Democratic official charged with murdering reporter who exposed his affair refuses to deny doing it

A Las Vegas Democratic official who was charged with murdering a reporter who exposed his affair refused to discuss the case in a jailhouse interview and claimed he lives his life to do ‘good for others.’ 

Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, 45, has been accused of killing Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, 69, earlier this month. 

In a new jailhouse interview with the newspaper, Telles refused to answer any questions about the German case as it is still being investigated. 

However, he insisted he has ‘certainly made mistakes’ in his past. 

‘I’ve just really try to do my best, to live my life doing good for others, and I’m hoping that, again, with everything that’s rolling around in the media these days, that people really see that,’ he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal from inside the walls of the Clark County Detention Center. 

Despite his inability to discuss the case, Telles was arrested on September 7 after DNA evidence found under German’s fingernails allegedly matched the public official’s. 

German was found stabbed to death outside his home on September 3, a day after a straw hat-wearing suspect was found on surveillance footage near the journalist’s home. 

Telles did claim that ‘just really try to do my best, to live my life doing good for others.’ Telles was arrested on September 7 after DNA evidence found under German’s fingernails allegedly matched his 

German was found stabbed to death outside his home on September 3 after he extensively reported on Telles’ public office and allegedly inappropriate relationship with a staffer 

German – who worked in Sin City for most of his career – died of ‘multiple sharp force injuries’ in a homicide, the Clark County Office of the Coroner Medical Examiner said earlier this month. 

When police searched Telles’ home, they found bloodied shoes and a cut up straw hat. 

Telles’ car – a red GMC – was also found to match the vehicle seen on surveillance. Reporters also stalked the public official’s home and found him washing his car after the incident. 

When Telles – who admitted he did not know if he’d resign from office – was arrested, he reportedly had self-inflicted cuts on his arms. 

An arrest report obtained by DailyMail.com shows that he barricaded himself inseide his home, made suicidal statements and slashed his arms with a knife when SWAT teams arrived to arrest him.   

He was also suspected of taking drugs in the moments before he was cuffed, forcing officers to take him to the hospital before he was booked into the county jail.

Prosecutors have accused the public official of ‘lying in wait’ to kill the journalist, who had extensively reported on the turmoil in Telles’ office, including an alleged inappropriate relationship with a staffer Roberta Lee-Kennett, 45. 

He revealed affair after publishing a video of him exiting a vehicle with his lover.

Staffer Roberta Lee-Kennett, 45, left the backseat of the car at the same time as the official, and can be seen hoisting her skirt down.

Surveillance footage showed a suspect wearing gray shoes and a straw hat, which were later found at Telles’ home 

Police found a bloodied shoe that looked similar to the ones the suspect was seen wearing 

Police also found a straw hat cut up at Telles’ home after the murder 

Reporters spotted Telles washing his Red GMC (pictured on surveillance) shortly after the murder 

Las Vegas police officers are seen on earlier this month outside Telles’ home

Telles home is pictured on earlier this month being searched by police

Telles has denied all of the allegations made against him by German, including the affair and the claims that he oversaw an abusive workplace.

He admitted to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there was ‘hostility’ in the office, despite his efforts ‘to improve that office,’ he claimed. 

‘It’s unfortunate that that narrative somehow grew legs and ran,’ he said. 

DailyMail.com previously revealed Telles had been railing against German for months – including in an angry series of messages on social media in which he accused him of rifling through his trash and writing ‘lying smear pieces’ about him.

His colleagues at the Review-Journal helped to track down the suspected killer when they staked out the suspects home, after recalling the tweets sent by Telles to German.

Telles lashed out at German in a series of public Twitter posts, accusing the reporter of preparing ‘lying smear piece #4 by Jeff German, #onetrickpony I think he’s mad that I haven’t crawled into a hole and died.’

In a second post he added: ‘Wife hears rustling in the trash* Her: “Honey, is there a wild animal in the trash?”

Roberta Lee-Kennett, 45, (pictured with her husband) was accused of having an affair with Telles. German claimed that the two were having an affair, and published video of her getting out of a car and pulling her skirt down after being in the back seat with the official

Kennett left the backseat of the car at the same time as the official, as she pulled her skirt down. The clip was published by the late reporter in May

Alleged killer Robert Telles, 45, seen leaving the backseat of his car, along with a member of his staff. The story was reported by the journalist he allegedly killed

‘Me: “No, dear. Look like it’s Jeff German going through our trash for his 4th story on me.” Oh, Jeff…’

The married man – who has had contact with his wife and children – was open to talking about the domestic violence case against him in the jailhouse interview. 

In March 2020, he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after his wife Mae Ismael called the police and told them Telles was ‘going crazy.’

Telles admitted to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he ‘struggled with alcohol’ at the time and that moment was a ‘wake-up call.’ 

‘I don’t drink anymore,’ he told the outlet. ‘My wife and I have a much better relationship [now].’ 

He said he has been sober since that night and had only uncontrollably drank on special occasions beforehand. 

‘It was just me blacking out and, again, not being in control of what was going on,’ he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 

The case was eventually dismissed and he received a suspended 90-day sentence for resisting arrest – where he allegedly told officers while being arrested: ‘You guys just want to take me down because I am a public official.’ 

Telles claimed he doesn’t remember speaking to officers. 

According to the local paper’s obituary, German reported on an extensive range of grizzly topics in Las Vegas, including courts, politics, labor, government and organized crime.

Glenn Cook, the Review-Journal’s executive editor, said earlier this month that German had not communicated any concerns about his personal safety or any threats made against him to anyone in the newspaper’s leadership.

He said in a statement: ‘The Review-Journal family is devastated to lose Jeff.

In the jailhouse interview, he did discuss the domestic violence case – that was dismissed – that took place in March 2020, when his wife (pictured together) called the cops and said her husband was ‘going crazy.’ He claimed he had an alcohol issue and has been sober since and has a better relationship with his wife now 

The public official admitted he has been in contact with his wife and children since been incarcerated 

‘He was the gold standard of the news business. It’s hard to imagine what Las Vegas would be like today without his many years of shining a bright light on dark places.’

German joined the Review-Journal in 2010 after more than two decades at the Las Vegas Sun, where he was a columnist and reporter who covered corruption and organized crime.

He was known for his stories about government malfeasance and political scandals and coverage of the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival that killed 60 people and wounded more than 400 others.

German held a master’s degree from Marquette University and was the author of the 2001 true-crime book ‘Murder in Sin City: The Death of a Las Vegas Casino Boss,’ the story of the death of Ted Binion, heir to the Horseshoe Club fortune.

Cathy Scott, a former coworker, noted how she and German broke the story of the killing of Las Vegas mafia associate Herbert ‘Fat Herbie’ Blitzstein in 1997 in Las Vegas.

German (pictured) spent most of his career in Sin City and joined the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2010

German was the author of the 2001 true-crime book ‘Murder in Sin City: The Death of a Las Vegas Casino Boss,’ the story of the death of Ted Binion, heir to the Horseshoe Club fortune

German covered a lot of organized crime stories, including hosting a season of the Review-Journal’s true crime podcast, ‘Mobbed Up: The Fight for Vegas.’

The podcast was described as being about how ‘mafia crime families wielded hidden control over more than a third of the Strip’s casinos, and federal and state agents were waking up to the enormous task of pushing them out.’

He also broke stories about government corruption, political candidates having inappropriate campaign finances and told stories of the rise and fall of the mob in Las Vegas.