Latest / Crime Stories with Nancy Grace / Vegas Politician GUILTY in Stabbing Death of Investigative Reporter| Crime Alert Recap Saturday 08.31.24

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Vegas Politician GUILTY in Stabbing Death of Investigative Reporter| Crime Alert Recap Saturday 08.31.24 · Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

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  Speaker 1: Crimeal Art Hourly Update, Breaking Crime US Now Crime a
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  Speaker 1: Art Hourly Update Breaking Crime US Now.
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  Speaker 2: I'm Jennifer Gould. A jury has reached a verdict in
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  Speaker 2: the trial of Robert Tellis, the former Clark County public
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  Speaker 2: administrator accused of murdering investigative reporter Jeff Jerman with the.
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  Speaker 3: Dream above title case find the defendant Robert Tellis as
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  Speaker 3: follows murder with the use of a deadly weapon victim
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  Speaker 3: sixty years of major older. Guilty a first agree murder
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  Speaker 3: with use of a deadly weapon victim sixty years a
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  Speaker 3: major older.
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  Speaker 2: Tell Us was found guilty of first degree murder, capping
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  Speaker 2: off a two week trial that featured testimony from dozens
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  Speaker 2: of witnesses and included evidence linking tell Us to the
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  Speaker 2: crime scene. The verdict came after three days of deliberations.
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  Speaker 2: Prosecutors had argued that Tellus was driven by a desire
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  Speaker 2: to protect his reputation and silenced German, who had exposed
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  Speaker 2: turmoil in Tellis's office and an inappropriate relationship with a
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  Speaker 2: female employee. Tellis had been under investigation for a series
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  Speaker 2: of allegations, including creating a hostile work environment, using county
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  Speaker 2: resources for personal gain and engaging in inappropriate conduct. German's
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  Speaker 2: reporting had exposed these allegations, leading to Tellus's eventual defeat
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  Speaker 2: in a primary election. German, a veteran journalist with the
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  Speaker 2: Las Vegas Review Journal, had a long history of investigative reporting.
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  Speaker 2: He was known for his fearless approach and his willingness
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  Speaker 2: to expose corruption and wrongdoing. His reporting on Tellis had
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  Speaker 2: been particularly critical, detailing the allegations against the former public administrator.
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  Speaker 2: The day before German was murdered, tell Us learned that
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  Speaker 2: county officials were about to provide German with email and
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  Speaker 2: text messages that tell Us and the woman shared in
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  Speaker 2: response to the reporter's request for public records. Prosecutors argued
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  Speaker 2: that this was the final straw for Tellus, who had
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  Speaker 2: become increasingly frustrated with germans reporting. Tellus allegedly followed German
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  Speaker 2: home and attacked him, stabbing him multiple times. German was
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  Speaker 2: found dead outside his home the next day. The defense
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  Speaker 2: had attempted to frame tell Us as a victim of conspiracy,
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  Speaker 2: claiming that he was being targeted for his efforts to
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  Speaker 2: root out corruption within his office. However, the jury ultimately
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  Speaker 2: rejected this argument, finding tellus guilty of all charges.
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  Speaker 4: I'm Drew Nelson. A Georgia man is indicted for murder
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  Speaker 4: twenty five years after his wife's dismembered remains are found
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  Speaker 4: and a story we first brought to you on Crime
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  Speaker 4: Stories with Nancy Grace. Christopher Wolfenbarger, a forty, was indicted
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  Speaker 4: on murder charges for the death of his wife, Melissa Wolfenbarger,
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  Speaker 4: who disappeared from their Atlanta home in November of nineteen
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  Speaker 4: ninety eight. He had been arrested three weeks earlier after
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  Speaker 4: police reopened the cold case. Melissa's body was discovered in
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  Speaker 4: April of ninety nine, but her remains were not identified
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  Speaker 4: until two thousand and three. The victim's family members are relieved.
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  Speaker 2: We had finally made it.
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  Speaker 5: He's in custody and now we just need to get
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  Speaker 5: over the last hurdle and get him convicted. In a
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  Speaker 5: long way twenty five years finally, hopefully we were good
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  Speaker 5: justice for Melissa. She didn't deserve what she got, and
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  Speaker 5: I hope anybody who's in a domestic violent situation please
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  Speaker 5: get up.
