Editorial: Last word on death of Binion

Monday, May 22, 2000 | 10:11 a.m.

In the past few months Las Vegans were quick to offer their opinions of Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish, who were on trial for murdering Ted Binion. Some valley residents were convinced that Murphy and Tabish killed the former Horseshoe Club executive for his fortune, while others steadfastly believed they were innocent and that Binion either committed suicide or died of an accidental drug overdose.

In the end, though, the only opinion that mattered was that of the 12-member jury. Finally, after eight days of deliberations in the 2-month-old trial, and more than 1 1/2 years after Binion died, on Friday afternoon the jury returned its verdict. At that moment it seemed as if much of Las Vegas came to a halt. Those who were not in Judge Joseph Bonaventure's packed courtroom instead huddled around television sets in homes and businesses throughout the valley, watching live as the jury foreman declared that Tabish and Murphy were guilty of first-degree murder. Even after so many bizarre and dramatic developments, the guilty verdicts on each of the 17 counts -- ranging from robbery to murder -- still carried an emotional wallop for a city galvanized by the trial.

While Murphy and Tabish were found guilty of murder, don't forget that they almost escaped justice. After all, Metro Police and the Clark County medical examiner initially thought it might be an accidental overdose in light of Binion's past heroin abuse. But Becky Behnen, Ted Binion's sister, told the Sun one day after her brother's death that she thought he had met with foul play, and she pressured authorities to investigate it as a homicide. Private detective Tom Dillard, who was hired by the Binion estate, uncovered key pieces of information pointing to Murphy and Tabish as possible suspects. And Sun reporter Jeff German's indefatigable reporting on the mysterious circumstances surrounding Binion's death, while other media were slow to pick up on the possibility of murder, also was crucial in keeping the case alive.

Also providing a valuable public service, by televising live, continuous coverage of the trial, was Las Vegas ONE, the cable news channel owned by the Sun, Cox Cable and KLAS Channel 8. And while it was feared initially that the trial had the potential to be a circus like the O.J. Simpson trial, the judge kept a tight rein on the proceedings, ensuring a speedy and fair trial for the defendants. Meanwhile the prosecutors, David Roger and David Wall, did a masterful job in explaining to the jury their theory of how Tabish and Murphy forced Binion to ingest a lethal combination of heroin and Xanax, and then suffocated him to speed up his death. Those most deserving of praise are the jurors, whose lengthy deliberations show how serious they took the solemn task of determining whether Binion was murdered.