Coroner asks screening for poison in Ted Binion ‘to cover our bases’

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1998 | 11:15 a.m.

Tests are being conducted to determine whether Ted Binion had any poisons in his body at the time of his Sept. 17 death, Clark County Coroner Ron Flud said today.

Flud said the tests are being handled by the same company, Associated Pathologists Laboratories, that last week found lethal levels of both heroin and the prescription sedative, Xanax, in Binion's body.

"I've just asked for some further testing to cover our bases and make sure we didn't miss anything," Flud said. "All we're doing is ruling out stuff with all of the allegations that are flying."

Binion's sister, Horseshoe Club hotel-casino owner Becky Behnen, has urged Metro Police to treat her brother's death as a homicide.

Flud said about two dozen of the most common variety of poisons, such as arsenic and strychnine, are being screened.

"There's no way we can test for everything," Flud said, adding he hoped to have the results in about 10 days.

News of the poison testing comes as Metro homicide detectives have stepped up their investigation into Binion's death. The SUN reported Tuesday that a team of two detectives and a sergeant have been assigned to the case.

"If any poisons are found in his body, it could show some criminal intent," Homicide Lt. Wayne Petersen said. "That would certainly give us cause for concern."

Flud has refused to rule Binion's death an accident or suicide. He has classified the manner in which he died as "undetermined" pending further investigation.

Metro detectives traveled to Pahrump Tuesday to meet with Nye County sheriff's deputies investigating the theft of as much as $4 million in silver buried by the 55-year-old Binion three months before his death.

"We are sharing information with Metro," Nye County Sheriff Wade Lieseke said late Tuesday. "Hopefully, this will take it to its logical conclusion."

Three men, including Binion friend, Rick Tabish, were arrested in Pahrump while allegedly trying to steal the silver less than 36 hours after Binion's death. All of the silver was recovered, and the three men later were formally charged in the theft.

At the time of the Sept. 19 arrests, Nye County authorities found documents that suggest a possible romantic relationship between Tabish, a two-time convicted felon from Montana, and Binion's girlfriend, Sandy Murphy, who reported Binion's death to police Sept. 17.

Binion's body was found at his Las Vegas home lying on the floor next to an empty bottle of Xanax.

Police found no evidence of foul play at the scene, and an autopsy did not reveal any trauma on his body.

But Behnen, and Binion's lawyers, Richard Wright and Harry Claiborne, and a slew of family friends and employees all believe Binion may have been murdered.

In interviews with the SUN, several Binion associates and employees have pointed out suspicious occurrences at his home in the days leading to his death.

Binion, who lost his gaming license in May because of ties to murdered Chicago underworld figure Herbie Blitzstein, had struggled with a heroin addiction the last decade of his life.

He occasionally would take Xanax to get himself off of heroin, but Behnen and others believe he never would have taken lethal levels of both drugs at the same time.

Though he had returned to heroin use the last months of his life, friends said Binion was in high spirits and looking forward to fighting to get his gaming license back.