August 15, 2024 • 39 mins
The murder trial of former Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles has begun.
A jury of seven men and seven women has been selected. Telles, 47, is accused of stabbing investigative journalist Jeff German outside the reporter's home. German had written several explosive articles for the Las Vegas Review-Journal exposing bullying, harassment, and an inappropriate relationship within Telles' office.
A suspect was caught on surveillance video walking to the home, wearing an orange shirt with reflective stripes, a straw hat, and carrying a duffel bag. Police say that on the morning of the incident, the suspect approached German's home, went to the side of the house, and shortly after, German emerged from the garage door, went to the side of the house, and was ultimately stabbed.
Telles is facing four charges: murder with a deadly weapon, burglary of a motor vehicle, and two counts of destruction of evidence.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
- Troy Slaten – Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney, Slaten Lawyers, APC; X: @TroySlaten
- Dr. Bethany Marshall – Psychoanalyst; Instagram & TikTok: @drbethanymarshall, X: @DrBethanyLive, Appearing in the latest season of “Paris in Love” on Peacock – BOOK: “Deal Breaker: When to work on a relationship and when to walk away”
- Irv Brandt – Senior Inspector, US Marshals Service International Investigations Branch; Chief Inspector, DOJ Office of International Affairs, US Embassy Kingston, Jamaica; Author: “SOLO SHOT: CURSE OF THE BLUE STONE” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON IN JANUARY; ALSO “FLYING SOLO: Top of the World;” Twitter: @JackSoloAuthor
- Dr. Michelle DuPre – Former Forensic Pathologist, Medical Examiner and Detective: Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, Author: “Homicide Investigation Field Guide” & “Investigating Child Abuse Field Guide;” Forensic Consultant
- Jaewon Jung - Senior Reporter KTNV, Las Vegas, https://www.ktnv.com/jaewon-jung @jaewonnews on all social media
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, a reporter stabbed dead, repeat,
stabbed dead after a Vegas politician's sex affair exposed. And
when I say exposed, I mean exposed. We have video
(00:22):
of this politician, you know, I hate politicians getting out
of his vehicle, like tucking his shirt in the front
and then the woman gets out basically adjusting her pantyhose.
I'm Nancy Grace, this is Crime Stories. Thank you for
being with US.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Journalist Jeff German walks straight into an ambush attack. He
was stabbed four times in the neck and three in
the torso.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Oh my stars, just whoa whoa? Wait wait, headpounding again.
I'm seeing my pulse in my eyeballs. I'm need the
medical examiner. But hold on, before I go to Jaywan Jung,
Vegas senior reporter KT and V, let me go to
my longtime colleague, doctor Michelle dupri forensic pathologist, medical uh oh,
(01:15):
I see Troy Slayton already squirming in a seat, high
profile defense attorney. I beg you are squirming, doctor Dupree again,
forensic pathologist, medical examiner, former detective, author her new book
Money Mischief, Murder, The Murdog saga. This is the one
that I'm most interested in. Homicide investigation field guide. You
(01:39):
can find her at Dmichelle dupremd dot com. Okay, that aside,
did you hear that, doctor Dupree?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Four stabs to the neck?
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I mean, you and I have been on a lot
of crime scenes, but a stab to the jugular blood
spurts out like a water sprinkler everywhere.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Nancy, that's devastating.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
I mean I opened this up, doctor Dupree, talking about
how you know we've got that video of the politician
getting out of his vehicle adjusting his clothes, and then
you see the woman I'll never forget at one of
my other TV homes, which she'll go unnamed. There was
an office affair of a big haun show, I might add,
(02:29):
and late at night he spotted walking through the knees
room and then followed in like thirty seconds later. That's
not obvious by the woman with her skirt still tucked,
Dancy Repenny hose. Guess what nobody said anything? She walked
through the whole newsroom like that. Okay, that said, Doctor Dupree.
(02:50):
Can I not think about her straightening her dress for
a moment? Back to the four stab ones to the neck.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Explain well, Nancy, as you've mentioned, that would have been
massive blood everywhere. I mean, as you said, it would
have spurted out. It would have been a horrible crime scene.
And then three to the back of the torso.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Okay, we've got the stabos to the neck and you
were saying, doctor dupree, what were the other wounds?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
There were three to the torso as well. That's overkill.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I mean, that's a lot. It sounds almost like a frenzy. Okay,
what do we know? Take a listen to Captain Dorry Kuran.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
We began our homicide investigation about five days ago on Saturday,
September third. This was after we received a NAOI one
call of an unresponsive mail that was found on the
side of his home. Our preliminary investigation revealed that the
unresponsive mail was deceased as a result of stabbings. We
also determined pretty quickly that the victim was Jeff German.
(03:51):
Jeff Garmmon's a well known investigative reporter, and that was
taken into account immediately.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Guys.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
I'm just trying to make sense of what we're learning
right now. Preliminary rests stigation reveals unresponsive mail already de
ceased with four sad ones to the neck, including the
jugular running right here. That goes without saying already de ceased.
He didn't make it to the hospital. We determined quickly
the victim was Jeff Garman, well known investigative reporter, and
(04:20):
that was taken into account immediately. Translation they knew exactly
who the victim was. Okay, what do we know about him?
Take a listen to our friend Vanessa Murphy klastv.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
Jeff Garman, longtime Las Vegas reporter, was originally at another
newspaper here, then went to the Review Journal for at
least the past decade. Well respected. I know his colleagues,
they had nothing bad to say about him. Just a
tenacious reporter. And as an investigative journalist, oftentimes we are
(04:56):
uncovering truths that people do not want to be uncovered,
and he was doing that on a regular basis.
Speaker 7 (05:04):
But that's part of the job.
Speaker 6 (05:06):
And I think it's interesting that his colleagues say that
he never felt like he was in immediate danger at
the time.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Joining me Jaywan June Senior reporter or senior investigative reporter
k t In the ABC affiliate Vegas, jay One, thank
you for being with us. You know what photo I
like the most of our victim, Jeff German, The one
of him smiling. It looks like a headshot that he
(05:36):
may have had taken because it looks like he's just
about to break into laughter, like he's just holding it
in long enough for the camera to click. And that's
what I have learned about him during this investigation, that
all the other reporters loved him, that's who he was,
(05:56):
and he had no idea that in his diggie he
was going to end up did.
Speaker 8 (06:04):
I think it's really interesting that Las Vegas Review Journal
editor in chief Glen Cook even said that when German's
murder happened, so many people could have wanted him killed
because he did expose corruption in Las Vegas for so long,
for pretty much four decades.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Hold on just a moment, a jay One, you stated
uncovering corruption, Now, well, that means in my mind, I've
prosecuted a lot of homicide cases. But when you're dealing
with players that are powerful, that can pull strings, that
(06:41):
will have prestige, money, position lost if their secrets are uncovered,
that's deadly. That's like playing with a rattlesteak. What do
you mean this guy uncovered corruption?
Speaker 8 (06:56):
Yeah, Jeff Garman was known as the mob reporter in
Las veg Vegas, and he wanted to expose corrupt politicians.
That was sort of his whole beat while he was
at the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Explain, like what he.
Speaker 8 (07:12):
Wanted to see if there was any turmoil in workplaces.
He wanted to see if politicians were abusing their power,
and he wanted to uncover that and expose that to
the people of the Las Vegas Valley.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Guys, what do we know about this reporter fining those
in power that he believed were corrupt? And what do
we know about his murder?
