Telles’ former employee, others testify on Day 5 of murder trial
When an employee of former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles learned about the slaying of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, she immediately messaged her boss.
Roberta Lee-Kennett testified during Telles’ murder trial on Friday that she texted Telles a screenshot of a Review-Journal article about German’s slaying.
“Oh my goodness! Jeff German died???” Lee-Kennett texted.
Telles later responded: “Holy s—-.”
Telles, 47, is accused of killing German, 69, on Sept. 2, 2022, over articles the journalist had written about his conduct as the Clark County public administrator, including allegations Telles created a toxic work environment and had an “inappropriate” relationship with an employee.
Lee-Kennett was an estate coordinator when Telles took over the public administrator’s office.
Texts with Telles
Prosecutors showed jurors copies of text messages she exchanged with Telles.
After photographs of the assailant’s car was released to the public, Lee-Kennett reached out to Telles again.
“Rob…wtf… please do not be driving your Yukon around for awhile,” she texted.
“Woah. That’s crazy,” Telles responded.
Later in the conversation, Lee-Kennett asked if his car matched the color of the assailant’s car, and if Telles’ car had “racks” on it. She texted that she was “freaking out.”
“Yeah. I think so. It’s fine. I didn’t do it,” Telles texted.
Telles went on to tell Lee-Kennett that his car had “all matching wheel patterns,” and that “they are saying that the front does not match the back.”
Lee-Kennett texted, “F —… your car is identical.”
Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly closed the questioning by asking Lee-Kennett about the messaging app Trillian that she said Telles asked her to download, so the two could communicate through it.
The app bills itself as “secure instant messaging” for businesses, according to its website.
County spokesman Dan Kulin testified that shortly before German was killed, he had notified Lee-Kennett and Telles that the county was about to release records to German detailing their emailed communication. Lee-Kennett said that the morning German was killed, she told Telles the records were going to be released.
Lee-Kennett said she was concerned that the emails contained information about vendors the office worked with.
24 witnesses so far
Telles continued to sit with his head resting on his chin. He watched witnesses, including Lee-Kennett, as they testified, and occasionally scribbled notes on a yellow legal pad. He mouthed something toward her as her testimony concluded.
Jurors heard from 24 witnesses this week, with testimony beginning Wednesday. The witnesses on Friday included county employees, forensic scientists, a Metropolitan Police Department detective and an officer with SWAT.
Prosecutors have alleged that Telles drove to German’s home on the morning of the killing and was “lying in wait” for the journalist 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.
Video surveillance also captured a maroon Yukon Denali driving from Telles’ neighborhood toward German’s home, parking in front of German’s house after the attack, and then driving back toward Telles’ neighborhood.
Former Metro Detective Cliff Mogg has testified that the Denali had no license plates when it was driving through German’s neighborhood, but then was captured on video surveillance with a license plate on the drive back toward Telles’ home.
Mogg testified on Thursday that he was present when a search warrant was executed at Telles’ home and that he saw the maroon Yukon Denali registered to Telles’ wife.
“That absolutely confirmed my belief that Mr. Telles’ vehicle was the one used in the commission of Jeffrey German’s murder,” Mogg said.
Telles has maintained he was framed for German’s killing. Telles’ defense attorney, Robert Draskovich, gave opening statements to the jury on Wednesday and focused on Telles as a public official who was trying to expose corruption within the public administrator’s office.
On Friday, prosecutors called Metro Detective Derek Jappe, with the department’s public corruption squad, who had communicated with Telles about an alleged housing kickback scheme through the public administrator’s office that Telles had reported to authorities.
Jappe testified that he was speaking with Telles after German first began publishing articles about him.
Weeks later, Jappe was put in touch with employees in the public administrator’s office. He testified that the employees had received “information that Mr. Telles was receiving kickbacks.”
Prosecutors asked Jappe if he would “pick and choose” which story to investigate.
“We investigate both simultaneously,” Jappe said.
Jappe said he found evidence that the office under Telles was involved with a real estate agent whose sales “significantly increased” after meeting Telles.
Jappe testified that his investigation into Telles’ actions regarding the alleged kickback scheme ended in February 2023.
“There is no evidence to support that Mr. Telles was receiving any kickbacks,” Jappe said.
He said the FBI came to the same conclusion.
Under surveillance
Jappe said that the investigation spurred by Telles’ report to authorities concluded around the same time and that the district attorney’s office told him there was not enough evidence for a criminal prosecution.
The detective also testified that Telles was under surveillance around the time of German’s killing and that he was being watched the day before, on Sept. 1, 2022.
Draskovich has attempted to cast doubt on the state’s theory that Telles was the assailant seen in surveillance footage who attacked German. He has argued that police focused too hard on Telles without searching for other leads.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have pointed to what they have called “overwhelming” evidence against Telles, including Telles’ DNA found underneath German’s fingernails.
Jurors on Friday heard from a forensic scientist, Kimberly Dannenberger, who tested samples for DNA. She said the DNA found underneath German’s fingernails was 40.9 septillion times more likely to have originated from German and Telles, than if it had originated from German and an unknown person.
Draskovich questioned Dannenberger about the cut-up pieces of a shoe found in Telles home. Dannenberger said that there was blood on the shoe, but that it did not test positive for German’s DNA.
At the end of testimony on Friday, prosecutors questioned officer Levi Hancock, who works for Metro’s SWAT section. He testified about SWAT officers attempting to arrest Telles at his home.
Prosecutors showed jurors body-worn camera footage, which showed Telles covered in blood as officers pulled him from his bathtub. Police have said Telles had self-inflicted cuts on his arms when he was arrested.
In the footage, an officer could be heard saying there was “a lot of significant blood loss in the bathtub.” Hancock testified that an attending physician determined Telles “possibly ingested” a drug and gave Telles two doses of Narcan.
The trial is set to resume with more testimony on Monday at 10:30 a.m. Attorneys have said they expect the trial to last about two weeks.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.