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Killer Cases Season 7 Episode 6
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00:00An individual on foot, in a large sun hat, walks up and he goes to the side of the house.
00:28Jeff Gehrman comes out fairly rapidly.
00:31And it takes about two minutes and you can see the bushes rustling and the person in orange attacking Jeff.
00:40Jeff has had his throat slashed. He's been stabbed in a total, I think, of 11 times.
00:45His wallet's not taken. His phone is not taken. There were no signs of forced entry.
00:50Slider locked? Yeah.
00:51It is lost.
00:54Every murder is tragic, but the killing of a journalist is particularly troublesome.
01:01Jeff Gehrman was the quintessential Las Vegas journalist.
01:05They immediately try to figure out who might have had an axe to grind with Garamond.
01:12We are watching you, motherf***ers.
01:17He covered all the mobs.
01:18He had done a lot of investigative work on the Proud Boys.
01:22You better fire that son of a f***.
01:25I saw it as a badge of honor, to be honest with you.
01:28I'm going down there tomorrow.
01:31What a f***.
01:32This is what he's going to tell you.
01:44You're going to have to get out of that situation.
01:47And I grab the gun.
01:48Trying to find the first place to put a body.
01:50No, sir.
01:50The only thing they could do was kill him.
01:52You want to say anything.
01:53Leave the jury and you find the defendant.
01:559-1-1 emergency for BL-1-9-6-5.
02:12What is your emergency?
02:13I have a neighbor across the street from me.
02:16He's laying in this side yard.
02:18I believe he's dead.
02:19He's got blood over.
02:23Control, it's your arrival before.
02:24We're making contact with the residents out of L-1-5-6.
02:26We're being cooperative.
02:28Patrol officers arrive after that and then detectives are there.
02:32ABC 9-812, give me a call when you have a message.
02:36Copy.
02:39Yeah, it definitely looks like trauma to his neck.
02:42Yeah.
02:42This is, his name is Jeff Gehrman.
02:45Okay.
02:45He's the, he's the R.J.
02:47And that's called Johnson?
02:48Reporter.
02:50The victim is identified as Jeff Gehrman,
02:52an investigative reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
02:58Jeff has had his throat slashed.
03:00He's been stabbed a total, I think, of 11 times.
03:03He's obviously dead.
03:04He's been laying there for almost 24 hours.
03:06His wallet's not taken.
03:08His phone is not taken.
03:12They walk through Jeff's house,
03:14and they notice that Jeff's house is perfectly intact.
03:21Clear.
03:23Slider locked?
03:24Yeah.
03:24It is locked.
03:25Yeah.
03:26Doesn't look like any entry was made.
03:29There were no signs of forced entry,
03:31so it doesn't appear that it's a residential burglary.
03:34Pretty soon thereafter,
03:37they get video surveillance from the neighbors across the street,
03:41and they actually can see the murder taking place.
03:46And what you see is an individual on foot
03:50in a large sun hat with a bright orange construction shirt
03:54with a gray bag and wearing gray shoes,
03:56walks up on the sidewalk,
03:59and he goes to the side of the house,
04:01of Jeff's house,
04:02and essentially lets himself into the backyard area.
04:08Maybe a minute and 30 seconds later,
04:10the garage door opens,
04:11and Jeff Gehrman comes out fairly rapidly out of his house,
04:16exits his garage,
04:17makes his way to the side of his house,
04:19and straight to that side yard fence.
04:22He must have heard some noise or disturbance,
04:24and then he's attacked.
04:31And it takes about two minutes,
04:33and you can see the bushes rustling
04:36and the person in orange attacking Jeff.
04:41And the only one who arises from this
04:44is the attacker in the floppy hat
04:46and the orange construction outfit.
04:48That person then promptly walks away from the side yard,
04:53walks back down the sidewalk,
04:55and disappears off frame.
04:58The police collect more video surveillance
05:00from other houses.
05:02And what they do is they track that suspect
05:05back to a red or a maroon Yukon Denali,
05:09and he gets into that vehicle.
05:11They see the suspect flee in his Yukon Denali
05:16and leave the neighborhood,
05:17and then actually make a U-turn.
05:18And then at this point,
05:19the Yukon Denali pulls up to Jeff,
05:21the front of Jeff's house,
05:22and he gets out,
05:23and it looks almost as if he's forgotten something,
05:25and he's rummaging around in the scene.
05:27This is a terrible and jarring homicide,
05:32one that has deeply impacted Las Vegas.
05:36Every murder is tragic,
05:38but the killing of a journalist
05:40is particularly troublesome.
05:44Jeff Gehrman was probably
05:46the quintessential Las Vegas journalist.
05:50He had been here for 40 years.
05:52This is Nevada Newsmakers.
05:56As we continue our conversation with Jeff Gehrman,
05:58he's the investigative reporter
05:59for Las Vegas Review-Journal.
06:01He's the host of Mobbed Up,
06:03the fight for Las Vegas.
06:04They immediately try to figure out
06:07who might have had an axe to grind with Gehrman.
06:10He covered all the mob.
06:12He covered all the characters
06:15and the politicians who were kowtowing to the mob.
06:19Chicago was the most dominant family then.
06:21They had struck a deal
06:22with the New York crime families
06:24to basically control Las Vegas.
06:29I mean, over the years,
06:30he had done any number of investigative stories.
06:33A lot of investigative work with,
06:35like, on the Proud Boys
06:37and other sort of extremist groups.