Speaker 5 (07:38):
Listen, the suspect was wearing an orange shirt with reflective.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Stripes, a straw hat, and was.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Carrying a Duffel bag and what was likely an attempt
to either disguise his identity or conceal his identity.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Okay, joining me right now. Troy Slayton, high profile lawyer
out of La hold On, Troy, can I see a
picture of this? The captain had it right beside him
as he was giving the press release. The perp is
Oh my goodness, Okay, you might as well take an
(08:11):
ad on Third Avenue. Look at me, this is some
get up reflective strips. Look look at the video. You
think nobody's going to notice that, TROYE.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Layton. It looks like a worker on the street that
you would see in construction sites all over the Las
Vegas area.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
It doesn't to me, wearing a giant straw hat doing
what No, what in a huge duffel bag. Why do
you say that? Looks like a normal worker on the
side of the street.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
Person's wearing gloves. It looks like they have work pants,
a hat on, reflective vest. Looks like a construction worker,
or a street maintenance worker, or any number of construction
workers that you'd see in the Las Vegas area.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Okay, guys, what more do we know about this suspect?
In quite the get up.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
We also know that the suspect was walking westbound approaching
Garman's home on Friday, September two, the day prior to
us being notified. On that morning, he approached mister Garman's
home and went to the side of the house. Shortly after,
Garriman came outside of the garage door and then went
(09:22):
to the side of the house and ultimately an altercation
took place between the suspect and the victim.
Speaker 7 (09:28):
Our victim was stab multiple times.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
So too you. Erv Brandt joining US former Senior Inspector
with the US Marshall Service, the International Investigations Branch Chief
Inspector also DOJ Office International Affairs and ATSJA across the world,
and he has just released his fifth novel in his
Jack solo series. Wow, I want to who that's patterned
(09:52):
after Forever Solo Night of the Dragon. Erv, thanks for
being with us. Can we look at this guy one
more time? He's wearing bright orange. You don't usually see
burglars wearing bright orange, a big straw hat, drawing attention
to himself himself. So what do you make of this?
And we know he was walking westbound approaching German's home
(10:17):
on Friday, the day prior to police being notified.
Speaker 9 (10:22):
Nancy, I hate to agree with defense counsel, but I
live in Las Vegas. This is what you see every
day on the streets of Las Vegas. If you want
to go unnoticed, the lawn care workers wear bright colors
(10:42):
to reflect the heat. If you want to go unnoticed
and especially disguise your appearance with that hat.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
That's the way to go.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
This suspected killer caught on surveillance video dressed as a
road worker donning an orange work shirt, a wide straw
hat and gloves, approaching German's home and.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Stalking the reporter's home the day before. This is what
more we've learned.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
On day two of our major case protocol, we developed
a very critical lead, which was a vehicle that we identified.
It was a maroon colored gmc denali that was suspiciously
driving around in the neighborhood on the morning of the
murder prior to the murder and then certainly was there
at the time when the murder happened. That vehicle had
(11:36):
stopped multiple times throughout the neighborhood and was behaving suspiciously
or was suspicious. So we determined that the suspect wearing
the orange shirt had fled in that vehicle, which connected
the vehicle to the suspect.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
To doctor Bethany Marshall joining us, this is reminding me,
I'm a fingerprint. The glam yoga instructor, remember her, Titlin
Armstrong who stalked her victim, a world class dirt bike
rider up and coming, and she stalked her all the
way to a friend's home and was caught because of
(12:10):
her vehicle. There you see it. There is Kaitlin Armstrong
very slowly circling like a vulture around Mariah's, the place
that she's staying in town for a competition, and there
you go, spot it, bust it. So in this particular case,
(12:30):
we see a getaway car. Could I see that the
gmc denali maroon in color suspiciously driving through the neighborhood
same way as Kaitlin Armstrong the morning of the murder
prior to the murder, and at the time the murder happened,
the vehicle stopped multiple times, and that is suspicious.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
That's suspicious.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Now, Troy Slayton is going to tell us how it's
not suspicious at all, but it is. How arrogant is this?
Just like Caitlin Armstrong, You think you can pull up
to a murder saying and you're big honk and maroon
gmc denali and nobody notices.
Speaker 10 (13:12):
And how about Brian Coberger who just turns his phone
on and off and has the white car that he
drives around with. It is arrogant, Nancy. This gives us
really good insight into the psychological profiles of this perpetrator
of Caitlin. They feel that they're above the law. They
don't think that anybody can see what they're doing. I
(13:32):
doubt that this perpetrator rented this Denali in order to
commit the crime. This is probably his own car. This
is easily traceable. So when we think about what Garman
was reporting on, I think what we're going to discover
that whatever crime or whatever story he was in the
process of uncovering, it was so blatant, so transparent, that
(13:55):
he had multiple people coming forward. And you know, I'm
wondering if there was another twist and turned to the
plot of what Garriman was reporting on, like what was
the next big news that was about to come out?
That this perpetrator is so frenzied in his attempt to
kill the reporter.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Speaking of the car, let me go to IRV Brant,
who has tracked down people all over the globe. Could
I see the video in the parking deck where the
county official is getting out and adjusting his clothes, and
then I believe she's an employee, gets out. They're trundling
(14:35):
forward out of the back seat of the Denali. Gee,
I wonder what they were doing back there. Okay, wait
for it. The point is not him and her adjusting
their clothing. But hey, this video for my friends at
the Vegas Review Journal IRV Brant. How many perps make
it just so easy?
Speaker 9 (14:57):
You're exactly right, Nancy. They're very few evil geniuses. Criminals
don't tend to be smart. That's why they're criminals. And
driving a vehicle associated with you, something that you've been
seeing driving all the time, driving it to a crime
(15:17):
scene or a potential crime scene something you intend to
do is just a massive mistake and police work we
call this a clue.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
So I guess Troy Slayton, criminal defense Atorney joining Us
out of LA will say that it's not suspicious for
you to drive round and around the neighborhood, stopping in
front of the victim's home.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
Well, that certainly could be suspicious, but there's a lot
of strange things involved in this case, including the allegation
of police possibly even planting evidence. Somebody driving around in
a neighborhood is not suspicious, And so I think that
(15:59):
you're allowed to drive your vehicle anywhere. And this person
was writing a story. This is an investigative reporter writing
a story about this person, so maybe he does want
to get some information about the reporter.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Okay, I'll just say that we've got Caitlin Armstrong's vehicle
caught on surveillance video going around and around and around
her victims home. We also have let's think Rex Huerman,
is he ringing a bell? The alleged Long Island serial
(16:34):
killer who always drives his Chevy Avalanche, his green Chevy
Avalanche to various locations connected to a series of brutal
murders of escorts, and what he thought nobody would notice?
And even when the bodies were being found along Gilgo Beach,
(16:57):
what was parked in the front of his house Chevy Avalanche.
See that's too. And another just recently, a young wife
gunned down abound six point fifty a m setting up
a yard sell outside her home and with her ring
doorbell camera working, you see the perp going back and
(17:19):
forth in front of the house. I mean, you know,
bottom line, it's age old, tried and true investigative work.
But let's talk about motive for one moment. Let me
get off the car, the vehicle spotted outside the murder scene,
and talk about motive. Listen.
Speaker 6 (17:41):
In this video, we see a car parked in I
believe a mall parking.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Garage, and it appears that.
Speaker 6 (17:49):
A Clark County Public Administrator, Robert Tellis, is in the
back seat with one of his employees. They are back there.
We see some movement. He gets out of the right side,
she gets out of the left, sort of poultry skirt.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Down to Jaiwan John joining us investigatory report kt n V.
They're in Vegas. It's not just an alleged office affair,
although I do believe the so claimed mistress is listed
as a witness on an indictment, which tells me there
(18:26):
may be fire where we're claiming we see smoke. It's
not that German was totally interested in some office romance
or some illicit sex affair. It was much deeper than
that what German was investigating.
Speaker 7 (18:44):
Yeah, exactly. There were several workers.
