Murphy won’t be reimbursed for copies of re-trial evidence

By Matt Pordum (contact)

Friday, Aug. 5, 2005 | 9:30 a.m.

The citizens of Clark County will not reimburse Sandy Murphy for the $27,000 she spent making copies of the evidence presented during her re-trial for the murder of Ted Binion.

District Judge Joseph Bonaventure on Thursday rejected the request made by Murphy's attorney, Michael Cristalli, saying although it was a "novel claim" Murphy had no statutory right to make it.

Cristalli said he was simply asking the same courtesy offered by the court to Murphy's one-time co-defendant Rick Tabish. But Bonaventure agreed with Assistant District Attorney Christopher Lalli who said the money was granted to Tabish during pre-trial motions because he was indigent at the time.

Cristalli didn't go so far as to suggest Murphy was now indigent, but he did say she was no longer being financially assisted by William Fuller, Murphy's wealthy octogenarian benefactor, and because of that her "situation has changed and money is tight."

After court Cristalli explained why he made his unconventional request.

"It's burdensome and constitutionally unfair, in my opinion, to require a defendant to pay to see what prosecutors are using against them," Cristalli said.

Murphy and Tabish were originally convicted of the murder of millionaire casino heir Ted Binion but were acquitted in November 2004 of the murder charge at a second trial that was granted by the Nevada Supreme Court

At the re-trial they were found guilty of burglary and grand larceny involving Binion's coin and silver collection and those convictions are now on appeal to the state's high court.

Bonaventure sentenced Tabish and Murphy to one to five years in prison each for the silver theft.

Murphy has since had her discharge papers signed at the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Center and will not serve any additional prison time.

Tabish is currently serving an 18- to 120-month prison sentence for his kidnapping and extortion conviction which stemmed from the 1998 beating of a man at a sandpit in Jean.