Murphy fights handwriting samples

Friday, July 23, 1999 | 11:12 a.m.

Sandy Murphy was fighting efforts today by prosecutors to force her to turn over handwriting samples that can be compared to a list of coins reportedly stolen from Ted Binion's home after his murder.

The seven-page list, which prosecutors believe was written by Murphy and once faxed to her co-defendant in Binion's slaying, Montana contractor Rick Tabish, surfaced three weeks ago.

It became important to the murder investigation after Tanya Cropp, a close Murphy friend who was hired as Binion's new secretary the day before his death, vouched for its authenticity.

The Sun reported Thursday that the 24-year-old Cropp, who spent time with Binion's accused killers in the hours before and after his Sept. 17 murder, has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. She's considered part of the inner-circle of Murphy and Tabish.

Murphy, 27, and Tabish, her 34-year-old reported lover, are charged with giving Binion fatal doses of heroin and the prescription sedative Xanax at his home and stealing his valuables in Las Vegas and Pahrump.

Binion was known to keep a lot of cash at the 2408 Palomino Lane home he shared with Murphy, as well as coin and currency collections. Binion's safe was empty and his collections were missing when police arrived at the death scene. Two days later, Tabish and two other men were arrested after they had dug up Binion's silver fortune in Pahrump.

On Thursday, Murphy's lawyer, Bill Terry filed papers in Justice Court opposing efforts by Chief Deputy District Attorney David Roger to compel the hand-writing samples.

"They're requesting specific words, and that's violative of her Fifth Amendment rights and testimonial in nature," Terry said.

Terry would not comment on word that Cropp now is cooperating in the investigation.

"I don't think it's proper for me to comment on evidentiary matters the state may or may not be producing," he said.

The subject, however, was expected to surface this morning at a hearing before Justice of the Peace Jennifer Togliatti.

The hearing's primary purpose was to discuss requests by the four defendants facing lesser charges in the homicide investigation to sever their cases from the two murder defendants. A preliminary hearing on whether to bind all six defendants over for trial has been set for Aug. 16.

With Cropp now in the fold, prosecutors are expected to turn their attention to another Murphy friend who may have key information about Binion's murder.

Expected to receive pressure is Linda Susan Carroll, a 42-year-old Orange County woman who spent time with Cropp and Murphy after Binion's death.

Following a nationwide manhunt that attracted the interest of the syndicated television show, "America's Most Wanted," Carroll voluntarily appeared before a Clark County grand jury earlier this year to answer questions about the 55-year-old casino executive's demise.

But prosecutors weren't happy with her testimony, which they viewed as evasive.

"Those of us who are involved in this investigation knew that Tanya Cropp was not being forthright, and we certainly knew that Linda Carroll was not forthright," said private detective Tom Dillard, who has been looking into Binion's murder for his $30 million estate.

But Carroll's Huntington Beach attorney, Chet Bennett, said he was confident Cropp's decision to cooperate would have no impact on Carroll's testimony.

"Linda has been forthright and forthcoming all along," he said.

Bennett also called Dillard, who has been working closely with homicide detectives, a "lying SOB."

Court documents obtained by the Sun, meanwhile, show that Cropp was in the presence of Murphy and Tabish during the critical hours before and after Binion's death.

Cropp was at Binion's home with Murphy and Tabish the day before he died doing office chores for the colorful gambling figure.

She also showed up at Valley Hospital on Sept. 17 to console an emotional Murphy several hours after Murphy had reported Binion's death to police. Murphy, in an apparent hysterical condition, had been transported to the hospital by paramedics at the death scene.

Cropp and her boyfriend, Tony Musso, reportedly followed Murphy from the hospital later that evening to a Binion neighbor's home, where she helped put Murphy to bed. Tabish had driven Murphy to the home, and Carroll later came to visit her there.

Documents also show that Cropp was with Murphy, her mother and Carroll the next day at Binion's home when Murphy got into a confrontation with James J. Brown, the lawyer for Binion's $30 million estate.

Cropp, who lived in a home owned by Binion, was the first witness Roger called to testify before the grand jury investigating Binion's death. At the time of her testimony, Roger was not aware of the list of coins.