Speaker 8 (18:47):
At the Clark County Public Administrator's office who claimed that
because of Tellus, the office was in turmoil. They claimed
that Tellis was power tripping and that he creating a
hostile work environment, and they actually brought it up to
Clark County to try and get these problems addressed. But
(19:08):
because they weren't listening to their issues, the public Administrator's
office workers decided to take their concerns to Jeff Gearman,
and they said that Jeff Gearman was the one person
who listened to them.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Wait a minute, are you telling me, Jaywan that the
employees and the staff that worked there.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Had tried to bring.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
It up, had tried to get it fixed, that worked under.
Speaker 7 (19:37):
Robert Tellis, Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 8 (19:39):
They did try to take their concerns to Clark County,
but they said that the county didn't listen to them,
so they decided to take their concerns to a reporter.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
The suspected killer caught on surveillance video dressed as a
road worker donning an orange work shirt, a wide straw hat,
and gloves approaching German's home.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Okay, what do we know. We know that this Vegas
official is accused. I'm not just a sex affair with
an employee, that's bad enough, but an a so called
toxic workplace where employees were mistreated and bullied. When employees
(20:27):
asked for a change, asked for improvement, no one would listen.
Can you imagine that one politician not calling the other
one on foul play.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Nothing was done.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
There was no change at all. So whether they do
they call an investigative reporter, they call Jeff German, well
known in the area for busting corruption in the government.
There he is, He's dead. It's not just about out.
A toxic affair is so much deeper than that. Listen.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
Robert Tellis sort of started on this is an office
with a history of problems, and he would come in
and help clean it up. And what employees told the
Review Journal is that did not happen. And it seems
that issues continued and he was he's their boss, and
(21:26):
sort of bullied employees and made things even worse.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Straight back out to Jaywan Juhn joining us KT in
the explain to me what exactly was alleged about the
office and what did this mean to Robert tell Us?
Speaker 3 (21:41):
What was his position?
Speaker 8 (21:42):
Robert Tellis was the county public administrator, which a lot of.
Speaker 7 (21:46):
People will be like, well, what is a county public administrator?
Speaker 8 (21:49):
It is a low level elected official basically the person
who oversees the estates of a person who passes away
and determines the next of kin. And yeah, people in
his office said because of this alleged affair that was
happening in his office. He was asserting favoritism towards one
(22:10):
certain employee. Rita Reid, who's the current county public administrator,
actually said that she was one of the supervisors in
the office, but as soon as Robert Tellis came in
as the Clark County Public Administrator, he allegedly told her
that no one would be reporting to her anymore and
(22:33):
that everyone would be just reporting to him.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Jaiwan Juhn.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
We have a photo of him standing posed with a
woman and three children.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
I'm guessing that's his wife.
Speaker 7 (22:43):
Yes, that's correct, So.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
He had a lot to lose.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Now you referred to him as a low level county official.
What exactly did his office do?
Speaker 8 (22:53):
So his office oversees the estates of people when they
pass away, and they determine who the next of kin
is so.
Speaker 7 (23:02):
That they could safeguard the deceiven's property.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Okay, that's worth killing over.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Tell me about this, Jaywan, I understand that, Hey, the
low level county official. Tell Us had been railing against
Jeff German for months, really attacking him in an angry
series of messages on social media.
Speaker 8 (23:28):
Why so, Jeff Gearman's first article that came out about
tell Us' work environment was I believe in May of
twenty twenty two, and I think the headline is something
like tell US's office is mired in turmoil. Then soon
after that a coroner came in to basically supervise the
(23:51):
office and determine if there is corruption going on in
the office.
Speaker 7 (23:57):
And then just a few weeks after after that, Tellus lost.
Speaker 8 (24:02):
His reelection bid in the primary row, so he was
not going to be Clark County Public administrator anymore.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
So He's got a wife with three children. He has
a series of stories written by German exposing turmoil within
his office and claims he was having an affair with
an employee. He also has about one hundred and twenty
thousand dollar salary that's going right down the crapper. So
(24:31):
he starts retaliation online, attacking German with a series of
angry and explosive postings. What would the postings say, Jay?
Speaker 8 (24:44):
One the postings with saying something like German is a liar,
that he's not telling the truth. Yeah, you could see
it in those pictures right there, saying that he's looking
forward to lying. Smear piece Number four clearly tell Us
seemed pretty disgruntled by the articles that Jeff German wrote
about him.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Now he gets thrown out of office and all this
comes out about his affair, his alleged affair.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
But isn't it true?
Speaker 1 (25:13):
A woman named Roberta Lee Kinnett where the husband and children,
is listed on the indictment as a witness.
Speaker 8 (25:24):
Sitting in on the jury selection for the last few days.
I can tell you she is listed as a witness
who is expected to testify and trial to Troy.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Slaton joining us high profile lawyer out of La Troy.
Typically a witness list is typed on the back of
an indictment. Why so the defendant when the indictment is
read out loud in court at what we call an arrayment,
and a copy of that indictment is physically handed to
(25:58):
either the defendant or hiss or defense attorney, they can
see pursue it to the sixth Amendment, So far that
juncture who the witnesses will be against them that the
state is intending to call. Now that witness list can
be added. You don't have to state doesn't have to
call all of those witnesses, but you've got to give
(26:19):
those witnesses and a way to reach them to the
defendant and or his lawyer.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Correct, that's correct, Nancy. Or sometimes if it's not attached
to the indictment, it's attached to the police report, which
is given to the defendant at the time of the arrayment.
The arrangment is the fancy legal word for hearing what
the charges are against you and having the opportunity to
enter a plea. In this case, he's entered a plea
of not guilty. He's maintained his innocence, and he's been
(26:47):
held without bail since the time of his arrest. And
he's claiming here that at the time he was arrested
that the police were engaged in some shenanigans. Specific they
magically lost the video, the bodycam video the defense attorneys
rely on, that courts rely on it magically disappeared and
(27:10):
it is not available to the defense to be used
in this case.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Okay, great, did I ask you about the bodycam video
because I'm going to give you a great opportunity to
scream about what the police have done wrong. But I
don't think they've got anything to do with those four
stabs to the jugular vein. But what I'm asking you about.
Let me redirect your attention to the question I asked you, Troy,
which I know you're trying to avoid. What do you
(27:35):
think he thinks when he looks down at that indictment
list and he sees the namer BERTI Lee Kinnett, a
woman alleged to have had an inappropriate relationship with him.
Tell us out that must have.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Hurt or she might be a helpful witness. Who knows.
We won't know until his attorney is able to test
her right a bill. He's on the state's witness list.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
I doubt she's going to be helpful to him.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Well, she might be on cross examination.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Well, you're right.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Things can turn on a dime when a good criminal
defense attorney engages in cross examination crime stories.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
With Nancy Grace, we were just talking about the alleged
other woman, ROBERTA Lee Kennett, the one with the wife
and the two children. Not judging, don't care. All I
care about is solving this murder. We know that she
was transferred to another county office, but I understand that
(28:42):
she was an estate coordinator in public administration under Robert
Tellus's rule, so she would have been working there now
to doctor Bethany Marshall, I don't want to hear any
trashing of this woman. You know why, because her boss
(29:05):
apparently was instigating an affair with her.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
Is it wrong?
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Yes? Yes, that's for her and her husband to work out.
But when your boss is making advances on you, not me,
but a lot of women would think they had to
go along with it to keep their job. And I'm
not saying that's what happened here, but I am saying
he was her superior Nancy.
Speaker 10 (29:29):
The responsibility lies squarely with him. He's at the boss
and in terms of approaching her for an affair, this
is an abuse of power. When there's a power differential
between two people and there's an affair, the first thing
I always think is that the person with the less
power really felt.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Afraid to say no.
