3 takeaways from Day 3 of Robert Telles trial

Attorneys gave opening statements and began questioning witnesses during the third day of the murder trial for a man accused of killing Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German.

Former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, 47, is standing trial on one count of murder with a deadly weapon against a victim 60 or older. Telles is accused of killing German over articles the journalist had written about Telles’ conduct as an elected official and about allegations of turmoil within the county office.

Here are some key takeaways:

Opening statements

The prosecutors began outlining what they have previously said is “overwhelming” evidence against Telles. Weckerly told jurors that the state will ask them to “hold him responsible for his conduct” by the end of trial.

“In the end, this case isn’t about politics, it’s not about alleged inappropriate relationships, it’s not about who’s a good boss or who’s a good supervisor or favoritism at work,” Weckerly said. “It’s just about murder.”

Draskovich instead focused on Telles as a public official, arguing that he was trying to expose corruption within the office and was unfairly targeted by Metropolitan Police Department detectives, who, Draskovich said, zeroed in on him as a suspect. Draskovich argued that “losing a job is not a motive for murder.”

New evidence

Prosecutors pointed to several pieces of evidence that have not been publicized.

During opening statements, Weckerly said Telles had downloaded images of German’s house onto his work computer and had done research on German’s car.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Hamner questioned a former detective about video surveillance. The former detective noted similarities between the suspect’s vehicle and the vehicle found in Telles’ driveway — images of both showed tinting on only the back windows and a “light spot” on the windshield.

Neighbors testify

Three of German’s neighbors testified about noticing his garage door open the day he was killed. His neighbors from across the street, Holly and Roy Bailey, said they closed the door that evening.

Holly Bailey said that she had emailed and texted German, but he wasn’t responding. She and her husband planned to ask for a welfare check on German the following day but wanted to check on him one more time.

Roy Bailey started crying when describing finding German’s body and had to pause to collect himself.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.