06:40You guys are doing some propaganda
06:42about just for Biden, you piece of it.
06:46And police retrieved threats
06:47Gehrman had received on his cell phone
06:49months before he was murdered.
06:51We are watching you, mother...
06:55You better fire that son of a...
06:58Gehrman was long aware of the dangers
07:00his stories could provoke.
07:03I saw it as a badge of honor,
07:04to be honest with you,
07:05something like that.
07:07And you guys are dead,
07:08mother...
07:08someday, mother...
07:09I'm coming down there tomorrow.
07:12What a...
07:13police hope the surveillance videos
07:17would lead them to the killer,
07:19despite the disguise
07:20and the fact that the plates
07:21had been taken off the SUV.
07:24Images of the suspect
07:25and images of that maroon Yukon Denali
07:29were released by Metro's
07:31public information office
07:33out to the public.
07:34Once the footage of the suspect
07:37and his distinctive walk is shown,
07:39and once that vehicle is also shown,
07:42they are developing names
07:44of possible suspects,
07:45one of them being Robert Tellis.
07:47Hello, I'm Rob Tellis,
07:49and I'm your Clark County
07:50Public Administrator.
07:52Robert Tellis was, at that time,
07:55the Clark County Public Administrator,
07:58which is an elected office
07:59here in Clark County.
08:01In the midst of Tellis' campaign
08:03for re-election,
08:04Garbin wrote a series of articles
08:06about him,
08:07including allegations
08:08from his own staff
08:09and a video
08:10that appeared to show Tellis
08:11having sex in a vehicle
08:13with one of his employees.
08:15It talked about the alleged affair,
08:20which he denied.
08:21It talked about the turmoil
08:22in the office.
08:23It talked about their allegations
08:25of abusive behavior by him.
08:28What is your reaction
08:29to the allegations
08:31from these employees
08:32that you have created
08:35a hostile environment
08:36in this office?
08:38It's unfortunate that,
08:40you know,
08:41we've got some people
08:42who were here from before
08:44who were basically
08:46trying to railroad me.
08:49So he was really upset
08:51when the story ran.
08:52He emailed or he texted Jeff.
08:55Why did you make me out
08:56to be a bad guy?
09:00The story was right
09:01before the primary.
09:03This is an important race
09:04and I need your help.
09:07I'm Rob Tellis
09:08and I'm running for Clark County
09:09public administrator.
09:12Tellis lost the primary election.
09:14So when police learn
09:18that there is this link
09:21between Mr.
09:21Gehrman and Mr.
09:22Tellis
09:23and when police learn
09:25that there are anonymous people
09:28coming out of the woodwork
09:29saying that looks just like
09:30Rob Tellis' walk
09:31and Rob Tellis drives a car
09:34just like that.
09:36At that point,
09:37the police believed
09:39Mr. Tellis was a person
09:41of interest.
09:44They look at a map
09:46and they determine
09:46where does Mr. Tellis live
09:47in relation to Mr. Gehrman.
09:49They start to canvas
09:50that pathway
09:51for video surveillance.
09:53They track that Yukon Denali
09:55leaving the first street
09:58from Mr. Tellis' house
10:00all the way
10:01to Mr. Gehrman's neighborhood
10:02and that Denali
10:04drives all the way back
10:06to Robert Tellis' house.
10:08I have never in my career
10:10seen that much footage
10:12tracking a vehicle's movements
10:14from start to finish.
10:17And so the next step
10:18was they had issued out
10:20a search warrant
10:21to collect his DNA
10:23because one of the things
10:25they learned at autopsy
10:26is that underneath
10:27Jeff Gehrman's fingernails
10:29is foreign DNA.
10:31It doesn't belong
10:33to Jeff Gehrman
10:34but they didn't have
10:35in their database
10:36whose DNA it actually
10:38belonged to.
10:39A traffic stop
10:40was effectuated.
10:42He was detained.
10:44He was taken over
10:45to a local police station
10:47and his DNA
10:49was collected
10:50at that point.
10:51Because if it's consistent
10:53or if it's a match
10:54they're going to arrest him.
10:56I thought
10:56there's just no way.
10:58The guy was an attorney.
11:00He was an elected official
11:01with three kids
11:02and a wife.
11:04And so
11:05it was unfathomable
11:07that he would
11:08go to Jeff's house
11:09and stab him to death
11:10in broad daylight.
11:12It's just got to be
11:13something else.
11:22Las Vegas is a unique town.
11:25It's a hot spot.
11:26Seems like Las Vegas
11:27is always in the news.
11:29And the murder
11:30of an investigative reporter
11:31was big news
11:32around the country.
11:34Investigative journalist
11:35Jeff Gehrman
11:36was killed
11:37in a stabbing.
11:38What happens
11:38in Las Vegas
11:39doesn't stay
11:40in Las Vegas anymore.
11:42As word spread
11:43that a local official
11:44Robert Tellis
11:45was a possible suspect.
11:47Rob Tellis.
11:48Robert Tellis.
11:49Robert Tellis.
11:52And I would have
11:53bet my house
11:54that Robert Tellis
11:55was not capable
11:56of murdering anybody.
11:58I had represented him
12:00on a domestic battery case
12:01against his wife.
12:02I hit.
12:03Face the vehicle.
12:05A police body cam
12:06video of the incident
12:07shows Tellis
12:08trying to use
12:09his position
12:09to avoid arrest.
12:11You guys want to
12:12take me down
12:13because I'm a public official.
12:15No, we don't.
