Bonaventure to decide bail issue for Murphy

Thursday, March 23, 2000 | 11:40 a.m.

District Judge Joseph Bonaventure plans to disclose Friday morning whether Sandy Murphy will be allowed to post bail and regain her freedom in time for her murder trial next week.

Murphy and her reported lover, Montana contractor Rick Tabish, are set to stand trial Monday on charges of killing wealthy gambling figure Ted Binion and stealing his valuables.

On Wednesday Bonaventure revoked Murphy's house arrest privileges and ordered her held at the Clark County Detention Center on no bond until he decides whether she's entitled to post bail.

Murphy was taken into custody March 16 at her new apartment at the Las Vegas Country Club after jail officials accused her of violating house arrest rules. Officials said Murphy reported that she was at her lawyer's office Feb. 17 while she actually was shopping for furniture.

Last week's arrest was the second in five months for Murphy since she was placed in the house arrest program in July.

Bonaventure said Thursday that going to a furniture store was not the most "egregious act" someone can commit.

"The defendant did not commit a crime, did not take drugs, did not become violent and did not try to flee the jurisdiction," Bonaventure said. "However, what the defendant did was prove to this court ... that she is unsupervisable under the house arrest program."

Bonaventure told Murphy that "no one is above the rules."

Her lawyer, John Momot, said today he was hoping Bonaventure will allow Murphy to post what he described as a "reasonable increase" in bail. Murphy previously had put up a $300,000 bond.

"Whatever the judge thinks to compensate for the house arrest conditions will be fine," Momot said.

Prosecutors, however, want Bonaventure to keep Murphy behind bars, saying she has shown a disregard for the rules and remains a flight risk.

"It is as though she does not comprehend the multiple life sentences that she's facing and that everyone else facing multiple life sentences are sitting in jail," Deputy District Attorney David Wall told Bonaventure on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, there was some fallout today from Bonaventure's gag order barring attorneys, defendants, witnesses and court employees from talking with the media during the murder trial.

Some attorneys and media members were said to be unhappy about the order, and there was talk about asking Bonaventure to modify it.

Bonaventure said Wednesday the order was needed because the increasing local and national media coverage had threatened the right of Murphy and Tabish to a fair trial.