Speaker 10 (29:47):
Again, we don't know for sure that that's a fact,
but that is a great possibility.
Speaker 7 (29:51):
Nancy.
Speaker 10 (29:52):
Robert Teller seems to display so many traits that are
typical of sociopaths, for instance, lack of cause and affair thinking,
driving back and forth with the Denali and walking down
the street with that strange get up that he thinks
he's not going to be caught manipulativeness. He seemed to
be quite manipulative in his office, gravitating towards positions of power.
(30:15):
Think about it, he had access to power, sex, and
money through his job. And most of all, with sociopaths,
what you see is a thin veneer of affability, Like
they look sort of friendly on the surface, but it
hides a cold, calculated interior. So here he's this public official,
he's running for office, but all these vengeful texts that
(30:38):
he's putting out there really display who he is as
a person, and that's someone who plots and plans and
who is quite vengeful.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Let's talk about the hard evidence.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
Listen, there was a vehicle that matches suspects the vehicle
description in that maroon gmc Denali that was parked in
front of Tellus's home. It was registered to his wife,
and then we ultimately developed video evidence to show that
that vehicle, the gmc de Dolli park in front of
tell US's home, had departed around nine am in the
morning on the day of the murder and returned around
twelve pm just after the murder, which matched our timeline.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
So wow, he tricked me.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
He used his wife's car. Okay, it's not just.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
About the car. There's more.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Listen.
Speaker 5 (31:16):
We recovered a pair of shoes that match the suspects description.
There's a parent blood on the shoes, and the shoes
were cut, likely in a manner to try to destroy evidence.
We recovered a straw hat that was also cut in
a manner that was likely to destroy the evidence. And
that straw hat, as you can see, matches the one
in the photo. And we received positive DNA results that
(31:37):
showed Robert tell us his DNA at the crime scene.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Troy Slyton, you still want to tell me that straw
hat doesn't matter.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
No, it might matter, and it might have been planted
by the police. So, and that's not unheard of in
this country that the police, when they've got somebody that
they want to they believe is their purp as the
term you like to use, they may want to make
their case stronger by leaving some evidence and by getting
(32:07):
rid of other evidence, which we know for a fact
in this case, they magically lost all the video of
his arrest. So is it really such a stretch to
think if they're willing to lose important arrest video in
this case, they might be willing to place some other
incriminating evidence.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
I'm so glad you just said that because Jaywan John
joining us KT and V.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Isn't it true? When tell Us.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Finally gets arrested for the murder of journalist Jeff German,
he has to be carried away on a stretcher. Talk
about a drama, queen, Are you serious? What hyperventilates and
falls onto a stretcher. The guy is dead from four
stab wounds to the neck and to the torso, and
(32:56):
this one what loses his breath and has to be
taken away on a stretcher.
Speaker 8 (33:01):
Yeah, he was taken away on a stretcher and police
said they found self inflicted wounds on his body.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Okay, you know it just never ends with this guy.
And to you, doctor Michelle Dupre, renowned pathologist and author.
You hear Troy Slayton claiming the police planted it. Hey,
doctor Dupree, I.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Guess, I guess.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
I'll say, great minds, think alight, listen, I say that that.
Speaker 9 (33:25):
Evidence, are so called evidence, was planted along with the
other items that were allegedly found in my home as well,
and we will go ahead and.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
Prove that a trial.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
That's tell us blabbing when forty eight hours our friends
at CBS. Okay, doctor Dupree, I'm so happy that he
was so arrogant. He spoke to the media and he says,
I say the evidence are so called evidence was planted
along with other items allegedly found in my home as well,
(33:57):
and we will go ahead and we will prove that
at trial. I was framed. Okay, So how would they
do this? Oh, so, doctor Dupray, what would the I
guess the medical examiner, you how would you have snuck
into tell Us his home, find his shoes all ripped
(34:18):
up and put blood on them?
Speaker 4 (34:20):
Well, Nancy, I really can't think of another way to
do that, and I don't know any medical examiner that
would do it. But you know, certainly, because blood was
on the shoes, those shoes had to come in contact
with the victim. I mean, this is crazy, totally bogus,
totally bogus.
Speaker 11 (34:36):
Because of the relentless follow up of our detectives and
with your help, I'm here to announce the rest of
forty five year old Robert tell Us.
Speaker 7 (34:45):
Okay.
Speaker 11 (34:46):
He was booked in the Clark County Detention Center last
night on the charge of open.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Murder, tell Us busted, tell Us arrested. But I just
want to talk about what we heard earlier about the
allented perp ending up on a stretcher at the time
of a restless.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
And the foot.
Speaker 5 (35:07):
As you saw him coming out on the stretcher, he
had self inflicted wounds and we were trying to provide
medical attention to help him.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
They were non life threatening.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
Talk about a drama, Queen, Doctor Bethany Marshall, throwing yourself
on a stretcher. What hyperventilating from your self inflated wounds?
Speaker 10 (35:24):
You know. I think Robert tell Us has what probably
is my favorite personality disorder of all time is called
historic personality disorder, and that's what a person engages in dramatic,
rapidly fluctuating emotions and behaviors that appear deep in nature,
but they're.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Not deep at all.
Speaker 10 (35:44):
They're just designed to get out of some consequence or
therefore attention getting purposes.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
That's all.
Speaker 10 (35:50):
I didn't you call it judge dishonest or a liar
in one of the interviews, and also in terms of
the historyonics. His attempts to manipulate everybody are so thin.
I mean, there's that jail house call. Obviously he's just
thinking about the judge, the public, the jurors, and he
thinks people are going to believe him. His capacity to
(36:13):
see himself and to reflect it is so low, Nancy.
It reminds me of that one story you and I
covered years ago about the criminals that was trying to
burglarize a house and he got caught in the chimney.
Remember that one.
Speaker 7 (36:25):
This kind of has that quality to it.
Speaker 10 (36:27):
You can't really see what's coming at him.
Speaker 6 (36:29):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
Alexander Pope had a saying, and I'm going to bastardize it.
Pope said, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I say,
a little power is a dangerous thing. Here we've got
an evil Bonnie Fife who has power over other people
(36:52):
that work for him and the county government for Pete's
sake on wills and estates administrative work.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
But this guy is a bully.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
I'll want you to hear on nine on one call
that we obtained.
Speaker 7 (37:09):
Listen, you're emergency school when seven eighty seventy you need police,
fire or medical?
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Yes? Right?
Speaker 7 (37:15):
Can you please send somebody here? My husband is going crazy.
He's trying to make him like he hurt him or something.
He just won't leave us alone.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
He had too much to drink tonight.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
Kind OF's just worth the Me and.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
My kids are scared.
Speaker 7 (37:27):
Okay, has anybody been had a freshman?
Speaker 3 (37:29):
Well, he tried to hurt me, but that it's fun.
Speaker 6 (37:32):
He hasn't touched me since.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
Nobody in an ambulance.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
No, no ambulance.
Speaker 10 (37:39):
Just somebody to.
Speaker 6 (37:39):
Come, okay, I'm down, or somebody out there, and you
have the call that rate.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
What you are hearing is tell Us and his wife
who had spent an evening at the Bellagio Upscale Resort
hotel in Vegas. He gets drunk and attacks his wife
allegedly the car on the way home, and he's screaming,
kill me, kill me. Okay, doctor Bethany, I'm just a
(38:08):
trial lawyer. I'm dealing with a horrific murder. You heard
what doctor Michelle Duprey said about these stab wounds to
his neck and his Torso you just heard that nine
to one one call a belligerent bully way in well, not.
