Columnist Jeff German: Nation gets a taste of sizzling Binion trial

Sunday, March 12, 2000 | 8:57 a.m.

Jeff German is the Sun's senior investigative reporter. He can be reached (702) 259-4067 or by e-mail at german@lasvegassun.com.

The nation is getting a chance to see how the Ted Binion murder case has captured the attention of Las Vegans.

Court TV, a national cable network that specializes in high-profile criminal cases, is gearing up for extensive daily coverage of the March 27 trial of Binion's accused killers, Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish.

The network kicks off its coverage at 7 p.m. March 22, when it airs a special hourlong documentary on the Binion case as part of its popular "Mugshots" series.

Hosted by Arthur Nascarella, a former New York cop-turned actor, the program was put together by John Parsons, an award-winning documentary producer from the Big Apple.

"Ted Binion: Murder Vegas Style" is the first in-depth look on television at the well-publicized investigation into the 55-year-old gambling figure's slaying. It takes the viewer back to Binion's Sept. 17, 1998, death when he was thought to have been the victim of a drug overdose and describes how the alleged murder conspiracy unfolded between Murphy and Tabish, who were said to be lovers.

Parsons and his crew came to Las Vegas a couple of months ago to interview several key players in the case. Among those questioned were Murphy, who lived with Binion for three years prior to his death; private detective Tom Dillard, who has been investigating the former casino executive's slaying for his estate; and Binion's sister, Becky Behnen, one of the first to publicly suspect foul play in her brother's death.

"Not since the death of Bugsy Siegel has a murder captivated this town," the documentary proclaims.

A softer looking Murphy, conservatively dressed with her hair shaped around her face, describes herself as "just a normal girl" who likes to spend time with her "kitty cat."

In a gentle voice, the 28-year-old onetime topless dancer again professes her love for Binion, as she describes how she first met "her man" in March 1995 during a brief stint at Cheetah's adult nightclub. The hard-edged, materialistic side of Murphy also is put on display in excerpts from that now-infamous video of her touring Binion's home the day after his slaying.

Dillard, who many credit with breaking open the murder case, earns praise from the makers of the documentary.

"Dillard worked the town like a rattlesnake in the sand," the piece says. "And months later the cops were talking murder one ... and pointing at Tabish and Murphy."

Footage of Tabish giving a television interview outside Binion's home the afternoon of his death also is re-aired. In the interview Tabish calls Binion's demise a "tragedy" and says he has "no idea" what had happened to the ex-casino man.

But Behnen tells "Mugshots" her brother was not the kind of person who would overdose on drugs.

And Dillard is quoted as saying Murphy's hysterical 911 call reporting that "her husband" had stopped breathing "didn't pass the smell test."

Court TV, meanwhile, plans full-blown coverage of the two-month trial on cable and its website, courttv.com. Daily courtroom coverage will take place on the network from 9 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. New York time. During breaks, there will be analysis and interviews with experts.

Most Las Vegans, however, won't get a chance to watch it all because Court TV isn't part of the local cable package.

But Las Vegas 1, a local cable news channel, plans continuous live coverage. And residents here, like everyone else in the country, will be able to tap into courttv.com on the Internet to read key documents in the case, view clips from the "Mugshots" interviews and watch the video of Murphy touring Binion's house. The website also will offer a chat line and in-depth profiles on Binion, Murphy, Tabish and District Judge Joseph Bonaventure, who is overseeing the trial.

The nation, it seems, is getting a chance to see the biggest murder case in Las Vegas history.