12:16What are you?
12:16I didn't hit anybody.
12:17I didn't touch anybody.
12:19You guys want to
12:20take me down
12:21because I'm a public official.
12:23That case got dismissed
12:24and then life went on.
12:26I shook his hand.
12:27He said,
12:27you're a great lawyer
12:28and that was it.
12:30But detectives
12:31increasingly came
12:32to believe
12:32Tellis was the killer.
12:34The man in the floppy hat.
12:36Especially after
12:37a search of
12:38Tellis' home.
12:40In his garage
12:41in a gray bag
12:42there was the hat
12:43that the perpetrator
12:44was wearing
12:45and the hat
12:46had been cut up.
12:49And then underneath
12:50the couch
12:51in his great room
12:53are the shoes
12:54that the perpetrator
12:55is wearing.
12:56And one of the shoes
12:57is intact
12:57and the other one
12:58is sort of cut in half.
13:00No murder weapon
13:01was ever found
13:02but his phone
13:03held some clues.
13:04On the phone
13:05there were
13:06Google map searches
13:08of Gehrman's neighborhood.
13:13There were also
13:14screenshots
13:15that Tellis had taken
13:18where he had searched
13:19personal information
13:20about Gehrman.
13:22After detectives
13:22took his clothes
13:23and the DNA sample
13:25Tellis was allowed
13:26to go back home.
13:27By the time
13:28he got back
13:28from the DNA swab
13:30and the search
13:30the whole area
13:32was flooded
13:33with media.
13:34Did you do this
13:35Tellis anything?
13:37Why did police
13:38throw away your vehicle?
13:39Do you have a comment?
13:46Detectives had asked
13:47the DNA lab
13:48to do a rush job.
13:53Probably within an hour
13:55of getting that sample
13:56Robert Tellis' DNA
14:00is a match
14:00for the DNA
14:01underneath
14:01Jeff Gehrman's
14:02fingernails.
14:04We're going to need
14:05about two more
14:06petroleumists
14:06to just block
14:07this down
14:08so we can get
14:08everything situated.
14:10They go to his house
14:11to arrest him
14:12and he refuses
14:15to come out.
14:16Keep media back.
14:17We're going to attempt
14:18to call into
14:18our subject
14:20and have him
14:20come out hopefully.
14:22There's sort of
14:23a back and forth
14:23and eventually
14:24it turns into
14:25what detectives
14:27describe as
14:28like a barricade situation.
14:29We're still not getting
14:30any compliance
14:31for the subject
14:31to exit break.
14:32He was up
14:33in his bedroom
14:33and he was refusing
14:34to come out.
14:35Based on the
14:36405 comments
14:37and we're going
14:38to go ahead
14:39and make the
14:39official request
14:40for swab
14:40and declare
14:41the barricade.
14:42405 is police
14:43code for suicide.
14:45We do believe
14:46that our target
14:47is attempting
14:47to 405 break.
14:49I think he believed
14:50at that point
14:51there wasn't
14:52any more purpose
14:53in going further
14:55with this.
14:56Based on his comments
14:57and what we are
14:58hearing over the phone
14:59the major
15:00validator detectives
15:01are putting together
15:01a plan to make
15:03an entry into the
15:04residence due
15:05to the exigency break.
15:06SWAT kind of
15:08assembled downstairs
15:10in his home
15:10and then kind of
15:12calmly made their
15:13way up once they
15:14established visuals
15:15on Mr. Tellus
15:16using robots
15:17and drone footage.
15:19Copy that.
15:19We're making our way
15:20up to 88
15:20into the master bedroom.
15:21The plan's already
15:22been put out.
15:22Keep eyes moving.
15:24Keep eyes on them.
15:25Copy that.
15:25We have the radio.
15:26I'm not here.
15:28I'm here.
15:30We have the radio.
15:32Have the days
15:33are ready.
15:36Stand up.
15:39You got any weapons?
15:41Just the other hand.
15:42We've located the
15:43subject.
15:44He's in the bathroom
15:45in the bathtub.
15:47Bleeding.
15:49Looks like he's been
15:50stabbed a few times.
15:52There you go.
15:53Mr. Tellus had
15:54slit his wrists
15:55fairly severely.
15:58He was sitting in a
15:59pool of his own blood.
16:00He had suffered a lot
16:01of blood loss.
16:02Come on the ground.
16:03Come on the ground.
16:03Here, here, here.
16:04Bring him right here.
16:05Slide.
16:06Hey.
16:08Yep, I got it.
16:08I got it.
16:09I got it.
16:09I got it.
16:10Hey, just pull him out
16:11when we can.
16:11When you can, Levi.
16:12No big.
16:13No rush.
16:14He's got a lot of wounds.
16:15A lot of significant
16:16blood loss in the bathtub.
16:17Those are all just
16:18superficial damage,
16:19bleeding, but whatever
16:19he's got, he's sort of
16:20drugged up.
16:21Can we just let medical
16:22know that we believe
16:24this object has taken
16:25narcotic?
16:26We're going to grab a sheet.
16:27Hey, we're going to have
16:27to bring him down.
16:28We've got a sheet.
16:29Grab a sheet.
16:29We'll just roll him that
16:30way.
16:31We've got a sheet over here.
16:32Hand me up.
16:32You can see right there.
16:34Okay, guys, we're going to
16:34put it away.
16:35They're going to be coming
16:35down with the suspect now.
16:36We'll pass them off to
16:37the medical.
16:38Cool.
