Local news briefs for October 13, 2000

Friday, Oct. 13, 2000 | 10:39 a.m.

Family reported man missing

Metro Police this morning continued investigating the death of a man in his Rhodes Ranch home and searching for his girlfriend.

Officers went to a house in the 200 block of Royal Wood Court in southwestern Las Vegas about 8:30 p.m. Thursday to check on the resident after his family called saying he hadn't been or heard from in more than a week.

Police found a man dead from an apparent gunshot wound. Detectives believe the man is the brother of the citizen who reported him missing.

The victim's girlfriend, 38-year-old Zhen "Jenny" Yu Liang, who also lives at the house, is unaccounted for and detectives are trying to locate her, police said.

Liang drives a 1999 black four-door Mercedes with Nevada plate 916 KXS.

The name of the man found dead in the house was not released this morning pending confirmation of his identity and notification of his family.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Metro's homicide unit at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Tabish, Murphy continue appeals

Ted Binion's murderers have taken their second step in an attempt to have their convictions thrown out.

Rick Tabish and Sandy Murphy filed a joint notice of appeal Thursday that will eventually be heard by the Nevada Supreme Court.

Tabish, 35, and Murphy, 28, were convicted of first-degree murder in May for the September 1998 death of Binion.

The pair tried to persuade District Judge Joseph Bonaventure last month to grant them a new trial, claiming that jurors acted inappropriately during the trial and that they should have been tried separately. Bonaventure denied the motion.

Groups join forces to protect animal

Seven partners have joined an effort to keep the Amargosa toad found in Nye County off the endangered species list.

The Nature Conservancy is hosting a signing ceremony at its Torrance Ranch near Beatty on Saturday, Graham Chisholm, the conservancy's state director, said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prefers to work with state and local groups to protect a species and the habitat so they are not listed under the Endangered Species Act, said Bob Williams, supervisor for the federal agency's Nevada office.

In addition to the Nature Conservancy and Fish and Wildlife, other partners include Nye County, the Nevada Division of Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management, the University of Nevada and the Nevada Natural Heritage Program.