Speaker 10 (38:28):
Only belligerent, but sadistic, ragefull homicidal. I think you know
these men and women who commit homicide like this have
what I call obsessional paranoia, and that is the belief
that somebody else's presence on this planet is negatively affecting them,
and all they want to do is wipe out that
(38:48):
person's presence. And also with the sociopathic side, you often
see promiscuity, you see substance abuse. And the final thing, Nancy,
you know, any officer who responds to domestic violence disputes,
almost always the perpetrator will open the door and say
keep hitting me, or she tried to kill me. They
always blame the other person, and in some ways it
(39:11):
seems like this elaborate projection into the other that the
other's going to harm them, whereas in fact Robert is
the one who wanted to harm everyone around him.
Speaker 7 (39:20):
He is the killer.
Speaker 10 (39:22):
He is a harmful one, not his wife.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
Obviously, no one has been proven guilty. This is in
the hands of a jury as evidence starts today. Nancy
Gray signing off, goodbye friend.
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, a reporter stabbed dead, repeat,
stabbed dead after a Vegas politician's sex affair exposed. And
when I say exposed, I mean exposed. We have video
(00:22):
of this politician, you know, I hate politicians getting out
of his vehicle, like tucking his shirt in the front
and then the woman gets out basically adjusting her pantyhose.
I'm Nancy Grace, this is Crime Stories. Thank you for
being with US.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Journalist Jeff German walks straight into an ambush attack. He
was stabbed four times in the neck and three in
the torso.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Oh my stars, just whoa whoa? Wait wait, headpounding again.
I'm seeing my pulse in my eyeballs. I'm need the
medical examiner. But hold on, before I go to Jaywan Jung,
Vegas senior reporter KT and V, let me go to
my longtime colleague, doctor Michelle dupri forensic pathologist, medical uh oh,
(01:15):
I see Troy Slayton already squirming in a seat, high
profile defense attorney. I beg you are squirming, doctor Dupree again,
forensic pathologist, medical examiner, former detective, author her new book
Money Mischief, Murder, The Murdog saga. This is the one
that I'm most interested in. Homicide investigation field guide. You
(01:39):
can find her at Dmichelle dupremd dot com. Okay, that aside,
did you hear that, doctor Dupree?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Four stabs to the neck?
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I mean, you and I have been on a lot
of crime scenes, but a stab to the jugular blood
spurts out like a water sprinkler everywhere.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Nancy, that's devastating.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
I mean I opened this up, doctor Dupree, talking about
how you know we've got that video of the politician
getting out of his vehicle adjusting his clothes, and then
you see the woman I'll never forget at one of
my other TV homes, which she'll go unnamed. There was
an office affair of a big haun show, I might add,
(02:29):
and late at night he spotted walking through the knees
room and then followed in like thirty seconds later. That's
not obvious by the woman with her skirt still tucked,
Dancy Repenny hose. Guess what nobody said anything? She walked
through the whole newsroom like that. Okay, that said, Doctor Dupree.
(02:50):
Can I not think about her straightening her dress for
a moment? Back to the four stab ones to the neck.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Explain well, Nancy, as you've mentioned, that would have been
massive blood everywhere. I mean, as you said, it would
have spurted out. It would have been a horrible crime scene.
And then three to the back of the torso.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Okay, we've got the stabos to the neck and you
were saying, doctor dupree, what were the other wounds?
Speaker 3 (03:17):
There were three to the torso as well. That's overkill.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
I mean, that's a lot. It sounds almost like a frenzy. Okay,
what do we know? Take a listen to Captain Dorry Kuran.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
We began our homicide investigation about five days ago on Saturday,
September third. This was after we received a NAOI one
call of an unresponsive mail that was found on the
side of his home. Our preliminary investigation revealed that the
unresponsive mail was deceased as a result of stabbings. We
also determined pretty quickly that the victim was Jeff German.
(03:51):
Jeff Garmmon's a well known investigative reporter, and that was
taken into account immediately.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Guys.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
I'm just trying to make sense of what we're learning
right now. Preliminary rests stigation reveals unresponsive mail already de
ceased with four sad ones to the neck, including the
jugular running right here. That goes without saying already de ceased.
He didn't make it to the hospital. We determined quickly
the victim was Jeff Garman, well known investigative reporter, and
(04:20):
that was taken into account immediately. Translation they knew exactly
who the victim was. Okay, what do we know about him?
Take a listen to our friend Vanessa Murphy klastv.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
Jeff Garman, longtime Las Vegas reporter, was originally at another
newspaper here, then went to the Review Journal for at
least the past decade. Well respected. I know his colleagues,
they had nothing bad to say about him. Just a
tenacious reporter. And as an investigative journalist, oftentimes we are
(04:56):
uncovering truths that people do not want to be uncovered,
and he was doing that on a regular basis.
Speaker 7 (05:04):
But that's part of the job.
Speaker 6 (05:06):
And I think it's interesting that his colleagues say that
he never felt like he was in immediate danger at
the time.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Joining me Jaywan June Senior reporter or senior investigative reporter
k t In the ABC affiliate Vegas, jay One, thank
you for being with us. You know what photo I
like the most of our victim, Jeff German, The one
of him smiling. It looks like a headshot that he
(05:36):
may have had taken because it looks like he's just
about to break into laughter, like he's just holding it
in long enough for the camera to click. And that's
what I have learned about him during this investigation, that
all the other reporters loved him, that's who he was,
(05:56):
and he had no idea that in his diggie he
was going to end up did.
Speaker 8 (06:04):
I think it's really interesting that Las Vegas Review Journal
editor in chief Glen Cook even said that when German's
murder happened, so many people could have wanted him killed
because he did expose corruption in Las Vegas for so long,
for pretty much four decades.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Hold on just a moment, a jay One, you stated
uncovering corruption, Now, well, that means in my mind, I've
prosecuted a lot of homicide cases. But when you're dealing
with players that are powerful, that can pull strings, that
(06:41):
will have prestige, money, position lost if their secrets are uncovered,
that's deadly. That's like playing with a rattlesteak. What do
you mean this guy uncovered corruption?
Speaker 8 (06:56):
Yeah, Jeff Garman was known as the mob reporter in
Las veg Vegas, and he wanted to expose corrupt politicians.
That was sort of his whole beat while he was
at the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Explain, like what he.
Speaker 8 (07:12):
Wanted to see if there was any turmoil in workplaces.
He wanted to see if politicians were abusing their power,
and he wanted to uncover that and expose that to
the people of the Las Vegas Valley.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Guys, what do we know about this reporter fining those
in power that he believed were corrupt? And what do
we know about his murder?
Speaker 5 (07:38):
Listen, the suspect was wearing an orange shirt with reflective.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Stripes, a straw hat, and was.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Carrying a Duffel bag and what was likely an attempt
to either disguise his identity or conceal his identity.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Okay, joining me right now. Troy Slayton, high profile lawyer
out of La hold On, Troy, can I see a
picture of this? The captain had it right beside him
as he was giving the press release. The perp is
Oh my goodness, Okay, you might as well take an
(08:11):
ad on Third Avenue. Look at me, this is some
get up reflective strips. Look look at the video. You
think nobody's going to notice that, TROYE.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Layton. It looks like a worker on the street that
you would see in construction sites all over the Las
Vegas area.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
It doesn't to me, wearing a giant straw hat doing
what No, what in a huge duffel bag. Why do
you say that? Looks like a normal worker on the
side of the street.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
Person's wearing gloves. It looks like they have work pants,
a hat on, reflective vest. Looks like a construction worker,
or a street maintenance worker, or any number of construction
workers that you'd see in the Las Vegas area.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Okay, guys, what more do we know about this suspect?
In quite the get up.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
We also know that the suspect was walking westbound approaching
Garman's home on Friday, September two, the day prior to
us being notified. On that morning, he approached mister Garman's
home and went to the side of the house. Shortly after,
Garriman came outside of the garage door and then went
(09:22):
to the side of the house and ultimately an altercation
took place between the suspect and the victim.
