The Binion Murder Trial
Case Not Closed
The Supreme court has overturned the verdict is the Binion murder trial. Back then I reported the following on the case. Now we will have to see how this plays out in the future.
Earlier in 2000 I was following the murder trial of Sandra Murphy and Rick Tabish who were convicted of the murder of Las Vegas millionaire Lonnie "Ted" Binion, son of Benny Binion, the founder of the Horseshoe Casino.
In May 2000 the jury returned a guilty verdict of murder with a sentence of life with a possibility of parole after twenty years. Last week Judge Bonaventure' carried out the sentencing and tacked on additional years to their sentences for related charges they were convicted of stemming from the murder.
Murphy and Tabish each spoke repeatedly of their innocence as the appeared in front to Judge Bonaventure. He wasn't buying any of it and admonished both of them for their lack of remorse and the fact that neither one has accepted responsibility for their actions.
Binion was found dead in September 1998. At first his death was ruled as an accidental drug overdose. The Binion family hired a private investigator and soon suspicion fell on Murphy, his live-in girlfriend and her younger lover Rick Tabish. After further investigation they were charged with his murder.
While sentencing Murphy, Bonaventure said "Through your greed and betrayal you plotted an elaborate scheme to kill Mr. Binion and steal his money, as well as swap him for a younger boyfriend. You presented yourself as a caring and loving girlfriend only to lure your victim into a trap which ultimately cost him his life."
In his decision, right before handing down additional years to her murder sentence, Judge Bonaventure told her, "You chose to steal that which is not yours, and now you must live with the aftermath, you chose to betray and kill your lover, and now you must live with the consequences. It is this Court's hope that after your period of incarceration, you will have awoken from the "Alice in Wonderland" dream-like state you have attempted to portray in this Courtroom and will have finally gained the understanding of what the law intends to do when certain lines are crossed and broken."
Tabish and Murphy will each have a few extra years in prison to think about the lives they have ruined because of their greed.
Judge Bonaventure has spoken."Case Closed!"
A recap of the complete trail and all the news leading up to the sentencing can be found on the Court TV website.