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A former Democratic Las Vegas politician accused of killing an investigative journalist who had written crucial tales in regards to the official had lots of of pictures of the sufferer’s residence and neighborhood on his cellphone and laptop, a Nevada jury was advised Monday.
Robert Telles, 47, a former Democratic estates administrator in Clark County, is accused of killing veteran Las Vegas Evaluation-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German in September 2022, simply months after German wrote articles crucial of Telles and his workplace.
German, 69, was discovered slashed and stabbed outdoors his residence over Labor Day weekend 2022. Telles has pleaded not responsible and maintains he has been charged with the crime.
The photographic proof was offered to the jury Monday after prosecutors rested their case following 4 days of testimony from greater than two dozen witnesses.
JURY SELECTION BEGINS MONDAY FOR FORMER LAS VEGAS POLITICIAN ACCUSED OF MURDER OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
Robert Telles waits in courtroom throughout a recess within the homicide trial of Las Vegas Evaluation-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German on the Regional Justice Heart in Las Vegas on Thursday, August 15, 2024. (KM Cannon/Las Vegas Evaluation-Journal by way of AP, Pool, prime left and prime left. Clive Mason by way of Getty Photos, backside proper.)
Different pictures taken by Robert Telles’ gadgets embody a picture of a single grey sneaker with a particular black sample and a photograph of Telles’ work laptop on the Clark County Public Administrator and Guardian’s workplace displaying outcomes from Web searches by a password-protected web site. The outcomes present German’s identify, residence deal with, automobile license plate quantity and date of delivery.
Prosecutor Christopher Hamner famous to the jury that the picture was taken on Aug. 23, 2022, lower than two weeks earlier than German was stabbed to loss of life in a facet yard of his residence.
“Is that this picture from Mr. Telles’ cellphone?” Hamner requested Matthew Hovanec, a supervisor within the Las Vegas digital forensics unit who testified Monday about “extracting” the info from Telles’ gadgets.
“That is proper,” Hovanec replied.
The jury heard that Telles had visited German’s residence a number of occasions within the practically 20 days earlier than the homicide.
“What phrases have been typed into the Google search?” requested District Lawyer Christopher Hamner, per Fox 5 Vegas.
“Jeff German Las Vegas,” Hovanec replied.
Hovanec mentioned there have been 132 Google Maps photos tagged that associated to the subject.
One other Google picture confirmed a safety digicam at German’s residence.
Telles’ legal professional, Robert Draskovich, questioned Hovanec and requested him if the cellphone may have been hacked. Hovanec’s response was that it might be a chance, however he had by no means seen it occur.
Detective Justine Gatus, the lead detective for the Las Vegas police investigating German’s loss of life, mentioned articles German wrote within the Las Vegas Evaluation-Journal in Could and June 2022 about Telles and the district legal professional’s workplace have been “lower than flattering.”
Across the similar time, Telles took to social media to mock German, criticizing the articles as an inaccurate illustration of his efforts to fight corruption inside an “outdated guard” political and social community in the true property sector.
Gatus testified that the grey sneaker with a Nike emblem and 4 black spots on the only was “equivalent” to a sneaker jurors had beforehand seen on neighbor’s safety digicam footage, which confirmed a determine wearing orange sneaking right into a facet yard of German’s residence, the place German was later discovered useless over Labor Day weekend in 2022.
A photograph taken as proof on the trial of Robert Telles for the loss of life of investigative journalist Jeff German reveals severed items of a shoe. (KM Cannon/Las Vegas Evaluation-Journal by way of AP, Pool)
Neither an orange shirt nor a homicide weapon have been launched as proof within the case. Nonetheless, a kind of footwear, reduce into items and stained with blood from an unknown supply, was present in a plastic buying bag in Telles’ residence after his arrest.
German, initially from Milwaukee, spent 44 years growing confidential sources in Las Vegas, the federal government and the courts. He typically reported on mobsters and authorities officers in Las Vegas.
He was extensively revered for his reporting on the courts, organized crime, authorities corruption, political scandals and mass shootings, first for the Las Vegas Solar and later for the Las Vegas Evaluation-Journal.
NEVADA JUDGE POSTPONES TRIAL OF FORMER LAS VEGAS OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF KILLING JOURNALIST
German was discovered useless in a facet yard of his residence, the place he had been slashed and stabbed. Telles is accused in a felony criticism of “mendacity in wait” for German to come back out.
Telles was arrested just a few days later after police launched a video of an individual carrying an orange work shirt and a wide-brimmed straw hat and carrying a shoulder bag strolling towards German’s residence.
Prosecutors say they’ve robust proof, together with DNA believed to be Telles’s that was discovered beneath German’s fingernails. Additionally present in Telles’ residence have been items of a straw hat and footwear that matched the footwear the individual within the video was carrying outdoors German’s residence.
Police additionally launched photos of a particular maroon SUV, just like the one a Evaluation-Journal photographer noticed Telles washing in entrance of his residence just a few days after the homicide.
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Robert Telles, proper, speaks with Las Vegas Evaluation-Journal reporter Jeff German in his workplace in Las Vegas, on Could 11, 2022. (KM Cannon/Las Vegas Evaluation-Journal by way of AP, file)
Telles grew up in El Paso, Texas, and lived in Colorado earlier than shifting to Las Vegas. He grew to become an legal professional in 2015 and ran as a Democrat in 2018 to turn out to be Clark County’s property supervisor. He misplaced his elected place after his arrest, and his regulation license was revoked.
He faces life in jail if the jury finds him responsible. Prosecutors will not be in search of the loss of life penalty, and he has remained in custody as he prepares to face a jury.
Telles plans to testify, protection legal professional Robert Draskovich advised The Related Press on Monday, and is anticipated to testify to finish his personal protection, probably Tuesday afternoon.
Danielle Wallace of Fox Information and The Related Press contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan writes for Fox Information Digital and Fox Enterprise.
You possibly can ship tricks to michael.dorgan@fox.com and comply with him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
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