Accused by Telles of framing him, real estate firm wants convicted killer ‘in the past where he belongs’
Despite presenting no proof, convicted killer Robert Telles alleged during his trial that he believes a real estate firm framed him for murdering Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German.
The company, Compass Realty &Management, released a statement Thursday saying it was pleased that the jury saw through Telles’ attempts to shift blame for his actions.
“Our thoughts are first and foremost with Mr. German’s family. While nothing can ease their pain and sadness, we are happy that they received some measure of justice and hope that it provides some closure,” Compass owner Takumba Britt wrote in the statement to the Review-Journal. “We are also pleased that the jury saw through Mr. Telles’ attempts to avoid accountability for taking the life of an innocent man by maligning Compass. Compass looks forward to leaving Robert Telles in the past where he belongs.”
The feud between Telles and Compass stretches back to his time as Clark County’s elected public administrator.
Telles, who was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder for stabbing German to death outside the reporter’s house almost two years ago, told the jury last week that he looked into independent administrators who handled the estates of deceased people in probate court.
He alleged that homes were being flipped for profit, without benefiting heirs, and that he was “fighting” Compass over the sales.
“Somebody framed me for this, and I believe it’s Compass Realty,” Telles said in court. “And I believe it’s for the work that I’ve done against them.”
The jury determined Telles should spend life in prison with a possibility of parole in 20 years for German’s murder.
‘There was no conspiracy’
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters Wednesday that Telles’ claims of a conspiracy were “ludicrous.”
“There was no conspiracy,” Wolfson said. “The only conspiracy was between him and his evil mind.”
Before his trial, authorities said they found Telles’ DNA under German’s fingernails and clothing in Telles’ home that looked like what the assailant was wearing, plus the attacker drove an SUV that looked like one owned by Telles’ wife.
Telles alleged at a January court hearing, without offering any evidence, that he believes Compass framed him for German’s murder. Until he was arrested, he was “pursuing exposure of Compass Realty’s thievery in probate cases,” he claimed in court.
The next day, Britt told the Review-Journal that Telles is a “desperate man who has been charged with violently murdering a beloved local journalist” and will apparently “do and say anything to escape answering for this charge.”
For Telles to accuse Compass of anything was “unconscionable and irresponsible,” and the company was “evaluating its legal options,” Britt said at the time.
In April, Telles told the Review-Journal in a jailhouse interview that he did not have “any direct proof” to support his accusation.
‘We were his punching bag’
A Review-Journal investigation published in January found a cottage industry reaped paydays selling homes of the deceased through probate court. The cases routinely started without family participation, often ended with sales to the same circle of flippers and no proceeds for heirs, and frequently involved Compass.
Telles was elected public administrator in 2018, putting him in charge of a small county office that handles probate cases when families cannot. While in office, Telles filed a complaint about Compass with Nevada real estate regulators, who dismissed it, and he objected in several probate cases that a Compass agent worked on.
“We were his punching bag every week,” Compass official Adam Fenn previously said.
Telles lost re-election in 2022 following German’s reports of turmoil in his office and an “inappropriate relationship” with a staffer that Telles admitted to the jury was an affair.
Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342.