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NBC Dateline is scheduled to re-examine casino tycoon Ted Binion's 1998 death from an alleged overdose in his Las Vegas home and the events that followed the tragedy in an episode titled What Happened in Vegas. The all-new episode will air on the channel this Friday, August 11, 2023, at 9 pm ET.
Here's what the official synopsis further reveals about the upcoming episode:
"A chance encounter on the Pacific Coast Highway with a woman he first spoke to in a jail cell leads Keith Morrison to reexamine the mysterious death of Las Vegas casino magnate Ted Binion."
Ted Binion's death in September 1998 garnered critical media attention, especially after a coroner ruled the case, which initially appeared to be an overdose, a homicide. Then, Ted's then-girlfriend Sandy Murphy and her lover Rick Tabish were taken into custody and charged with murder for forcefully ingesting the millionaire with a deadly cocktail.
The trial that followed was sensational and controversial, to say the least. Sandy and Rick were convicted and sentenced to prison in 2000. A few years later, their convictions were overturned on a technicality, and a second trial was ordered in late 2004. During the retrial, both were found not guilty and released from prison.
To this day, the case remains a conflicted subject, as some suspect Ted overdosed or killed himself all those years ago, while several others believe that the killer got away with murder.
Ted Binion's death: Five key details about the casino tycoon's death from an apparent overdose in Las Vegas
1) Ted's death appeared to be an overdose
On September 17, 1998, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived at the Palomino Lane estate home after responding to a distressing 911 call made by his girlfriend, Sandy Murphy, and found him dead of an apparent overdose. First responders found a bottle of Xanax right next to his body, and there was foam coming out of his mouth.
Moreover, Ted had a decades-long history of drug abuse, including heroin and other drug addictions, because of which the Nevada Gaming Board revoked his license to run and manage Vegas' popular Binion's Horseshoe Casino in 1996. The casino was founded by his father.
2) Ted Binion made a cryptic call to his lawyer the night before his death
According to Oxygen, Ted's attorney and long-term friend James Brown told police he received a cryptic call from him on the night before his tragic death. In the call, the 55-year-old asked him to take "Sandy out of the will… If she doesn't kill me, if I’m dead, you'll know what happened."
The outlet reported that Ted's then-girlfriend, Sandy Murphy, whom he met at a strip club in 1994, had persuaded the millionaire to add her as a beneficiary to his will along with his daughter. James stated that, as per the will, Sandy was to receive the Palomino Lane residence and $300,000.
At the time of his death, Ted Binion was worth $55 million and had an underground vault carrying silver bars worth $8 million. The vault was constructed in the middle of the Mojave Desert near Pahrump, Nevada. He reportedly met Sandy while he was still married to the woman with whom he shared his daughter, Bonnie Binion.
3) Construction worker caught digging Ted's vault two days after his death
Two days after Ted Binion's death, a construction worker named Rick Tabish was caught digging the vault where the casino tycoon buried silver bars worth millions in the desert. When questioned, Rick told police that he had helped Ted construct the vault and had promised to deliver the treasure to his daughter if anything happened to him.
Detectives then learned of Rick's affair with Ted's then-girlfriend, Sandy Murphy, and suspected the lovers' possible involvement in his death.
4) Ted Binion's death is officially ruled to be a homicide
During the initial postmortem examination, the findings revealed that there were deadly amounts of morphine, heroin, Xanax, and Valium in Ted's body. These substances were concentrated in his stomach, thus proving that the drugs were ingested and not smoked.
The latter was how he usually consumed his drugs. Later findings also revealed that he died burking, which is considered a form of homicidal asphyxiation caused by compression of the chest.
5) The arrests and convictions of Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish
After Ted Binion's case was ruled a homicide, Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish were taken into custody and charged with murder in June 1999. Their sensational trial began in late March 2000, and the duo was found guilty in May of that same year. Sandy was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, while Rick was handed 25 years to life in prison.
Both their convictions were overturned three years later over technicalities, and the Nevada Supreme Court ordered a retrial, which happened in 2004. During the re-trial, they were found not guilty of the crime and released from prison.
Ted Binion's case is set to feature on NBC Dateline's upcoming episode on Friday.