16:41Bird, what's happening?
16:42I did two.
16:51Okay, I'll just roll it up
16:52on the journey.
16:52So, he's had four.
16:54We aren't in.
16:54He's a atomizer.
16:56Okay.
16:57Yes.
16:57He's under arrest, but
17:02they're not taking him to
17:03jail.
17:04They're getting him to a
17:04hospital so that he can get
17:06the additional medical care
17:07that he needs.
17:11I'm here to announce the
17:12arrest of 45-year-old Robert
17:15Tellis.
17:17He was booked in the Clark
17:18County Detention Center last
17:20night on the charge of open
17:22murder.
17:22It was, oh, my God.
17:25I mean, unheard of.
17:27The last time a government
17:29official has been accused of
17:30murdering a journalist because
17:32of his work was in the 40s in
17:34Texas.
17:37Good morning.
17:38Good morning, Mr. Tellis.
17:39How are you?
17:40Good, good.
17:41How are you doing?
17:41Good.
17:42I'm Brian Ross.
17:43Tellis agreed to speak with
17:45killer cases, and from almost day
17:47one, he set out to prove that
17:48police had arrested the wrong
17:51man.
17:51You know, I'm innocent.
17:53That he had been framed.
18:03I've alternated between despair
18:05and anger.
18:07It's hard, but I'm, again, I'm
18:09fighting to prove my innocence.
18:12And from behind bars, Robert
18:14Tellis began to fashion a novel
18:16legal defense theory.
18:18He was never interested in
18:20negotiating the case because he's
18:21always maintained he had absolutely
18:22nothing to do with it.
18:24You would agree that picture of
18:26the person in the hat and the
18:27vest, that is the killer?
18:30Yes, sir.
18:31And is that you?
18:31I mean, I have no reason to
18:33doubt that.
18:34Is that you?
18:34No, that is not me.
18:36No, sir.
18:37Tellis maintained that the person
18:39in the floppy hat was a hitman
18:41hired by a local real estate
18:43company he was at odds with.
18:46Why would they kill the reporter
18:47if they wanted to stop you?
18:48Why wouldn't they kill you?
18:50At the time, I was actually
18:52working on three different types
18:53of investigations against this real estate firm.
18:55If I was killed, then it wouldn't
18:59stop the investigations into them.
19:00It was clear that, you know,
19:03that if Mr. Graham was murdered,
19:05that people would look at me immediately.
19:06Is there any proof of that,
19:10that that person exists,
19:11a so-called hitman?
19:13So I don't have full evidence for it,
19:15and that's not for lack of wanting
19:17to develop that evidence.
19:19It's just the system will not allow me to.
19:22Hitmen don't wear big, sloppy hats.
19:24They don't commit these murders
19:25in broad daylight.
19:27They don't take the time
19:28to park on a side street
19:30and leave and then come back
19:32and pull right up to the house.
19:33Other things that don't make sense
19:37is then how did the hitmen,
19:39how did they get the hat inside his house?
19:42How did they get the shoes
19:44inside of his house?
19:46How they were found in my home,
19:47I don't know because those were mine.
19:49I don't know.
19:50You didn't put them there?
19:52Are you saying somebody came into your house
19:54and planted them there?
19:56I don't know.
19:57I don't know if they,
19:58I don't know what point those things
19:59were planted,
20:00but somebody did plant them.
20:01You know, whether they were planted
20:03by the police for their plan to prayer,
20:04I don't know.
20:06He came upon the idea
20:09of the conspiracy theory
20:10right after his arrest.
20:13I think that was going to be his out
20:16or his way of explaining things
20:18or explaining the inexplicable.
20:21How do you explain the fact
20:23that your DNA was found
20:25under his fingernails?
20:29Again, I dispute the fact
20:30that it was ever found
20:31under his nails.
20:32How else would your DNA be there?
20:36Again, planted.
20:38Planted by who?
20:39Who would plant that?
20:42Again, I don't know.
20:44I don't know what point it was planted.
20:46You would certainly think
20:47that there would have to be
20:48some type of sign on me, right?
20:50There were no scratches
20:51anywhere on my body.
20:53Mr. Gurman could have scratched the killer,
20:58but he certainly could not have
20:59scratched me at any point
21:00because I wasn't the killer.
21:03I think Mr. Tellis
21:04is just failing to understand
21:05how easily skin cells
21:07can get underneath
21:08your fingernails.
21:09You can scratch someone
21:11and get epithelial cells
21:13underneath your fingernails
21:15without leaving bloody scratch marks
21:18on a body.
21:19So the argument really doesn't
21:20hold a lot of weight.
21:21Just so I'm clear
21:22that you're saying
21:22that was not you
21:23driving that car,
21:24that was not you
21:25in the vest and the hat,
21:26even though the car
21:27is very similar to yours
21:29and the shoes and the hat
21:31were found in your home.
21:33You're still saying
21:34that's not you?
21:35That is correct, sir.
21:36You've got it.
21:37That's hard to believe, isn't it?
21:39Yeah, there's a lot about this story
21:41that's hard to believe.
21:44You're trying to figure out
21:45does he really believe
21:47what he's saying
21:47or has he actually convinced himself
21:49that he had nothing to do with this?
21:51And Tellus' conspiracy theory
21:53also included employees
21:54who worked for him
21:55at the public administrator's office
21:57who made that video of him
21:59and a female staff member
22:00and then gave it to the reporter,
22:02Jeff Gehrman.
