Possible Binion jurors get TV quiz

Tuesday, March 14, 2000 | 11:20 a.m.

What do "The Practice" and "Ally McBeal" have to do with the Ted Binion murder case?

Nothing really.

But lawyers in the high-profile case want to know whether 350 prospective jurors watch the popular television dramas.

The would-be jurors were asked in a 34-page questionnaire which law-related shows they watch in an effort to determine whether their opinions of the justice system have been tainted by Hollywood.

They also were asked to list their three favorite television shows, as well as the people they admire the most and the least.

And the lawyers wanted the members of the jury pool to tell them what they do in their spare time and who has most influenced their lives.

Filling out the questionnaire was the first step in the process of selecting a 12-member jury for the trial of Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish, the two people charged with killing the 55-year-old Binion in September 1998.

Defense lawyers and prosecutors are scheduled to begin picking a panel on March 27, when the trial gets under way in the courtroom of District Judge Joseph Bonaventure. The defense has hired a jury expert to help them choose panel members.

The selection process is expected to last 1-2 weeks in what many have called the most well-publicized murder case in Las Vegas history. Bonaventure has left the door open to move the trial outside of Las Vegas if a jury can't be seated.

The questionnaire was designed to get into the minds of the potential jurors to see whether they have any built-in biases that would make it difficult for them to render a fair verdict based on the evidence presented during the trial.

Several questions were aimed at the circumstances surrounding Binion's death.

Prospective panel members, for example, were asked their feelings about women who live with men more than 20 years older than them.

Murphy, a 28-year-old one-time topless dancer, lived with the wealthy Binion in the three years before his slaying.

Lawyers also asked members of the jury pool whether they ever worked, stayed or gambled at the Binion family Horseshoe Club, where Binion once served as an executive.

Potential jurors also were asked if they knew anyone who overdosed on drugs and how they felt about people who abuse drugs or alcohol.

Police have alleged Binion's accused killers pumped him with heroin and the prescription sedative Xanax and then suffocated him.

But Murphy and Tabish contend Binion, who had a heroin habit, was the victim of an overdose.

The questionnaire also asked those in the jury pool whether they knew the lawyers in the case or any of the 276 potential prosecution witnesses.

Last week, Chief Deputy District Attorney David Roger said he expected to scale down his case and call less than half of the witnesses on his list.

Roger estimated the trial would last from six weeks to two months, much less than the three months previously predicted.

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