Columnist Jeff German: Binion witnesses to get just rewards

Saturday, Sept. 2, 2000 | 3:45 a.m.

Jeff German is the Sun's senior investigative reporter. He can be reached at (702) 259-4067 or by e-mail at german@lasvegassun.com

TIME IS running out for witnesses in the Ted Binion murder case to claim the reward money.

Up for grabs is $100,000 posted by Binion's estate for information leading to the conviction of the gambling figure's killers.

The $55 million estate has been pondering how to dispense the cash since May, when Binion's girlfriend, Sandy Murphy, and her lover, Montana contractor Rick Tabish, were found guilty in the Sept. 17, 1998, slaying.

One person isn't likely to get all $100,000.

Figuring prominently in the reward decision will be longtime Binion family attorney, Harry Claiborne, who represents the 55-year-old Binion's daughter and chief heir, Bonnie.

Claiborne expects to make the call after he returns from vacation this week.

Two of the most recognizable names who have staked a claim to the $100,000 are manicurist Deana Perry and Tabish pal, Steven Kurt Gratzer.

Perry, whose ex-husband is a cop, was one of the first witnesses to step forward with information. She told homicide detectives in late October 1998 that Murphy had predicted Binion would die of a heroin overdose one week before his death.

The prediction was made while Perry was doing Murphy's nails at the Neiman-Marcus beauty salon. Murphy also told Perry she had a new boyfriend and expected to inherit $3 million after Binion died.

Perry was a real trooper for prosecutors, testifying at the preliminary hearing in August 1999 and at the murder trial in April. She held up under cross-examination, even when defense lawyers suggested she was helping the prosecution to gain favors for her father, who is serving a stiff prison term.

Gratzer, a childhood Tabish chum and former Army Ranger, didn't surface until after a March 15, 1999, news conference in which authorities declared Binion's death a homicide.

Excited prosecutors obtained immunity for the Montana man to testify before a county grand jury probing Binion's death. The agreement barred Gratzer from profiting from any book or movie deals related to the case.

Prior to his testimony, Gratzer gave homicide detectives a wealth of information about Tabish's plans to kill Binion.

During his Las Vegas stay, however, he created a stir when he ran up a large long distance telephone bill at his hotel. Prosecutors had put him up at the hotel with taxpayer funds.

Gratzer then turned out to be a bust for prosecutors at the preliminary hearing, often appearing evasive and incoherent.

But at the trial he came back into the fold and gave a stellar performance, methodically testifying how Tabish had dragged him into the murder conspiracy. Two days after his testimony, Gratzer landed in jail on a domestic battery charge stemming from a fight with his girlfriend at the Sahara hotel-casino.

Still, following the convictions of Murphy and Tabish, prosecutors said they had no regrets about using Gratzer.

One key Binion figure no longer eligible for the reward is David Mattsen, who still faces theft charges for allegedly helping Tabish steal Binion's $6 million silver fortune after his death.

Prior to the trial, prosecutors were hoping to turn Mattsen, who once sought the Binion money, into a witness against Murphy and Tabish. But those efforts fell through after Mattsen's lawyer said he had "gone off the deep end." Prosecutors decided he wasn't credible.

Mattsen, who now says he's broke and needs taxpayer funds to pay for his legal expenses, must be wishing he could turn back the clock.

It may be too late for him to cash in on the Binion case, but the clock will be ticking a little longer for the other witnesses.

For the moment, that $100,000 still is up for grabs.