22:04I was shocked, you know,
22:06that my employees
22:08would go to those lines,
22:11especially since I wasn't a bad boss.
22:15In the workplace,
22:16there was no reason
22:16to follow me around.
22:17I think he was embarrassed
22:20by having that personal detail
22:24splashed all over the headlines
22:25of the review journal.
22:27That embarrassed him.
22:29Did you hate him?
22:30No.
22:30I didn't know the man to hate him.
22:33You know,
22:33I think it says
22:35to hate someone
22:36you have to know the me,
22:37but certainly
22:38to hate someone,
22:41to desire to murder someone,
22:43no, definitely not
22:45in that respect whatsoever.
22:48I think Jeff Gehrman
22:50was planning on writing
22:51a fifth article.
22:52Late July,
22:54Robert Tellus
22:55is informed by Clark County
22:57that Jeff Gehrman
22:59has made a public records request
23:01about specific communications
23:03between Robert Tellus
23:06and the woman
23:07that he had been having
23:08an affair with
23:09in the office.
23:13And that's when
23:14he does all these sort of
23:16amateur-y surveillance things
23:18of Gehrman's neighborhood
23:20and Gehrman's house.
23:21There appear to be
23:22over 130 images.
23:24The phone evidence indicates
23:26he is surveilling,
23:28planning,
23:28and premeditating
23:29this murder.
23:31Robert Tellus
23:31had had enough,
23:32and he went over
23:33to the house
23:34and he murdered
23:34Jeff Gehrman.
23:35Leading up to the trial,
23:39Tellus had a hard time
23:40finding lawyers
23:41in Las Vegas
23:42willing to work with him
23:43on his defense theory.
23:47I prefer to represent this law.
23:50You understand
23:51that it's almost always
23:53more wise
23:54to be represented
23:55by counsel.
23:56I do agree.
23:57Especially when you're
23:58being charged
23:58for the first review order
23:59and facing life
24:01without the possibility
24:02of parole.
24:02I do.
24:03Right?
24:03He's someone
24:05who was pretty convinced
24:07that he was smarter
24:09than everybody else
24:10and if he got
24:11in front of the jury,
24:12he'd be able
24:13to explain
24:13his way out of this.
24:14We are going to take you
24:25out to Las Vegas
24:26for a new trial
24:27against politician
24:29Robert Tellus.
24:30He's accused of killing
24:31investigative journalist
24:32Jeff Gehrman.
24:36By the time of the trial,
24:38Tellus had actually
24:39found lawyers
24:40who were willing
24:40to take on his case
24:41and deal with his
24:43conspiracy theories.
24:44It is a difficult
24:45story to tell.
24:48Obviously,
24:49he's entitled
24:49to his opinion.
24:50It's his trial.
24:53At this time,
24:54the state of Nevada
24:54may address the jury panel
24:55and their opening statement.
24:57Thank you, Your Honor.
24:59Prosecutor Pam Weckerle
25:00began with crime scene photos
25:02to tell the jury
25:03what happened
25:04to the reporter
25:05Jeff Gehrman.
25:08Mr. Gehrman
25:09had sharp force injuries
25:11to multiple parts
25:13of his body
25:14all over.
25:15And then she showed
25:17the surveillance video
25:18of the man
25:19in the floppy hat.
25:21A lot of calls
25:22come in
25:23and some of the calls
25:24they get
25:25are about an individual
25:26by the name
25:27of Robert Tellus,
25:28the defendant.
25:29And then the key piece
25:31of evidence
25:31for the prosecution,
25:33the DNA found
25:34under Gehrman's fingernails.
25:36That foreign DNA
25:37that was found
25:38in those fingernail clippings
25:40taken from autopsy
25:42of Jeff Gehrman,
25:43that foreign DNA
25:44is consistent
25:45with Robert Tellus.
25:47But prosecutors
25:49also knew
25:49they had to deal
25:50with Tellus
25:51likely taking the stand
25:52and laying out
25:53his conspiracy theories.
25:56As prosecutors
25:56were always concerned
25:58that there's going
26:00to be one juror
26:01who is confused
26:02by something.
26:03In the end,
26:06this case
26:08isn't about politics.
26:10It's just about murder.
26:12And at the end
26:13of the presentation
26:14of the evidence,
26:15we'll ask you
26:16to hold him
26:16responsible
26:17for his conduct.
26:22Mr. Grassley,
26:23can you address
26:23the jury
26:24in your opening statement?
26:28The state has shown
26:29and will show you
26:30many more pictures
26:31of the DNA
26:31that's claimed
26:32to have been found
26:33under Jeff Gehrman's nails.
26:38What's very important,
26:39and we'd ask you
26:40to take into account
26:41all of the evidence
26:42or the lack
26:43of the evidence
26:44in this case,
26:45is that no blood
26:47whatsoever
26:48is found
26:49on Mr. Tellus.
26:53These articles
26:54were not a motive
26:55for a murder.
26:57He made a lot of
26:58people,
26:58far more
26:59able people,
27:01far more violent people,
27:03upset with him.
27:05He often had people
27:07threatening him.
27:08You better fire
27:09that son of a bitch.
27:11I'm coming down there
27:12tomorrow.
27:13What a bitch.
27:14The defense
27:15can't prove
27:16if any of those
27:17gentlemen did this.
27:18We're not saying
27:18they did.
27:19We don't know.
27:20But there's a bigger picture,
27:22and at the close
27:23of this case,
27:24we are going to ask you
27:25to return a verdict
27:26of not guilty.
