(CN) — The defense team for Robert Telles, the former Clark County elected official accused of murdering an investigative reporter who had written several critical articles about him, called its first two witnesses to the stand on Tuesday.
Telles has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jeff German, a reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal who was found stabbed to death in front of his home in September 2022. Telles contends he was framed for the crime.
German was known for his investigative journalism and had written a series of stories about Telles and the hostile work environment inside the office he led. Telles publicly blamed German for turning voters against him.
The former public administrator is expected to take the stand in his own defense as early as Wednesday. The prosecution rested its case on Monday after calling 28 witnesses.
The defense called Mark Chambers, a self-employed clinical and forensic psychologist, to the stand.
Telles’ attorney, Robert Draskovich, asked the psychologist to clarify to the jury that the prosecution initially approached him to testify. Chambers confirmed.
“I’m here to elucidate the relevant psychological principles and research and knowledge that will help the trier of fact better understand a case,” Chambers said.
Draskovich asked Chambers about how common it is for people accused of severe crimes, such as murder, to attempt suicide. Telles had self-inflicted cuts on his arm when he was arrested, prosecutors said earlier in the trial.
Chambers told the court that there are many reasons why a person accused of a crime might attempt suicide, and such action is not always an indication of guilt.
“It’s more the process of being involved in the criminal justice system, being accused of a crime, that produces the stress that can result in suicide than guilty conscience itself,” Chambers said, referencing a study he reviewed on suicide among people who had been accused of crimes.
On cross-examination, prosecutor Pamela Weckerly asked the psychologist if other stresses, such as public scrutiny via critical news articles or experiencing a “fall from grace,” correlate to suicidality.
Chambers agreed.
“People who have attempted suicide may be unreliable narrators about why they did things, right?” Weckerly asked.
“Absolutely,” Chambers responded.
A juror submitted a written question to Chambers asking if anyone in his experience has attempted suicide to “gain sympathy from being accused.”
“I think that’s almost certainly true, yes,” Chambers said. “Especially when the suicide attempt is not successful.”
Draskovich asked Chambers to clarify that the question wasn’t necessarily applicable to Telles’ case, nor would an attempt to gain sympathy indicate guilt, to which Chamber agreed.
In the afternoon, the defense called Tracy Migliore to the stand. Migliore told the court she called the police after seeing footage released of the suspect in German’s death and reported she had seen someone similar at a local park five days prior to the killing. She said police did not interview her about the tip.
The trial ended early on Tuesday after Draskovich told the court a witness was unavailable due to a flight delay.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988, or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). Visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.