Link suggested between suspect, girlfriend in Binion probe

Thursday, Sept. 24, 1998 | 10:46 a.m.

Nye County sheriff's deputies have uncovered evidence that suggests there was a romantic relationship between the girlfriend of Ted Binion and the man accused of trying to steal his buried silver fortune a day after his death.

Deputies found documentation of the relationship in a brief case seized from theft suspect Rick Tabish, a Missoula, Mont. contractor who had befriended Binion a year ago, sources close to the investigation told the SUN Wednesday.

Tabish, 33, a two-time ex-felon, and two other men, Mike Milot and David Madsen, were arrested about 2 a.m. Saturday after they allegedly had dug up several million dollars worth of silver coins and bars in Pahrump from an underground vault Binion had built. All of the silver, estimated to be worth $3 million to $4 million, was recovered.

Nye County deputies have been sharing information with Metro homicide detectives looking into the possible romantic links between Tabish and Binion's girlfriend, Sandy Murphy, an ex-topless dancer who stands to inherit part of the former gaming executive's multimillion-dollar estate.

"We don't know exactly what the relationship is," Homicide Lt. Wayne Petersen said today.

Detectives tried to interview Murphy on Wednesday, but were unsuccessful.

Petersen said Murphy's new lawyer, David Chesnoff, refused to allow her to be questioned.

"He has postponed the interview," Petersen said.

Murphy and Chesnoff could not be reached for comment.

But Tabish's attorney, Louis Palazzo, has denied his client was romantically involved with Murphy.

On Wednesday, Tabish told the Missoulian newspaper that Binion had encouraged him to become friends with Murphy.

"She's a good girl," Tabish was quoted as saying. "I like her. But there's nothing to this but bad blood in the Binion family."

Tabish blamed his troubles on Binion's sister, Horseshoe Club hotel-casino owner Becky Behnen, whom he charged was trying to make Murphy "look bad."

Behnen, who like Murphy often had a stormy relationship with her brother, has urged police to consider Binion's death a homicide until it can be proven he died of a drug overdose.

Officers found an empty bottle of Xanax, a prescription sedative, next to his body at his home last Thursday. Murphy had reported the death to police about 3:55 p.m.

Sources close to the investigation have said the 55-year-old Binion obtained a prescription for 120 tablets of Xanax a day before he died.

Behnen and all of Binion's friends so far have indicated he was in good spirits and not prone to committing suicide. Behnen said her brother didn't like to pop pills.

But police have been cautious about suggesting foul play because there were no signs of trauma on his body and he had a history of using illegal drugs. Detectives are awaiting the results of toxicology tests.

State gaming regulators revoked Binion's license at the Horseshoe Club in May because of his ties to the late Chicago underworld figure Herbie Blitzstein.

But it was Binion's heroin addiction that first landed him in trouble with regulators more than a decade ago. Backed by strict drug testing results, however, Binion had claimed to be free of heroin in recent years.

As the investigations into Binion's death and the theft of his silver proceed, more evidence of a close relationship between Tabish and Murphy has surfaced.

The two appear to be sharing the same lawyer, William Knudson.

Homicide detectives had been going through Knudson to arrange an interview with Murphy until they were told Wednesday that Chesnoff now is representing her.

Petersen said he was told that Murphy has used Knudson on business matters in the past.

Last Friday, Murphy showed up with Knudson at Binion's now-guarded Palomino Lane home, which she stands to inherit, looking for personal belongings.

Two days later on Sunday, Knudson helped post Tabish's $100,000 bail in Pahrump.

State records list Knudson as the resident agent for Tabish's three Las Vegas companies, MRT Contracting, MRT Transportation of Nevada and MRT Leasing of Nevada.

Knudson did not return phone calls Wednesday.

The Binion family, meanwhile, has received word that Tabish and Murphy were seen together at a posh Beverly Hills hotel a week before Binion died.

Hired help at Binion's Palamino Lane home also saw Tabish there the day before Binion's body was discovered.

Nye County Sheriff Wade Lieseke, meanwhile, said Wednesday that his detectives recommended prosecuting Tabish on burglary and grand larceny charges. Detectives also are considering conspiracy charges and haven't ruled out arresting others in the probe, he said.

Tabish and Palazzo have indicated the silver was dug up at Binion's request to make sure Binion's daughter, Bonnie, would get it after his death.

But Lieseke said that story won't hold up in court.

"Our investigation shows they can not corroborate their claim that they were carrying out Ted Binion's wish," Lieseke said. "Nobody can just take matters into their own hands and then say, 'now that I'm caught this is what I was doing."'

Lieseke said there's a legal process that must be followed when liquidating assets from an estate.

"I find it hard to believe, knowing Ted Binion the way I do, that he would have trusted someone he had only known a few months to do that."

Tabish, who comes from a prominent Missoula family has convictions for cocaine trafficking and burglary in Montana.

In 1987, he pleaded guilty to stealing a valuable painting from his own lawyer.