27:28Please state and spell
27:34your first and last name
27:35for the record.
27:37Prosecutors introduced
27:38a series of detectives
27:39and crime scene
27:40forensic specialists
27:42to make their case.
27:43The evidence
27:44that we collected,
27:45it was incredibly thorough.
27:46From the video evidence
27:47to the phone evidence
27:48to the physical evidence
27:49to the DNA evidence,
27:50I mean,
27:51it was absolutely overwhelming.
27:53But unlike many murder cases,
27:55prosecutors purposely
27:57did not spend much time
27:58trying to gain sympathy
27:59for the victim,
28:00the reporter,
28:01Jeff Garib.
28:02We were concerned
28:03that maybe prospective jurors
28:06would have something
28:06against reporters.
28:09You know,
28:09would they hold that
28:10against us
28:12having a victim like that?
28:17Please state and spell
28:18your first and last name
28:20for the record.
28:20My name is
28:21Roberta Lee Kennett.
28:23Roberta Lee Kennett
28:24was the woman
28:25who had an affair
28:26with TELUS,
28:26seen in the video
28:27published by Jeff Garib.
28:30She was significant
28:31for a couple of reasons.
28:33He made it abundantly clear
28:35to her that he hated
28:35Jeff Garib.
28:36Did he ever tell you
28:38he hated him?
28:39Yes.
28:41I assume that was
28:42after the story was written?
28:43Yes.
28:45The other portion
28:46of her testimony
28:46that was significant
28:47were the communications
28:50regarding the Yukon Denali.
28:53you sent a message,
28:55Rob WTF,
28:56please do not be driving
28:57your Yukon around
28:58for a while.
28:59Correct.
29:00What had you seen
29:02that made you
29:03send that message to you?
29:04I think what everyone
29:05else saw,
29:06that Yukon
29:07in the photos.
29:09Okay,
29:09and then,
29:10and then,
29:11I'm freaking out.
29:13And are you
29:14starting to get nervous?
29:15Yeah,
29:16I'm starting to suspect.
29:18And then you say,
29:20um,
29:21F,
29:21your car is identical.
29:22Okay,
29:23yeah.
29:25All right,
29:26this morning.
29:27All right,
29:28we're going to call Mr. TELUS.
29:30We're going to call Mr. TELUS.
29:30We're going to do the defense
29:31calls,
29:31Mr. R. TELUS.
29:32Please raise your right hand.
29:44You shall only swear
29:45the testimony of what's
29:46given this action
29:47shall be the truth.
29:48He testified
29:49in a fairly rare
29:50and unconventional way.
29:54It was by narrative.
29:57So please tell us.
29:59Begin with your story.
30:00Sure.
30:01Thank you, sir.
30:02And so,
30:03first of all,
30:05and excuse me,
30:05I'm just a little nervous.
30:07This is,
30:07it's a day I've been waiting for
30:10for nearly two years.
30:12You know,
30:12this thing has been
30:13kind of a nightmare,
30:14frankly.
30:16And again,
30:17I want to thank you
30:17for being here.
30:18And right now,
30:19I want to say
30:20unequivocal
30:20and innocent.
30:23I didn't kill Mr. Gurman.
30:24You know,
30:25somebody framed me for this.
30:27And I believe
30:28that it's accomplished
30:29realty.
30:29And I believe
30:30that it's for
30:31the work that I've done
30:33against them.
30:34Prosecutors say
30:35there was never
30:35any evidence
30:36of Compass Realty's
30:37alleged involvement
30:38in the crime.
30:39And I lost the primary.
30:41You know,
30:41it was a bummer.
30:44I mean,
30:44sorry,
30:45I don't know what,
30:45you know,
30:47it was unfortunate.
30:48But I continued
30:49to fight against
30:50Compass Realty.
30:51And I think that
30:51that's something
30:52that they didn't expect.
30:53it's this really
30:56winding,
30:58meandering story
31:00that is involving
31:01like a real estate company
31:03and Metro Police.
31:05And it doesn't really
31:07ever account
31:08for any of the evidence
31:09in the case.
31:10So,
31:13I've never
31:16beat anybody up.
31:19I've never killed
31:20anybody.
31:24I didn't kill Mr. Governor.
31:27And that's my testimony.
31:40When's the last
31:41high-profile murder case
31:42you remember
31:42where the defendant
31:44voluntarily gets
31:45on the stand
31:46and opens himself up
31:48to cross-examination
31:49to tell his side
31:50of the story?
31:52You believe this
31:53was a professional hit?
31:56And that's what
31:57I believe.
31:57Okay.
31:58The assassin
31:59seems to be wearing
32:00a giant sun hat.
32:04It's a pretty big hat,
32:05right?
32:06Yes, sir.
32:07Fairly noticeable,
32:08right?
32:08Yes, sir.
32:09You believe
32:10that professional assassins
32:11want to draw attention
32:12to themselves
32:13when they're tearing out
32:14murder?
32:15When they're framing
32:16someone, yes, sir.
32:17So, the answer
32:17to my question is yes.
32:18You believe
32:19professional assassins
32:20like to draw attention
32:21to themselves?
32:21It depends on
32:22what the nature
32:23of their goal is
32:23and if it's to frame
32:24someone, yes, sir.
32:26Professional killer
32:27killed someone
32:28in broad daylight,
32:29made it a point
32:30to park on a
32:31completely different
32:32street, but then
32:32for some reason
32:33said, oops,
32:33I forgot something
32:34and drove all the way
32:35back.
