Part of ‘history in the making’

Stacy J. Willis

Friday, May 5, 2000 | 11:36 a.m.

Midway back in the line outside Clark County District Courtroom No. 4, a gray-headed, buttoned-up woman is saying something about "chasing the dragon" and pretending to smoke heroin.

Beside her a young man is doing an impersonation of Judge Joseph Bonaventure, complete with an over-the-top wise-guy accent.

Further back, a retired gentleman from Illinois is suffering from withdrawals -- not from heroin, but from Court TV coverage of the Binion murder trial.

"It's been two days since I've seen it, and --"

"-- it's killing him," his wife interjects.

"I get mad just when the commercials come on, but two days ..."

Binion murder trial watchers -- who were standing in line Thursday at 8:30 a.m. for the 9:30 gavel -- had come from as far away as Florida and as near as the late Ted Binion's neighborhood to get one of about 40 public seats in the gallery.

Slightly more than 40 showed up. They came equipped with brains full of trial stuff: Most can quote the date of Binion's death without pause and rattle off contents of the toxicology report like well-trained pathologists. They know that "chasing the dragon" refers to smoking heroin, and a gifted few volunteer to mimic Rick Tabish's stoic courtroom expression.

Three gray-headed men from Bastrop, Texas, -- one sporting a University of Texas Longhorns baseball cap -- stood near the back of the line, arms folded across their chests.

"Well you don't have to stand in line to get into the district court in Bastrop," Jerry Ingram said.

"I think they're guilty as hell," John Taylor said.

"I read about the case in Texas Monthly," Donnie Hibbs said. "It's going to be a movie."

"We come out here every year. We watch the Binion (Horseshoe hotel-casino) poker tournament. But this year I've been watching this trial every day," said Taylor. "So we decided to come on down. I told my wife to look for me on TV. I told her if I sat where the camera could see me I'd wave."

Up ahead, past another 15 people who all know whether the Binion home's drapes were open or closed on Sept. 17, 1998, local trial watcher Janice Tursi was eagerly tapping her toe.

"I haven't missed a minute of it on TV. Not one second. All of my friends call me to talk about it -- we have a system of covering it," said Tursi, who is self employed. "We like to see all the stars on TV, and now I'm going to see them in person."

Like the overwhelming majority of those in line Thursday, Tursi thinks defendants Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish are guilty of killing Binion. Her verdict is based at least in part on local loyalty -- "Ted Binion was a pioneer -- I've been here 15 years -- I remember his dad. We know Ted personally from the TV -- from the (gambling commission) hearings. Ted was a good man," she said.

Tursi was swapping opinions with Jane Heard, a Floridian on a vacation tour through Las Vegas, who chose to attend the trial rather than take in the Strip.

"This is better than gambling. This is better than the shows. This is better than Disney World!" Heard said.

Amid the fervor, one man kept to himself. He explained, "How do I know who anyone here is? You could be working for the lawyers. You never know who you're talking to about this case."

Some were retired, some had the day off, some were unemployed. Many of those in line had worked the trial into their vacation plans -- such as Jack Cullen of Wauwatosa, Wis., whose wife said "If it weren't for lunch breaks in the TV coverage, he'd never get any yard work done."

Virginia Spence came because she has a personal memory of Binion. In 1991 Spence won $10,000 on a $5 slot machine at Binion's Horseshoe.

"Ted was there, and he made dinner arrangements at their steakhouse for my husband and myself. And he came and sat with us ...

"I think he was very nice. I think he was a people-person. He had that demeanor. I think they're guilty."

Las Vegan Isabelle Riggs, who is retired, and her son, Michael Torcello, have visited the courtroom eight times.

"I would come here every day if I could. I just love it," says Riggs. "We even tape it when we're not here.

"I love Judge Bonaventure. He is my favorite. I like his down-to-earth control of the courtroom," said Riggs. "I wonder if he's single."

At 9:20 a.m., the bailiffs let the crowd in.

It is an intimate courtroom -- the gallery seats start three rows back from the tables at which the attorneys and defendants sit, after a row for those involved in the trial and a row for the press.

On this day, trial watchers said they got their wait's worth. Proceedings began with a 911 dispatch tape, followed by a tape of a Murphy interview with investigators.

"This is history in the making," Riggs said. "And we're watching it happen."

Stacy J. Willis is a reporter for the Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-4011 or by e-mail at willis@lasvegassun.com