Jurors say Binion decision not easy

Friday, June 9, 2000 | 10:18 a.m.

Jurors in the Ted Binion murder trial have begun to provide insight into how they arrived at last month's conviction of Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish in the killing the wealthy gambling figure.

Nine of the 12 jurors gave interviews Thursday with KVBC Channel 3.

The interviews were arranged with the help of NBC's "Dateline" news magazine, which also talked to the Binion panel members Thursday for an upcoming hourlong broadcast on the most-publicized murder case in Las Vegas history.

The panel's foreman said the case presented by prosecutors was not a "cut-and-dried" one, as some thought.

Jurors said they were emotionally drained following the two-month trial and their eight days of deliberations.

They said they didn't appreciate attacks from defense lawyers who suggested the four panel members wearing sunglasses couldn't look the defendants in the eyes when they returned their verdict in court. The jurors said they wore the glasses to cover up the tears in their eyes.

Some jurors literally were sick to their stomach at the end of the process, those interviewed said.

The jurors said they took their time reaching a decision because they wanted to make sure it would hold up under future scrutiny.

Murphy, a 28-year-old former topless dancer, and Tabish, her 35-year-old lover, were found guilty of killing Binion on Sept. 17, 1998.

The jurors later recommended putting the two convicted killers behind bars for life with the possibility of parole after 20 years on the first-degree murder charge.

District Judge Joseph Bonaventure has scheduled an Aug. 11 formal sentencing on the charges related to Binion's slaying.