32:35My belief is that
32:37he wanted to make
32:37sure to commit
32:38the crime and
32:39then when he was
32:40done, he wanted
32:41to make sure the SUV
32:42was seen in front
32:43of the house.
32:44Absolutely.
32:44Do you believe that
32:44you believe that
32:44was all part
32:45of the plan?
32:46I do.
32:46It wasn't me.
32:48He was terrible
32:50when talking
32:50about DNA.
32:52He couldn't even
32:52bring himself
32:53to say it was
32:53planted.
32:54You're not
32:54disputing that
32:56your DNA is
32:57underneath Mr.
32:59German's
32:59fingernails, are
33:00you?
33:00Yes, I am.
33:01But you've heard
33:02the testimony.
33:03It's there, correct?
33:04I don't know
33:05if it was there
33:06or at what point
33:06it might have
33:07gotten there, sir.
33:07Okay.
33:08I'm not asking
33:09you how it got
33:10there.
33:10Are you really
33:11denying that your
33:12DNA is underneath
33:13the fingernails?
33:14Without knowing
33:15the truth, yes, I am.
33:16So you, oh, the
33:17DNA labs in on it
33:18too?
33:19I don't know.
33:20I don't know at
33:20what point, I don't
33:21know at what point
33:22the sample was
33:22collected.
33:23Sir, please tell
33:24the jury how in
33:25the world does
33:26your DNA get
33:28underneath Mr.
33:29German's
33:29fingernails?
33:30I don't know
33:31because I did not
33:31kill Mr.
33:32German.
33:34Maybe the one
33:35good answer he
33:36gave on the
33:38stand was
33:38acknowledging that
33:39there was an
33:40affair.
33:41When you sat
33:42down, when you
33:43spoke with him,
33:44were you truthful
33:45in your interview?
33:46Not entirely
33:47now.
33:47What were you
33:48untruthful about?
33:49About the extent
33:50of the relationship
33:51with me and
33:51Roberta Lee
33:52Kennett.
33:52Okay.
33:53What was
33:54different?
33:54What did you
33:54say versus
33:55the truth?
33:57I said that,
33:58you know, she
33:58and I had no
34:00affair, but,
34:02you know,
34:03regrettably we
34:04did have, you
34:06know, when I
34:07say regrettably,
34:08I think we
34:08both regret the
34:09mistake, but we
34:10both, we had a
34:11romantic affair with
34:12each other.
34:12Fair to say, in
34:14your opinion, if
34:15Jeff German hadn't
34:16written these
34:17articles, you'd
34:18probably end up
34:19winning that
34:19primary.
34:21Probably, yes.
34:23The election's
34:24over.
34:25You're on your
34:25way out, and now
34:26this guy is
34:28wanting to ask
34:28more questions
34:29about you and
34:30Roberta, right?
34:31Yeah.
34:31He's not leaving
34:32it alone, is he?
34:33I think he's
34:35still fishing.
34:36Sir, I got a
34:38question for you.
34:39The Las Vegas
34:40Metropolitan Police
34:41Department wanted
34:42to frame you.
34:45Why did they put the
34:46murder weapon in
34:47your house?
34:48I think that maybe,
34:49I don't know.
34:50I mean, it's a good
34:51question.
34:52I don't think he
34:52liked me very much,
34:53and I don't think he
34:54likes being held to
34:55task, and he threw a
34:58lot of really big
34:59accusations out to a
35:00lot of people, a lot
35:01of hardworking people,
35:03and he deserved to
35:03be questioned about
35:04it.
35:05And if they hated
35:06you so much, why
35:07didn't they just kill
35:08you?
35:09That's a really good
35:10question, and I would
35:10like to answer it, my
35:12belief as to why
35:13they didn't.
35:13Please tell me, why
35:14they didn't just bother
35:15killing you?
35:16Because if they'd
35:16killed me, would that
35:17have stopped the
35:18various state division
35:19from investigating
35:19them?
35:20No.
35:20If they killed me,
35:22would anybody have
35:23felt the duty to
35:23continue my work because
35:24I was actually doing
35:26this?
35:26I think so.
35:28So your theory is
35:29that Jeff Garamann
35:30is collateral damage?
35:32You know, when you've
35:33taken into account the
35:34fact that months
35:35earlier we had this
35:36public feud, it's a
35:37pretty convenient way
35:38to do this.
35:38So the guy who writes
35:40the articles that end
35:41your career, they
35:43reward him by killing
35:45him?
35:46Well, again, like I
35:47said, it was a pretty
35:48good way to do this.
35:50But at the end of the
35:51day, you're just the
35:53victim in this whole
35:53thing.
35:54Is that correct?
35:55Yes.
35:56No further.
36:01The state may open and
36:09close the arguments.
36:14What do we know about
36:15Mr. Tellis' actions prior
36:17to the murder?
36:19Well, we know back in
36:20August when he got
36:21notification that another
36:22story was likely coming,
36:24he kind of goes into
36:25research mode on Mr.
36:27Gehrman.
36:29All of that demonstrates
36:30deliberation.
36:31The length of time of the
36:33actual attack itself is
36:35sort of a shorter version
36:37demonstrating a course of
36:38action to kill, right?
36:40In the course of two
36:41minutes, you are stabbing
36:43someone multiple times,
36:44you could change your
36:45mind, but he doesn't do
36:46that.
36:47At the end of his
36:48testimony, I think
36:50yesterday, Mr.