Speaker 7 (09:28):
Our victim was stab multiple times.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
So too you. Erv Brandt joining US former Senior Inspector
with the US Marshall Service, the International Investigations Branch Chief
Inspector also DOJ Office International Affairs and ATSJA across the world,
and he has just released his fifth novel in his
Jack solo series. Wow, I want to who that's patterned
(09:52):
after Forever Solo Night of the Dragon. Erv, thanks for
being with us. Can we look at this guy one
more time? He's wearing bright orange. You don't usually see
burglars wearing bright orange, a big straw hat, drawing attention
to himself himself. So what do you make of this?
And we know he was walking westbound approaching German's home
(10:17):
on Friday, the day prior to police being notified.
Speaker 9 (10:22):
Nancy, I hate to agree with defense counsel, but I
live in Las Vegas. This is what you see every
day on the streets of Las Vegas. If you want
to go unnoticed, the lawn care workers wear bright colors
(10:42):
to reflect the heat. If you want to go unnoticed
and especially disguise your appearance with that hat.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
That's the way to go.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
This suspected killer caught on surveillance video dressed as a
road worker donning an orange work shirt, a wide straw
hat and gloves, approaching German's home and.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Stalking the reporter's home the day before. This is what
more we've learned.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
On day two of our major case protocol, we developed
a very critical lead, which was a vehicle that we identified.
It was a maroon colored gmc denali that was suspiciously
driving around in the neighborhood on the morning of the
murder prior to the murder and then certainly was there
at the time when the murder happened. That vehicle had
(11:36):
stopped multiple times throughout the neighborhood and was behaving suspiciously
or was suspicious. So we determined that the suspect wearing
the orange shirt had fled in that vehicle, which connected
the vehicle to the suspect.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
To doctor Bethany Marshall joining us, this is reminding me,
I'm a fingerprint. The glam yoga instructor, remember her, Titlin
Armstrong who stalked her victim, a world class dirt bike
rider up and coming, and she stalked her all the
way to a friend's home and was caught because of
(12:10):
her vehicle. There you see it. There is Kaitlin Armstrong
very slowly circling like a vulture around Mariah's, the place
that she's staying in town for a competition, and there
you go, spot it, bust it. So in this particular case,
(12:30):
we see a getaway car. Could I see that the
gmc denali maroon in color suspiciously driving through the neighborhood
same way as Kaitlin Armstrong the morning of the murder
prior to the murder, and at the time the murder happened,
the vehicle stopped multiple times, and that is suspicious.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
That's suspicious.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Now, Troy Slayton is going to tell us how it's
not suspicious at all, but it is. How arrogant is this?
Just like Caitlin Armstrong, You think you can pull up
to a murder saying and you're big honk and maroon
gmc denali and nobody notices.
Speaker 10 (13:12):
And how about Brian Coberger who just turns his phone
on and off and has the white car that he
drives around with. It is arrogant, Nancy. This gives us
really good insight into the psychological profiles of this perpetrator
of Caitlin. They feel that they're above the law. They
don't think that anybody can see what they're doing. I
(13:32):
doubt that this perpetrator rented this Denali in order to
commit the crime. This is probably his own car. This
is easily traceable. So when we think about what Garman
was reporting on, I think what we're going to discover
that whatever crime or whatever story he was in the
process of uncovering, it was so blatant, so transparent, that
(13:55):
he had multiple people coming forward. And you know, I'm
wondering if there was another twist and turned to the
plot of what Garriman was reporting on, like what was
the next big news that was about to come out?
That this perpetrator is so frenzied in his attempt to
kill the reporter.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Speaking of the car, let me go to IRV Brant,
who has tracked down people all over the globe. Could
I see the video in the parking deck where the
county official is getting out and adjusting his clothes, and
then I believe she's an employee, gets out. They're trundling
(14:35):
forward out of the back seat of the Denali. Gee,
I wonder what they were doing back there. Okay, wait
for it. The point is not him and her adjusting
their clothing. But hey, this video for my friends at
the Vegas Review Journal IRV Brant. How many perps make
it just so easy?
Speaker 9 (14:57):
You're exactly right, Nancy. They're very few evil geniuses. Criminals
don't tend to be smart. That's why they're criminals. And
driving a vehicle associated with you, something that you've been
seeing driving all the time, driving it to a crime
(15:17):
scene or a potential crime scene something you intend to
do is just a massive mistake and police work we
call this a clue.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
So I guess Troy Slayton, criminal defense Atorney joining Us
out of LA will say that it's not suspicious for
you to drive round and around the neighborhood, stopping in
front of the victim's home.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
Well, that certainly could be suspicious, but there's a lot
of strange things involved in this case, including the allegation
of police possibly even planting evidence. Somebody driving around in
a neighborhood is not suspicious, And so I think that
(15:59):
you're allowed to drive your vehicle anywhere. And this person
was writing a story. This is an investigative reporter writing
a story about this person, so maybe he does want
to get some information about the reporter.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Okay, I'll just say that we've got Caitlin Armstrong's vehicle
caught on surveillance video going around and around and around
her victims home. We also have let's think Rex Huerman,
is he ringing a bell? The alleged Long Island serial
(16:34):
killer who always drives his Chevy Avalanche, his green Chevy
Avalanche to various locations connected to a series of brutal
murders of escorts, and what he thought nobody would notice?
And even when the bodies were being found along Gilgo Beach,
(16:57):
what was parked in the front of his house Chevy Avalanche.
See that's too. And another just recently, a young wife
gunned down abound six point fifty a m setting up
a yard sell outside her home and with her ring
doorbell camera working, you see the perp going back and
(17:19):
forth in front of the house. I mean, you know,
bottom line, it's age old, tried and true investigative work.
But let's talk about motive for one moment. Let me
get off the car, the vehicle spotted outside the murder scene,
and talk about motive. Listen.
Speaker 6 (17:41):
In this video, we see a car parked in I
believe a mall parking.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Garage, and it appears that.
Speaker 6 (17:49):
A Clark County Public Administrator, Robert Tellis, is in the
back seat with one of his employees. They are back there.
We see some movement. He gets out of the right side,
she gets out of the left, sort of poultry skirt.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Down to Jaiwan John joining us investigatory report kt n V.
They're in Vegas. It's not just an alleged office affair,
although I do believe the so claimed mistress is listed
as a witness on an indictment, which tells me there
(18:26):
may be fire where we're claiming we see smoke. It's
not that German was totally interested in some office romance
or some illicit sex affair. It was much deeper than
that what German was investigating.
Speaker 7 (18:44):
Yeah, exactly. There were several workers.
Speaker 8 (18:47):
At the Clark County Public Administrator's office who claimed that
because of Tellus, the office was in turmoil. They claimed
that Tellis was power tripping and that he creating a
hostile work environment, and they actually brought it up to
Clark County to try and get these problems addressed. But
(19:08):
because they weren't listening to their issues, the public Administrator's
office workers decided to take their concerns to Jeff Gearman,
and they said that Jeff Gearman was the one person
who listened to them.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Wait a minute, are you telling me, Jaywan that the
employees and the staff that worked there.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
Had tried to bring.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
It up, had tried to get it fixed, that worked under.
Speaker 7 (19:37):
Robert Tellis, Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 8 (19:39):
They did try to take their concerns to Clark County,
but they said that the county didn't listen to them,
so they decided to take their concerns to a reporter.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
The suspected killer caught on surveillance video dressed as a
road worker donning an orange work shirt, a wide straw hat,
and gloves approaching German's home.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Okay, what do we know. We know that this Vegas
official is accused. I'm not just a sex affair with
an employee, that's bad enough, but an a so called
toxic workplace where employees were mistreated and bullied. When employees
(20:27):
asked for a change, asked for improvement, no one would listen.
