LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas judge on Tuesday allowed former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles to represent himself against a murder charge in the killing of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German.
District Judge Michelle Leavitt grilled Telles for nearly 30 minutes in court, asking him if he understood criminal law and repeatedly stating that it was a bad idea for him to represent himself.
“And you understand that once you decide on self representation that you don’t get to change your mind in the middle of the proceedings and then request an attorney?” the judge asked Telles. “I think I’ve made it pretty clear that we’re not playing games here.”
Telles had said earlier in the hearing that he wanted to represent himself for the time being, then hire another attorney in a few months.
The judge set another hearing for Feb. 9 to appoint him a standby attorney through the Clark County Public Defender’s office. The standby counsel would be available to answer Telles’ questions and give him advice, but would not represent him during the trial.
Telles, 46, is accused of fatally stabbing German outside the reporter’s home in September.
Court documents filed in February by defense attorney Damian Sheets indicated Telles wanted to represent himself and that there was a “breakdown in communication” between Sheets and his client.
Telles refused multiple interview requests in February from the Review-Journal. But in jailhouse interviews with other local media outlets, Telles denied his involvement in the slaying and claimed that what prosecutors called “overwhelming” evidence against him was planted at his home.
He has been represented by the Clark County public defender’s office and a series of private attorneys. When Telles was represented by public defenders, the Review-Journal published an investigation showing that he was appointed representation despite having thousands of dollars in property assets.
Telles — who graduated from UNLV’s Boyd Law School in 2014 — told KTNV-TV that he may try to raise money to make sure he gets “the legal defense that is just.”
The Review-Journal reported this week that Telles is attempting to sell five rental properties he owns in Arkansas.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Telles said he disagreed with Sheets about the timing of the trial, which is currently set for November, and wants the trial to happen sooner.
“And you understand that you may not even get the things that you want to get by dismissing Mr. Sheets, like an earlier trial date?” Leavitt asked him.
Telles, who was elected to the public administrator role in late 2018, has practiced mostly civil and probate law since leaving law school, he told the judge. He has handled about six criminal misdemeanor cases, has never overseen a felony criminal case, and has taken three civil cases to a jury trial, he said during the hearing.
Prosecutors have accused Telles of killing German, 69, over articles he had written about Telles’ conduct as an elected official and about claims that Telles had created a toxic work environment.
In court, prosecutors have pointed to several pieces of evidence against Telles in German’s slaying, including DNA found underneath the reporter’s fingernails, and clothing and bloody pieces of a shoe found at Telles’ house matching items worn by a suspect seen in surveillance footage wandering German’s neighborhood the day he was killed.
The suspect seen in the surveillance footage also was captured returning to the crime scene after the attack in a GMC Denali matching the description of a vehicle registered to Telles’ wife.
Telles remains in the Clark County Detention Center without bail.
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