36:52Tellis explained that,
36:55you know, he's really a
36:56victim in this, you
36:58know, he's been
36:59victimized by the whole
37:00process.
37:01He was wronged by DNA
37:03analysts at Metro who
37:04found his DNA on the
37:07fingernails of Mr.
37:10Gehrman.
37:10And then, of course, he
37:12was obviously wronged by
37:14Mr.
37:14Gehrman's you in the
37:15articles he wrote.
37:17Or maybe, maybe it's not
37:20that he was wronged.
37:22Maybe he's the one in the
37:24wrong.
37:34There was no blood or DNA
37:36evidence concerning Mr.
37:37Gehrman in Mr.
37:39Tellis' home.
37:41In or on his vehicles,
37:43in or on his clothing.
37:45None of that would
37:47implicate Mr.
37:48Tellis.
37:49Again, is that the
37:50indication of sudden
37:51wide-ranging conspiracy?
37:53And I'm not going to stand
37:54for you today and necessarily
37:55argue that there was.
37:57But what that shows is that
37:58Metro makes mistakes.
38:02And I'm going to ask you
38:03with your open minds and your
38:05attentiveness to address those
38:07concerns.
38:09And at the close of this
38:11process, you find Mr.
38:13Tellis not guilty.
38:15We didn't have a 20-minute verdict in
38:25this case.
38:25I mean, they deliberated for three
38:28days.
38:28They had multiple questions.
38:31You'd think like, oh, gosh, this is so
38:33clear.
38:33Why is this taking so long?
38:34The jury reached a verdict?
38:37Yes, ma'am.
38:38Please now the verdict
38:39from that response.
38:43We, the jury, and above
38:44entitled case find the defendant,
38:46Robert Tellis, as follows.
38:49Murder with use of a deadly weapon.
38:50Victim 60 years of age or older.
38:58Guilty.
38:58A first-degree murder.
38:59When you heard the word guilty,
39:07what did you think?
39:10Yeah, I honestly just said
39:11they got it wrong.
39:12It's out of my hands,
39:13and it's in God's hands,
39:14and that there is going to be
39:17a point which, if not now,
39:19soon enough I will prove my innocence.
39:24Ladies and gentlemen,
39:25as you know,
39:26pursuant to your verdict,
39:27we will now go into the penalty
39:29phase of the trial.
39:32Let me give you a little insight
39:33to the man behind the byline
39:34of Jeffrey M. Garriman.
39:37To everyone else,
39:38Jeffrey M. Garriman,
39:40with a dedicated and respected
39:41journalist.
39:43To me, my family,
39:46he was our big brother, Jeff,
39:48and our children's loving uncle.
39:51He is so deeply news
39:52every day.
39:54Okay.
39:59We've been married
40:04almost 14 years.
40:07Robert really was,
40:08Robert really is
40:09a great father,
40:10and he's a good husband.
40:12And
40:13I would love
40:16at some point
40:17to
40:18give my children
40:21the chance
40:23to have their father back.
40:24with a jury
40:33in the above
40:34entitled case,
40:35having found the defendant,
40:36Robert Tellis,
40:37guilty of murder
40:37of the first degree
40:38with use of a deadly weapon.
40:40Victim 60 years,
40:41age or older,
40:42impose a sentence of
40:43life in the Nevada
40:44Department of Corrections
40:45with eligibility
40:46for parole,
40:47beginning when a minimum
40:48of 20 years has served.
40:49That was a good turn
40:53for Mr. Tellis.
40:54He could have easily
40:55been given
40:56a sentence of life
40:57without the possibility
40:58of parole.
41:00He did good
41:01in the community.
41:02I think they ultimately
41:03came to the fact of,
41:05hey, let's give this guy
41:05a shot sometime
41:07down the road.
41:08Before the judge
41:09officially imposed
41:10the jury's sentence,
41:11Tellis had one last
41:12chance to speak.
41:14First of all,
41:15I want to say that
41:16the family has
41:17my deepest condolences.
41:20You know, but
41:21and I understand
41:23the desire
41:25to seek justice
41:27and have somebody
41:28accountable for this,
41:30but I did not
41:31for Mr. Burrow.
41:32And unfortunately,
41:33the people who
41:34should be held responsible,
41:35who should be
41:36brought to justice,
41:38the chances of it
41:38happening now,
41:39right this minute,
41:41are slim to not.
41:42Yeah.
41:43But that said,
41:46again,
41:47my deepest sympathies
41:48to the family,
41:49and I wish them well
41:52as they navigate
41:53the rest of this tragedy.
41:57And then the judge
41:58added eight more years
42:00to his minimum
42:0120-year sentence
42:02before he would be
42:03eligible for parole.
42:05Being raveled
42:06as a murderer
42:07or the murderer
42:08of Garmin
42:09is worse than
42:10any sentence
42:10that we could
42:11impose on him
42:12because he
42:14cares so much
42:16about how he's
42:18perceived by
42:19other people.
42:20He's just kind of
42:21fundamentally a narcissist.
42:23I think he thought
42:24he could get away
42:25with this,
42:25and now he's going
42:26to go to prison
42:27for a very long time,
42:28if not for the rest
42:29of his life.
42:29And more importantly,
42:32it sends a message
42:33that you can't go out
42:35and kill a journalist
42:36for his work.
42:37He was on the job
42:4024-7,
42:41and he understood
42:42the importance
42:43of investigative reporting,
42:45and he did it
42:47to his dying day.
42:48To be continued...
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