Can you imagine that one politician not calling the other
one on foul play.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Nothing was done.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
There was no change at all. So whether they do
they call an investigative reporter, they call Jeff German, well
known in the area for busting corruption in the government.
There he is, He's dead. It's not just about out.
A toxic affair is so much deeper than that. Listen.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
Robert Tellis sort of started on this is an office
with a history of problems, and he would come in
and help clean it up. And what employees told the
Review Journal is that did not happen. And it seems
that issues continued and he was he's their boss, and
(21:26):
sort of bullied employees and made things even worse.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Straight back out to Jaywan Juhn joining us KT in
the explain to me what exactly was alleged about the
office and what did this mean to Robert tell Us?
Speaker 3 (21:41):
What was his position?
Speaker 8 (21:42):
Robert Tellis was the county public administrator, which a lot of.
Speaker 7 (21:46):
People will be like, well, what is a county public administrator?
Speaker 8 (21:49):
It is a low level elected official basically the person
who oversees the estates of a person who passes away
and determines the next of kin. And yeah, people in
his office said because of this alleged affair that was
happening in his office. He was asserting favoritism towards one
(22:10):
certain employee. Rita Reid, who's the current county public administrator,
actually said that she was one of the supervisors in
the office, but as soon as Robert Tellis came in
as the Clark County Public Administrator, he allegedly told her
that no one would be reporting to her anymore and
(22:33):
that everyone would be just reporting to him.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Jaiwan Juhn.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
We have a photo of him standing posed with a
woman and three children.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
I'm guessing that's his wife.
Speaker 7 (22:43):
Yes, that's correct, So.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
He had a lot to lose.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Now you referred to him as a low level county official.
What exactly did his office do?
Speaker 8 (22:53):
So his office oversees the estates of people when they
pass away, and they determine who the next of kin
is so.
Speaker 7 (23:02):
That they could safeguard the deceiven's property.
Speaker 3 (23:06):
Okay, that's worth killing over.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Tell me about this, Jaywan, I understand that, Hey, the
low level county official. Tell Us had been railing against
Jeff German for months, really attacking him in an angry
series of messages on social media.
Speaker 8 (23:28):
Why so, Jeff Gearman's first article that came out about
tell Us' work environment was I believe in May of
twenty twenty two, and I think the headline is something
like tell US's office is mired in turmoil. Then soon
after that a coroner came in to basically supervise the
(23:51):
office and determine if there is corruption going on in
the office.
Speaker 7 (23:57):
And then just a few weeks after after that, Tellus lost.
Speaker 8 (24:02):
His reelection bid in the primary row, so he was
not going to be Clark County Public administrator anymore.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
So He's got a wife with three children. He has
a series of stories written by German exposing turmoil within
his office and claims he was having an affair with
an employee. He also has about one hundred and twenty
thousand dollar salary that's going right down the crapper. So
(24:31):
he starts retaliation online, attacking German with a series of
angry and explosive postings. What would the postings say, Jay?
Speaker 8 (24:44):
One the postings with saying something like German is a liar,
that he's not telling the truth. Yeah, you could see
it in those pictures right there, saying that he's looking
forward to lying. Smear piece Number four clearly tell Us
seemed pretty disgruntled by the articles that Jeff German wrote
about him.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Now he gets thrown out of office and all this
comes out about his affair, his alleged affair.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
But isn't it true?
Speaker 1 (25:13):
A woman named Roberta Lee Kinnett where the husband and children,
is listed on the indictment as a witness.
Speaker 8 (25:24):
Sitting in on the jury selection for the last few days.
I can tell you she is listed as a witness
who is expected to testify and trial to Troy.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Slaton joining us high profile lawyer out of La Troy.
Typically a witness list is typed on the back of
an indictment. Why so the defendant when the indictment is
read out loud in court at what we call an arrayment,
and a copy of that indictment is physically handed to
(25:58):
either the defendant or hiss or defense attorney, they can
see pursue it to the sixth Amendment, So far that
juncture who the witnesses will be against them that the
state is intending to call. Now that witness list can
be added. You don't have to state doesn't have to
call all of those witnesses, but you've got to give
(26:19):
those witnesses and a way to reach them to the
defendant and or his lawyer.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Correct, that's correct, Nancy. Or sometimes if it's not attached
to the indictment, it's attached to the police report, which
is given to the defendant at the time of the arrayment.
The arrangment is the fancy legal word for hearing what
the charges are against you and having the opportunity to
enter a plea. In this case, he's entered a plea
of not guilty. He's maintained his innocence, and he's been
(26:47):
held without bail since the time of his arrest. And
he's claiming here that at the time he was arrested
that the police were engaged in some shenanigans. Specific they
magically lost the video, the bodycam video the defense attorneys
rely on, that courts rely on it magically disappeared and
(27:10):
it is not available to the defense to be used
in this case.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Okay, great, did I ask you about the bodycam video
because I'm going to give you a great opportunity to
scream about what the police have done wrong. But I
don't think they've got anything to do with those four
stabs to the jugular vein. But what I'm asking you about.
Let me redirect your attention to the question I asked you, Troy,
which I know you're trying to avoid. What do you
(27:35):
think he thinks when he looks down at that indictment
list and he sees the namer BERTI Lee Kinnett, a
woman alleged to have had an inappropriate relationship with him.
Tell us out that must have.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Hurt or she might be a helpful witness. Who knows.
We won't know until his attorney is able to test
her right a bill. He's on the state's witness list.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
I doubt she's going to be helpful to him.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Well, she might be on cross examination.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Well, you're right.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Things can turn on a dime when a good criminal
defense attorney engages in cross examination crime stories.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
With Nancy Grace, we were just talking about the alleged
other woman, ROBERTA Lee Kennett, the one with the wife
and the two children. Not judging, don't care. All I
care about is solving this murder. We know that she
was transferred to another county office, but I understand that
(28:42):
she was an estate coordinator in public administration under Robert
Tellus's rule, so she would have been working there now
to doctor Bethany Marshall, I don't want to hear any
trashing of this woman. You know why, because her boss
(29:05):
apparently was instigating an affair with her.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
Is it wrong?
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Yes? Yes, that's for her and her husband to work out.
But when your boss is making advances on you, not me,
but a lot of women would think they had to
go along with it to keep their job. And I'm
not saying that's what happened here, but I am saying
he was her superior Nancy.
Speaker 10 (29:29):
The responsibility lies squarely with him. He's at the boss
and in terms of approaching her for an affair, this
is an abuse of power. When there's a power differential
between two people and there's an affair, the first thing
I always think is that the person with the less
power really felt.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Afraid to say no.
Speaker 10 (29:47):
Again, we don't know for sure that that's a fact,
but that is a great possibility.
Speaker 7 (29:51):
Nancy.
Speaker 10 (29:52):
Robert Teller seems to display so many traits that are
typical of sociopaths, for instance, lack of cause and affair thinking,
driving back and forth with the Denali and walking down
the street with that strange get up that he thinks
he's not going to be caught manipulativeness. He seemed to
be quite manipulative in his office, gravitating towards positions of power.
(30:15):
Think about it, he had access to power, sex, and
money through his job. And most of all, with sociopaths,
what you see is a thin veneer of affability, Like
they look sort of friendly on the surface, but it
hides a cold, calculated interior. So here he's this public official,
he's running for office, but all these vengeful texts that
(30:38):
he's putting out there really display who he is as
a person, and that's someone who plots and plans and
who is quite vengeful.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Let's talk about the hard evidence.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
Listen, there was a vehicle that matches suspects the vehicle
description in that maroon gmc Denali that was parked in
front of Tellus's home. It was registered to his wife,
and then we ultimately developed video evidence to show that
that vehicle, the gmc de Dolli park in front of
tell US's home, had departed around nine am in the
morning on the day of the murder and returned around
twelve pm just after the murder, which matched our timeline.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
So wow, he tricked me.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
He used his wife's car. Okay, it's not just.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
About the car. There's more.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Listen.
