"I want to say unequivocally I'm innocent. I didn't kill Mr. German," Robert Telles testified in court.
A former elected official who was arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a journalist took to the stand in court to say that he is not a murderer.
Journalist Jeff German, 69, was found stabbed to death outside his home in Las Vegas in 2022.
The suspect could be seen disguised in an orange construction vest and a wide-brimmed hat.
Authorities say they found the suspect five days later wearing a white hazmat suit and identified him as the former public administrator of Las Vegas, Robert Telles.
After refusing to come out of his home, a standoff ended when Telles was taken into custody on a stretcher, suffering from what police called self-inflicted stab wounds.
Telles was charged with assassinating the reporter in retaliation for a series of investigative articles written about him in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. German had been working on a series of stories about allegations of a hostile work environment in Telles' office, which included accusations of bullying, retaliation, and an "inappropriate relationship" between Telles and a staffer.
Telles had denied those allegations.
Telles lost his primary race for re-election and allegedly placed the blame for his defeat on the reporter.
Authorities said they found a chopped-up straw hat in Telles' home like the one seen in the video.
On Wednesday, Telles took to the stand in his own defense at his murder trial against the advice of his lawyers.
"It's a day I've been waiting for for two years. This thing's been kind of a nightmare," Telles testified in court. "I want to say unequivocally I'm innocent. I didn't kill Mr. German."
Telles' testimony continued Thursday.
He has pleaded not guilty to Gorman's killing, and has claimed police framed him and mishandled his case.
A dozen of German's family members and friends have attended each day of the trial.