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  Speaker 4: Melissa's disappearance when unreported by her husband, her mother, Norma Patten,
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  Speaker 4: who we just heard there filed a missing person's report
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  Speaker 4: in early nineteen ninety nine. After not hearing from her
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  Speaker 4: daughter for months. She last spoke to Melissa on Thanksgiving
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  Speaker 4: Day in nineteen ninety eight. After receiving no news, Norma
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  Speaker 4: and Melissa's sister Tina went to Melissa's home around Christmas.
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  Speaker 4: They found it empty, with a neighbor saying Christopher had
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  Speaker 4: moved everything else. Atlanta police eventually found Melissa's remain scattered
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  Speaker 4: in a way wooded area near her home. A skull
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  Speaker 4: was first discovered on April twenty ninth of ninety nine.
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  Speaker 4: Weeks later, more remains were found in garbage bags. DNA
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  Speaker 4: testing in two thousand and three finally confirmed the remains
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  Speaker 4: belonged to Melissa, linking her to her father, Carl Patten,
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  Speaker 4: who had been arrested for other murders. Though investigators suspected
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  Speaker 4: foul play, it took years to build the case. Melissa's
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  Speaker 4: family never stopped pushing for answers. Sister Tina says, quote,
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  Speaker 4: we always knew it was him. There's just evil in
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  Speaker 4: his eyes. Though police did not release many details, they
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  Speaker 4: indicated domestic violence as a possible motive. Christopher Wolfenbarger remains
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  Speaker 4: in custody at the Fulton County Jail awaiting trial. Melissa
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  Speaker 4: was known for her kindness and love of animals. Her
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  Speaker 4: family remembers her as sweet, quiet, and always smiling. Tina says, quote,
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  Speaker 4: she was a loving mom with a bright future.
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  Speaker 6: I'm Nicole Parton in Nashville on a story we have
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  Speaker 6: been covering. An update on missing boy Sebastian Rodgers. The
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  Speaker 6: latest development, a fifty thousand dollar reward is b being
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  Speaker 6: offered for information in the disappearance of the fifteen year old,
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  Speaker 6: who has now been missing from Hendersonville for six months.
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  Speaker 6: Seth Rogers, Sebastian's biological father said, quote six months of
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  Speaker 6: a long nightmare. This in a statement, the FBI Memphis
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  Speaker 6: Field Nashville Resident Agency announced that anyone that provides information
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  Speaker 6: leading to the location or return of the missing boy
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  Speaker 6: or to the arrest or conviction of those responsible for
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  Speaker 6: his disappearance could receive the fifty thousand dollar reward. The
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  Speaker 6: father went on to say, quote, I appreciate the fact
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  Speaker 6: that my federal government stepped in where my local and
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  Speaker 6: state office has failed. Maybe someone will open their mouth.
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  Speaker 6: Young Sebastian was last seen on February twenty six, twenty
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  Speaker 6: twenty four, in Hendersonville, at his home with his mother.
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  Speaker 6: He was wearing a black sweatshirt, black sweatpants, and black glasses.
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  Speaker 6: According to his family, Sebastian has multiple medical conditions, including autism.
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  Speaker 6: Several statewide and countrywide search efforts ensued. Law enforcement has
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  Speaker 6: covered hundreds of miles trying to find Sebastian, with neighbors, friends,
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  Speaker 6: and families checking their backyards and looking for any sign
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  Speaker 6: of the team. His father, Seth, and others also led
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  Speaker 6: their own search efforts in various parts of Middle Tennessee.
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  Speaker 7: Seth the father, I'm just looking for my son and
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  Speaker 7: a woman to come home. I need people to look
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  Speaker 7: at his picture. Keep your eyes open, keep your head up.
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  Speaker 7: If you see him, please call it on one one.
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  Speaker 7: I need my son back. I have no idea what
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  Speaker 7: to think. It's not like him. I'm missing something. This
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  Speaker 7: puzzle just doesn't makeing sense. There's missing pieces to it.
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  Speaker 6: According to the FBI, they are working closely with the
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  Speaker 6: Sumner County Sheriff's Office. Anyone who has information on the
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  Speaker 6: whereabouts of Sebastian is asked to contact the Summer County
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  Speaker 6: Sheriff's office at six one five four five one three
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  Speaker 6: eight three eight or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at
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  Speaker 6: one eight hundred TBI find for the latest crime injustice news.
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  Speaker 6: Follow Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcasting app
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  Speaker 6: with this crime Alert. I'm Nicole Parkner.