Murphy jailed for violating house arrest

By Jeff German

Thursday, Oct. 21, 1999 | 12:51 p.m.

Sandy Murphy, charged with killing Ted Binion, was arrested today and booked into the Clark County Detention Center for violating the terms of her house arrest.

Courthouse sources said the 27-year-old Murphy was booked about 10:15 a.m. by detention officers.

This comes as her lawyer, Bill Terry, has informed District Judge Joseph Bonaventure that he is getting off the case. Bonaventure has scheduled a status check in the case Friday morning to allow any lawyers to withdraw.

Longtime defense attorney John Momot said this morning he has been contacted by both Murphy and her co-defendant, Rick Tabish, about entering the case.

Murphy, meanwhile, was arrested because she left her apartment about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday without informing detention center officials and remained out until about 5:25 p.m., sources said.

She reportedly told officers she went to one of her lawyer's offices.

Sources said Murphy declined to talk further with officers in the absence of an attorney.

She will remain in custody until Bonaventure decides whether there's cause to revoke her house arrest conditions.

The matter likely will be brought up at Friday's status check before the judge.

Murphy and Tabish, her reported lover, were arrested June 24 in Binion's murder. Homicide detectives believe Binion's killers pumped his body with drugs, suffocated him and stole his valuables.

Tabish, a 34-year-old Montana contractor, has been behind bars since his arrest.

But Murphy was released on $300,000 bail from the detention center and placed under house arrest in July.

Last week, Bonaventure denied a request by Murphy to reduce her bail to $100,000 and lift her house arrest conditions.

Prosecutors, citing a previous house arrest scam Murphy reportedly pulled in another case, had sought to revoke her bail.

As part of her house arrest conditions in the murder case, Murphy was required to wear an electronic ankle bracelet.

She caused a minor stir in August, when she sprayed painted the bracelet to match her clothes up for a court appearance.