’s my testimony,” Telles said.

In the defense’s closing argument Monday, Draskovich argued the state had not proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecution did not find German’s blood or DNA in Telles’ home, his vehicle or on his clothing, and investigators had not found the murder weapon or the bright orange vest worn by the suspect, he argued.

On rebuttal, Hamner ruthlessly picked apart Telles’ conspiracy theory, saying it doesn’t make sense so many people would agree to kill a reporter in an attempt to frame a lame duck, small-time politician.

Hamner begrudgingly acknowledged Telles’ murder plot as “thoughtful” and “deliberate” but said it was altogether amateurish. And he argued Telles had the motive and the means to kill German, who was working on another article about him.

“He murdered him because Jeff’s writing destroyed his career, it destroyed his reputation, it threatened probably his marriage and exposed things that even he admitted he did not want the public to know,” he said. “He did it because Jeff wasn’t done writing.”

CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.

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