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Ted Binion, a Las Vegas casino magnate and owner of Binion's Horseshoe Casino, was found dead in his Las Vegas estate home of an apparent drug overdose in September 1998. His then-girlfriend Sandy Murphy, who was later considered a potential suspect in his death, had made the 911 call.
An investigation into Ted's death, however, suggested that there might be foul play involved especially after what postmortem examination findings revealed and his case was ruled a homicide. He was a millionaire and had silver buried in a secret vault in the middle of the desert. The motive could have been financial.
Following the millionaire's death, Sandy and her lover Rick Tabish, who worked for Ted, were considered key suspects in the case and were both eventually arrested, and charged. In 2000, they were found guilty in the case, but their convictions were overturned a few years later.
An all-new episode of NBC Dateline is slated to chronicle the highly controversial death of Ted Binion this Friday, August 11. The episode, titled What Happened in Vegas, airs on the channel at 9:00 pm ET. Here's the official synopsis:
"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."
Casino tycoon Ted Binion made a distressing call the night before he was found dead of an apparent overdose
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers found Ted Binion dead in his Palomino Lane estate home on September 17, 1998, after responding to a 911 call made by his then-girlfriend Sandy Murphy. Right next to the victim's dead body, first responders found a bottle of Xanax and foam coming out of his mouth, suggesting an overdose.
Ted was a casino tycoon and owner of the renowned Binion's Horseshoe Casino, which was founded by his father. At the time of his death, the 55-year-old reportedly had a net worth of about $55 million but was also ill-reputed for his decades-long heroin and other drug addictions.
According to Oxygen, the scene of Ted's death indicated that he died of an overdose, but suspecting detectives started digging into his life and the occurrences shortly before he died to look for other possible angles given his status in the community and seemingly endless wealth.
Detectives started investigating Ted Binion's then-girlfriend Sandy Murphy. The couple first met in 1994 at a strip club and had been dating for a couple of years when the incident occurred. Sandy was financially dependent on Ted, who gave her $10,000 every month. Now-retired LVMPD Lt. Wayne Petersen reportedly said,
"Certainly, Ted, with all his money, would be a real prize for Sandy Murphy. Ted had given her a Mercedes, gave her a credit card…"
They also found out about Ted's secret vault in the desert land of Pahrump, Nevada, which carried silver bars worth $8 million. He also stashed some silver at home, which went missing shortly after his death. All suspicion fell on Sandy after it was revealed that she persuaded Ted to add her as a beneficiary in the will along with his daughter Bonnie Binion. He left the girlfriend his Palomino Lane home and $300,000, but the remainder of his estate was to go to Bonnie.
The outlet further reported that Ted's attorney and long-time friend James Brown admitted to receiving a strange call from him the night before his death, asking him to take "Sandy out of the will… If she doesn't kill me, if I’m dead, you'll know what happened."
Ted Binion's then-girlfriend Sandy Murphy and her lover Rick Tabish were arrested and charged in his death
Later, the postmortem examination findings revealed fatal amounts of morphine/heroin, Alprazolam (Xanax), and Diazepam (Valium) in Ted Binion's system. The doses were reportedly concentrated in his stomach, causing his death and his proving that the drugs were ingested and not smoked.
Two days after Ted's death officers caught construction worker Rick Tabish digging into Ted's vault in the middle of the night. When questioned, Rick told officials that he helped Ted construct the vault and had promised the latter that he would deliver the buried treasure to his daughter.
Detectives then learned of Rick's affair with Sandy and that the lovers had planned a getaway in Beverly Hills following Ted's death. A couple of months later, considering all circumstantial evidence his manner of death was reclassified as a homicide.
The following June, Rick Tabish and Sandy Murphy were arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Ted Binion's death. Their March 2000 "trial was considered sensational" and "had all the makings of a story" as prosecutors detailed the affair and that the former has been knee-deep in debts.
At the trial, one of Rick's friends testified that he had discussed the murder and a devious plot that included them asking another pharmacist friend about the exact amount of Xanax necessary to kill someone.
Meanwhile, Sandy was accused of removing a wine glass that she and Rick likely used to deliver the fatal cocktail to Ted from the crime scene. The act was recorded on a video and was considered suspicious because that particular glass was never found.
Despite the defense's arguments, Rick and Sandy were found guilty in May 2000. They were given 25 years to life and 20 years to life in prison, respectively. But three years later, the pair appealed and had their convictions overturned. A retrial took place in November 2004 when both were found not guilty of Ted's death and released from prison that same day.
Learn more about Ted Binion's death on NBC Dateline's upcoming episode on Friday, August 11, at 9:00 pm ET.
