Columnist Jeff German: Binion’s death mired in mystery

Sun Staff

Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998 | 3:05 a.m.

SOMEWHERE in the next world, Ted Binion probably is sitting around laughing at the all the fuss his death has caused.

At his funeral last week, Harry Claiborne, a former federal judge and longtime Binion family lawyer and friend, did a marvelous job of capturing the complexities of the colorful gaming figure.

Claiborne probably knew the 55-year-old Binion, the youngest son of the late legendary casino pioneer, Benny Binion, better than anyone.

When Claiborne landed in trouble on the federal bench nearly two decades ago, Binion was there to help him battle his powerful accusers. And likewise, when Binion incurred the wrath of gaming regulators years later, Claiborne was the first to rally to his friend's side.

There was a deep affection between the two men, both of whom were brilliant but prone to a vice or two.

At week's end, as questions surrounding Binion's death began to mount, Claiborne decided to voice his own suspicions.

Binion's body, lying on top of a sleeping bag in his den, was discovered about 3:55 p.m. Sept. 17 by his girlfriend, ex-topless dancer Sandy Murphy. Next to his body was an empty bottle of the prescription sedative, Xanax, that he had obtained a day earlier. The bottle indicated it contained 120 tablets.

"The one thing that disturbs me about the whole thing is the scene of his death," Claiborne said. "He would never lie down and take the pills in the bottle. That would not be his pattern. He would take them standing up in his bathroom."

Police acknowledged last week that there indeed are many unanswered questions about Binion's death.

But homicide detectives, who suspect he died of an accidental drug overdose, said there was no evidence of foul play at the scene. An autopsy also found no signs of trauma on Binion's body.

Detectives, well aware of Binion's history of drug use, especially heroin, are waiting for a toxicology report before drawing their final conclusions. Police found heroin paraphernalia in his bathroom the day of his death.

But still those questions remain.

The day after Binion died, his sister, Horseshoe Club owner Becky Behnen, told me she suspected foul play. She remained convinced all last week that her brother did not take his own life.

Behnen said her brother knew his limits when using drugs and did not like to take medication.

On top of that, according to friends, Binion was not acting like a man in a deep depression the last days of his life. He was looking to make land deals and was anxious to fight to get his gaming license back. He even took an interest in the governor's race, agreeing to contribute $40,000 to the campaign of Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones.

Less than 36 hours after his body was discovered, the mystery intensified when one of Binion's friends, Rick Tabish, was arrested with two other men while allegedly trying to steal a fortune in silver Binion had buried in an underground vault on land he owned in Pahrump.

Then came word that Tabish, a two-time convicted felon who once pleaded guilty to stealing a valuable painting from his own lawyer, may have had a romantic relationship with Murphy, who stands to inherit part of Binion's multimillion-dollar estate.

Other witnesses, meanwhile, such as Binion's housekeeper, stepped forward to indicate that Binion and Murphy had been fighting in the month before his death.

Those fights, the housekeeper said, often were over Binion's return to heroin use. But the couple also argued over Murphy's spending habits.

The maid said Murphy told her not to come to work on the morning of Binion's death because he was sick.

Realtor Barbara Brown telephoned Binion several hours before his death was reported and found a distressed Murphy on the other end of the line. Murphy told Brown that Binion was in no condition to talk.

Even more suspicious, Brad Parry, the man who installed video cameras in front of Binion's house, said someone appeared to have tampered with a recorder linked to the cameras a couple of days before Binion's death. The recorder was being fixed on the day Binion died, which means there is no way to determine for sure who was entering and leaving the house.

Murphy, meanwhile, kept silent last week upon the advice of her lawyer, David Chesnoff. She may have been the only one close to Binion not talking.