Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Long trail of a trial

Friday, May 26, 2000 | 9:31 a.m.

Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun executive editor.

THIS COLUMN hasn't mentioned the Binion murder trial or any of its theatrics. I guess it's OK to now refer to it as a murder trial, isn't it, Mr. Mayor?

The luxury of watching the trial day after day wasn't in my time budget. What became obvious during the hours it was watched was the methodical work of prosecutors David Roger and David Wall. Wall's impressive final closing argument drove the last nail in the defendants' coffins. Not only were the prosecutors methodical, it appears that the jury, with an engineer as foreman, was also precise and thorough in its work. The participants had their say, but District Judge Joseph Bonaventure kept the trial on track and guided it to a successful conclusion.

Again, the Sun's senior investigative reporter, Jeff German, was the leader in reporting the entire case from the death of Ted Binion until the jury's decision. Nobody had all the facts and presented them as clearly as German. He's the only writer who has the deep background and full knowledge of the murder to put it in a context useable for an accurate book or movie. Internet readers from all over the country used German's accounts to keep up with what was happening and why it was happening. The Sun and German are the newspaper and reporter of record for this lengthy trial and the activities leading up to it.

What is a mystery to me was defense attorney Louis Palazzo, after the verdict, telling a television reporter, "We got 'em right where we want them." Who is "them"?

The pain Murphy and Tabish have caused their families and the Binion family can't be measured. My friends from Montana, watching the trial, kept saying how sad they felt for the Tabish family. All of them vouched for the family as being "good people."

The death of John Fitzgerald is the loss of a talented gentleman. He was a good man who treated every person kindly. The janitor and executive were treated equally by this transplanted Massachusetts Irishman. He was good for Hilton Hotels, Las Vegas and the state of Nevada. ... Ely lawyer Gary Backus is on the ballot across from Supreme Court Justice Nancy Becker. He had meant to file against Justice Myron Leavitt, but got mixed up and wound up challenging Becker. This kind of an error doesn't say much for his attention to details. ... My longtime hunting pal Walt Brinkerhoff, of Lovelock, passed away at the age of 93. In addition to being a successful rancher he had spent two decades as a government hunter and trapper. An early-morning breakfast and a day in the field with Walt was heaven on earth. ... When the local head of the ACLU expressed some disple asure with the appointment of Judge Roger Hunt and Justice of the Peace Kent Dawson to become federal district judges, he o! nly added to the approval shown by the public. Nevadans who know these men and their accomplishments are pleased with their appointments because nobody has ever challenged the integrity of either man. Sen. Harry Reid nominated both men for White House and congressional approval and didn't require that they be approved by the ACLU or defense attorneys.

Dr. Samuel Wise, a local rehabilitation expert, recently sent Medicare his sixth letter in an attempt to get a patient a badly needed powered wheelchair. His letter of April 26 states:

"She's had combined disabilities including osteoporosis, COPD and osteoarthritis affecting all four extremities including arms and shoulders. She has chronic advanced pain and chronic oxygen dependence. She is unable to mechanically propel a mechanical wheelchair. She is unable to be transported except with a great deal of effort by herself and her husband."

Then the physician pleads again, for the sixth time:

"She needs to have a powered conveyance for mobility within her home. She should have a powered wheelchair or powered electric scooter. This is necessary for her continued well-being and home mobility. This has been written by prescription and requested multiple times by your organization, which has not responded in a positive or medically appropriate way."

Wise is frustrated in seeking medically necessary equipment for his patient. Just imagine how frustrated and depressed Medicare's lack of positive action is making the patient. And we think HMOs are hard to deal with.