8 witnesses questioned on Day 4 of Robert Telles trial
Witnesses testified all day Thursday during the murder trial of a former elected official accused in the slaying of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, including two real estate agents who said they recognized photos of the suspect.
Prosecutors have accused Robert Telles, 47, of stabbing and killing German, 69, on Sept. 2, 2022, over articles the journalist had written about Telles’ conduct as Clark County public administrator.
Real estate agent Kristen Riffle testified about the moment she and her co-worker Zackary Schilling saw images released by police of the man accused of killing German, shown in surveillance footage walking through German’s neighborhood wearing an orange vest and a large, straw hat obscuring his face.
“Me and Zack, ’cause we had followed all the stories that Jeff had written, so it was kind of like, ‘Oh my gosh, can you imagine if it was Rob that did that?’” Riffle said. “And we kind of said it in jest, not really actually thinking he did it.”
Both Riffle and Schilling said they worked closely with Telles in conjunction with probate cases. Schilling said he recognized the assailant’s gait and shoes from the surveillance images.
“Boy, that really looks like somebody I know,” Schilling remembered thinking.
Schilling said it wasn’t until he saw an image of the assailant’s maroon Yukon Denali that he called police. He said he had recognized the car from a prior encounter with Telles.
On cross-examination, Schilling told Telles’ defense attorney, Robert Draskovich, that he had a friend who worked for the Metropolitan Police Department who helped raid Telles’ home and that Schilling had talked about the case with his friend. Schilling testified that he spoke to his friend after he made his initial report to police but before he and Riffle were interviewed by detectives.
Draskovich also questioned Schilling about a disagreement he had with Telles over the sale of a house,
“But you had some issues with him concerning your percentage, correct?” Draskovich asked.
“One has nothing to do with the other,” Schilling said.
Eight witnesses were questioned Thursday, including the two real estate agents, a crime scene analyst, a medical examiner and police detectives. The trial is set to resume at 9:30 a.m. Friday.
Some of the testimony on Thursday included graphic images from German’s autopsy. Stephanie Yagi, a medical examiner with the Clark County coroner’s office, detailed 13 injuries German suffered, including six stab wounds and seven incise wounds. One wound was a slash to the throat, and German’s heart and lung were punctured, she said.
Telles appeared to grimace at autopsy photos that appeared on a screen in front of him. For much of the testimony on Thursday he sat with his chin resting in his hand.
‘That absolutely confirmed my belief’
In Draskovich’s opening statements on Wednesday, he painted a picture of Telles as a public official who was trying to expose corruption within the office. He has tried to cast doubt that Telles is the assailant seen in surveillance footage who attacked German.
Testimony began Thursday with Draskovich cross-examining former Metropolitan Police Department Detective Cliff Mogg. The day before, Mogg had offered jurors a glimpse into details of the investigation, explaining how he tracked the movement of the suspect’s maroon Yukon Denali through surveillance footage from businesses and homes near the crime scene and Telles’ home.
Draskovich asked Mogg how he narrowed the search to Telles’ maroon Yukon Denali out of all of the Yukon Denalis in the Clark County area.
The suspect’s vehicle was captured on video in German’s neighborhood without a license plate. Mogg testified that a license plate appears on the vehicle after German was killed, as the driver moved toward Telles’ neighborhood.
“At no point in time do we have any capture of a red Denali parked, and there’s a license plate being either removed or put upon it, correct?” Draskovich asked.
“There is not,” Mogg said.
Mogg testified that police determined there are over 100 Denalis in the Clark County area, but police then narrowed the list to Yukon Denalis, and then maroon Yukon Denalis.
Draskovich continually questioned Mogg about the assailant’s vehicle, and why police believed it matched Telles’ vehicle. Mogg had previously testified that the assailant’s vehicle and Telles’ vehicle had similarly tinted windows, and a similar “light spot” near the front windshield.
In surveillance footage of the assailant’s vehicle driving back toward Telles’ neighborhood, Mogg testified a white spot appeared on the back of the SUV, matching what appeared to be a specialty plate on the same vehicle parked in Telles’ driveway.
“You’re drawing that conclusion based on this image?” Draskovich asked.
“Oh no,” Mogg said. “I was present for the execution of a search warrant at Mr. Telles’ residence where several items of evidence were recovered. That absolutely confirmed my belief that Mr. Telles’ vehicle was the one used in the commission of Jeffrey German’s murder.”
Injury to Telles’ hands
Other testimony on Thursday included detectives describing the process of finding evidence in Telles’ home, including a plastic bag with cut-up pieces of a shoe, a grocery bag with cut-up pieces of a straw hat, and a plastic bin with a gray duffle bag inside. Prosecutors have said the items match items worn or carried by the assailant in surveillance video.
At one point, Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Hamner showed jurors side-by-side images of the assailant’s shoes and a shoe found in Telles’ home. Both appeared to have the same Nike-brand swoosh.
Draskovich questioned how detectives found the items and who was present when the evidence was located. During his opening statements, Draskovich attacked the pieces of evidence found in Telles’ home, suggest they were cut up so that “they would be easier to conceal and plant.”
A Metro senior crime scene analyst, Jennifer Manning, also testified about taking photos during German’s autopsy and taking pictures of Telles after he was detained. She testified that Telles had a bruise on his shoulder and several injuries on his hands and a bandage on a finger. A picture of the appendage without the bandage showed dried blood at the tip of his finger.
Manning walked into the courtroom with two brown paper bags containing evidence. Draskovich asked her to open the bags so the items could be admitted into evidence, and she showed the jury a pair of Telles’ jeans, which were seized by police when he was detained.
Telles has been accused of “lying in wait” for German outside of the reporter’s home on Sept. 2, 2022, before stabbing him multiple times.
During opening statements, Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly told jurors that before the slaying, Telles had downloaded Google images of German’s house and had searched for information on German’s car.
Telles has maintained he was framed for German’s killing. Prosecutors have pointed to “overwhelming” evidence against Telles, including his DNA found underneath German’s fingernails.
Prosecutors have said they expect to call about 20 witnesses in the case, while Draskovich has previously said he will call about 12.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.