Speaker 5 (31:16):
We recovered a pair of shoes that match the suspects description.
There's a parent blood on the shoes, and the shoes
were cut, likely in a manner to try to destroy evidence.
We recovered a straw hat that was also cut in
a manner that was likely to destroy the evidence. And
that straw hat, as you can see, matches the one
in the photo. And we received positive DNA results that
(31:37):
showed Robert tell us his DNA at the crime scene.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Troy Slyton, you still want to tell me that straw
hat doesn't matter.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
No, it might matter, and it might have been planted
by the police. So, and that's not unheard of in
this country that the police, when they've got somebody that
they want to they believe is their purp as the
term you like to use, they may want to make
their case stronger by leaving some evidence and by getting
(32:07):
rid of other evidence, which we know for a fact
in this case, they magically lost all the video of
his arrest. So is it really such a stretch to
think if they're willing to lose important arrest video in
this case, they might be willing to place some other
incriminating evidence.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
I'm so glad you just said that because Jaywan John
joining us KT and V.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
Isn't it true? When tell Us.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Finally gets arrested for the murder of journalist Jeff German,
he has to be carried away on a stretcher. Talk
about a drama, queen, Are you serious? What hyperventilates and
falls onto a stretcher. The guy is dead from four
stab wounds to the neck and to the torso, and
(32:56):
this one what loses his breath and has to be
taken away on a stretcher.
Speaker 8 (33:01):
Yeah, he was taken away on a stretcher and police
said they found self inflicted wounds on his body.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Okay, you know it just never ends with this guy.
And to you, doctor Michelle Dupre, renowned pathologist and author.
You hear Troy Slayton claiming the police planted it. Hey,
doctor Dupree, I.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Guess, I guess.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
I'll say, great minds, think alight, listen, I say that that.
Speaker 9 (33:25):
Evidence, are so called evidence, was planted along with the
other items that were allegedly found in my home as well,
and we will go ahead and.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
Prove that a trial.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
That's tell us blabbing when forty eight hours our friends
at CBS. Okay, doctor Dupree, I'm so happy that he
was so arrogant. He spoke to the media and he says,
I say the evidence are so called evidence was planted
along with other items allegedly found in my home as well,
(33:57):
and we will go ahead and we will prove that
at trial. I was framed. Okay, So how would they
do this? Oh, so, doctor Dupray, what would the I
guess the medical examiner, you how would you have snuck
into tell Us his home, find his shoes all ripped
(34:18):
up and put blood on them?
Speaker 4 (34:20):
Well, Nancy, I really can't think of another way to
do that, and I don't know any medical examiner that
would do it. But you know, certainly, because blood was
on the shoes, those shoes had to come in contact
with the victim. I mean, this is crazy, totally bogus,
totally bogus.
Speaker 11 (34:36):
Because of the relentless follow up of our detectives and
with your help, I'm here to announce the rest of
forty five year old Robert tell Us.
Speaker 7 (34:45):
Okay.
Speaker 11 (34:46):
He was booked in the Clark County Detention Center last
night on the charge of open.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Murder, tell Us busted, tell Us arrested. But I just
want to talk about what we heard earlier about the
allented perp ending up on a stretcher at the time
of a restless.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
And the foot.
Speaker 5 (35:07):
As you saw him coming out on the stretcher, he
had self inflicted wounds and we were trying to provide
medical attention to help him.
Speaker 3 (35:12):
They were non life threatening.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
Talk about a drama, Queen, Doctor Bethany Marshall, throwing yourself
on a stretcher. What hyperventilating from your self inflated wounds?
Speaker 10 (35:24):
You know. I think Robert tell Us has what probably
is my favorite personality disorder of all time is called
historic personality disorder, and that's what a person engages in dramatic,
rapidly fluctuating emotions and behaviors that appear deep in nature,
but they're.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Not deep at all.
Speaker 10 (35:44):
They're just designed to get out of some consequence or
therefore attention getting purposes.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
That's all.
Speaker 10 (35:50):
I didn't you call it judge dishonest or a liar
in one of the interviews, and also in terms of
the historyonics. His attempts to manipulate everybody are so thin.
I mean, there's that jail house call. Obviously he's just
thinking about the judge, the public, the jurors, and he
thinks people are going to believe him. His capacity to
(36:13):
see himself and to reflect it is so low, Nancy.
It reminds me of that one story you and I
covered years ago about the criminals that was trying to
burglarize a house and he got caught in the chimney.
Remember that one.
Speaker 7 (36:25):
This kind of has that quality to it.
Speaker 10 (36:27):
You can't really see what's coming at him.
Speaker 6 (36:29):
You know.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
Alexander Pope had a saying, and I'm going to bastardize it.
Pope said, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I say,
a little power is a dangerous thing. Here we've got
an evil Bonnie Fife who has power over other people
(36:52):
that work for him and the county government for Pete's
sake on wills and estates administrative work.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
But this guy is a bully.
Speaker 1 (37:04):
I'll want you to hear on nine on one call
that we obtained.
Speaker 7 (37:09):
Listen, you're emergency school when seven eighty seventy you need police,
fire or medical?
Speaker 1 (37:14):
Yes? Right?
Speaker 7 (37:15):
Can you please send somebody here? My husband is going crazy.
He's trying to make him like he hurt him or something.
He just won't leave us alone.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
He had too much to drink tonight.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
Kind OF's just worth the Me and.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
My kids are scared.
Speaker 7 (37:27):
Okay, has anybody been had a freshman?
Speaker 3 (37:29):
Well, he tried to hurt me, but that it's fun.
Speaker 6 (37:32):
He hasn't touched me since.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
Nobody in an ambulance.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
No, no ambulance.
Speaker 10 (37:39):
Just somebody to.
Speaker 6 (37:39):
Come, okay, I'm down, or somebody out there, and you
have the call that rate.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
What you are hearing is tell Us and his wife
who had spent an evening at the Bellagio Upscale Resort
hotel in Vegas. He gets drunk and attacks his wife
allegedly the car on the way home, and he's screaming,
kill me, kill me. Okay, doctor Bethany, I'm just a
(38:08):
trial lawyer. I'm dealing with a horrific murder. You heard
what doctor Michelle Duprey said about these stab wounds to
his neck and his Torso you just heard that nine
to one one call a belligerent bully way in well, not.
Speaker 10 (38:28):
Only belligerent, but sadistic, ragefull homicidal. I think you know
these men and women who commit homicide like this have
what I call obsessional paranoia, and that is the belief
that somebody else's presence on this planet is negatively affecting them,
and all they want to do is wipe out that
(38:48):
person's presence. And also with the sociopathic side, you often
see promiscuity, you see substance abuse. And the final thing, Nancy,
you know, any officer who responds to domestic violence disputes,
almost always the perpetrator will open the door and say
keep hitting me, or she tried to kill me. They
always blame the other person, and in some ways it
(39:11):
seems like this elaborate projection into the other that the
other's going to harm them, whereas in fact Robert is
the one who wanted to harm everyone around him.
Speaker 7 (39:20):
He is the killer.
Speaker 10 (39:22):
He is a harmful one, not his wife.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
Obviously, no one has been proven guilty. This is in
the hands of a jury as evidence starts today. Nancy
Gray signing off, goodbye friend.
Host
Nancy Grace
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