Youths say verdict shows why America’s system is best

Ed Koch and David Kihara

Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2004 | 9:56 a.m.

Students at the Sun Youth Forum Tuesday said they didn't necessarily agree with the jury's verdict in the Ted Binion murder trial, but they said it demonstrates that, even with its faults, America's justice system is still the best.

"I think it's a little shady," said Melissa Francis, a senior at Western High School. "I don't understand the (not guilty of murder) verdict because the evidence wasn't that different from the first trial."

But Angelina Cassaro, a senior at Bishop Gorman, who after school works as a runner in a law firm that represented the defendants Sandra Murphy and Rick Tabish, said she believes the verdict was proper, though she admitted she was "a little biased."

"Sandy told people that Ted's drug problem was getting bad," she said. "He died of an overdose."

Of the 30 people in a law and crime discussion group moderated by U.S. District Judge Philip Pro, just three said they wanted to discuss the verdict that came in during the Tuesday afternoon session of the forum.

Another law and crime group moderated by Las Vegas Metro Police Deputy Chief Carl Fruge said that while they felt Tabish and Murphy had committed the crimes for which they had been accused, the defense did a good job presenting making its case that there was reasonable doubt.

The group came to a conclusion that the Binion case highlighted flaws in the American justice system but, for all of those flaws, it's still the best system in the world.

A third law and crime group moderated by Clark County District Attorney David Roger, expressed similar views.

Joseph Quinn, a senior at Clark High School, said, "It says something about our judicial values where you value money more than life. But that's America."