1 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:08,241 - In the criminal justice system, 2 00:00:09,309 --> 00:00:12,278 detectives and prosecutors face daunting challenges 3 00:00:12,312 --> 00:00:14,748 when money is the motive for murder. 4 00:00:14,781 --> 00:00:17,317 [dramatic sting] 5 00:00:17,350 --> 00:00:19,819 - The Binion family, they have a long legacy here. 6 00:00:19,853 --> 00:00:23,056 - Investigators find a rich casino mogul 7 00:00:23,089 --> 00:00:24,758 dead from an overdose. 8 00:00:24,791 --> 00:00:26,726 - Looking at the body, there was remnants 9 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:28,128 of some foam on his lips. 10 00:00:28,161 --> 00:00:30,397 - To me, it looked like an overdose. 11 00:00:30,430 --> 00:00:33,667 - It wasn't until they got the toxicology report back 12 00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:36,603 that we knew something was seriously wrong. 13 00:00:36,636 --> 00:00:40,573 Ted Binion had $8 million in silver buried in a vault. 14 00:00:40,607 --> 00:00:44,210 It appeared they killed Ted for his money. 15 00:00:44,244 --> 00:00:46,479 - Without hard evidence, prosecutors use 16 00:00:46,513 --> 00:00:49,215 inventive testimony to convince a jury 17 00:00:49,249 --> 00:00:51,317 this wasn't an overdose. 18 00:00:51,351 --> 00:00:52,919 - You have all these little pieces that you build 19 00:00:52,952 --> 00:00:54,587 to look like, this is actually murder. 20 00:00:54,621 --> 00:00:57,957 - He said, "If I'm dead, you'll know what happened." 21 00:00:57,991 --> 00:01:01,761 - These men and women dedicate their lives to law in order. 22 00:01:01,795 --> 00:01:04,731 - To this day, clarity as to what really happened 23 00:01:04,764 --> 00:01:06,232 to Ted Binion is suspect. 24 00:01:06,266 --> 00:01:08,735 - These are their true stories. 25 00:01:14,174 --> 00:01:17,143 [tense music] 26 00:01:17,177 --> 00:01:19,346 * * 27 00:01:19,379 --> 00:01:20,947 - Nine County Sheriff's deputies say 28 00:01:20,980 --> 00:01:23,650 they found several holes dug in the Pahrump property, 29 00:01:23,683 --> 00:01:26,186 once owned by casino heir Ted Binion. 30 00:01:26,219 --> 00:01:28,788 They say a former employee broke in looking 31 00:01:28,822 --> 00:01:30,490 for buried silver bars. 32 00:01:30,523 --> 00:01:33,393 Neighbors say, "It's nothing new." 33 00:01:33,426 --> 00:01:35,362 - It's a 20-year-old rumor 34 00:01:35,395 --> 00:01:36,629 that many locals are familiar with, 35 00:01:36,663 --> 00:01:38,131 that there's precious metal buried 36 00:01:38,164 --> 00:01:39,966 on Ted Binion's old ranch here. 37 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:41,568 Employees and neighbors saying they're 38 00:01:41,601 --> 00:01:43,336 constantly chasing people off coming in armed 39 00:01:43,370 --> 00:01:44,971 with metal detectors and shovels, 40 00:01:45,005 --> 00:01:46,906 hoping to find Binion's jackpot. 41 00:01:46,940 --> 00:01:48,608 * * 42 00:01:48,641 --> 00:01:51,344 - I never dreamed that this case would go on for six years 43 00:01:51,378 --> 00:01:55,682 after that first night on September 17, 1998. 44 00:01:55,715 --> 00:01:59,252 I sometimes wonder why this case keeps coming back up, 45 00:01:59,285 --> 00:02:00,820 why there's so much interest in it 46 00:02:00,854 --> 00:02:03,690 because it's not unusual for notable people 47 00:02:03,723 --> 00:02:05,759 to meet their demise in Las Vegas 48 00:02:05,792 --> 00:02:07,927 through unfortunate circumstances. 49 00:02:07,961 --> 00:02:09,562 The interesting thing in this case is, 50 00:02:09,596 --> 00:02:11,398 they thought their greed was helping them 51 00:02:11,431 --> 00:02:12,465 or doing something good for them, 52 00:02:12,499 --> 00:02:13,800 and every step of the way, 53 00:02:13,833 --> 00:02:16,202 the greed ended up making things worse 54 00:02:16,236 --> 00:02:18,304 and exposing everything. 55 00:02:18,338 --> 00:02:21,074 So it sticks in people's minds. 56 00:02:21,074 --> 00:02:22,909 [dramatic sting] 57 00:02:22,942 --> 00:02:25,178 [phone ringing] 58 00:02:25,211 --> 00:02:28,281 [woman sobbing] 59 00:02:33,453 --> 00:02:36,589 [phone line beeping] 60 00:02:42,095 --> 00:02:45,632 - I was right here when I got the call for a cardiac arrest 61 00:02:45,665 --> 00:02:47,567 on Palomino Lane. 62 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:50,403 Flipped on the lights and siren, took off, 63 00:02:50,437 --> 00:02:52,972 and we were there in less than a minute. 64 00:02:53,006 --> 00:02:54,674 Parked right here next to that gate. 65 00:02:54,708 --> 00:02:58,211 Walked through that gate towards the front door. 66 00:02:58,244 --> 00:03:00,580 There's a beautiful young woman 67 00:03:00,613 --> 00:03:03,216 that identified herself as Sandy Murphy, 68 00:03:03,249 --> 00:03:05,251 the wife of the victim. 69 00:03:05,285 --> 00:03:07,387 [tense music] 70 00:03:07,420 --> 00:03:10,590 She told us, "He's not breathing." 71 00:03:10,623 --> 00:03:12,892 I asked her, "Can you take us to him?" 72 00:03:13,526 --> 00:03:17,063 We went right through the front door and turned right. 73 00:03:17,097 --> 00:03:20,667 * * 74 00:03:20,700 --> 00:03:23,069 She had come home from lunch or wherever she was 75 00:03:23,103 --> 00:03:26,072 and found him dead on the floor on a sleeping bag 76 00:03:26,106 --> 00:03:28,208 with a blanket over him. 77 00:03:28,241 --> 00:03:29,943 I reached to his carotid artery 78 00:03:29,976 --> 00:03:31,911 to see if there was a pulse. 79 00:03:31,945 --> 00:03:34,481 And I felt rigor mortis in his jaw. 80 00:03:35,448 --> 00:03:37,083 I ran an EKG on him anyway. 81 00:03:37,117 --> 00:03:38,251 [beeping] 82 00:03:38,284 --> 00:03:40,286 I got three flat lines. 83 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:42,989 His heart was not beating anymore. 84 00:03:43,089 --> 00:03:44,958 There were marks on his chest. 85 00:03:44,991 --> 00:03:46,760 He had a little drool coming out of his mouth. 86 00:03:46,793 --> 00:03:50,497 There was a Xanax pill bottle underneath his right shoulder. 87 00:03:50,530 --> 00:03:53,500 To me, it looked like an overdose. 88 00:03:53,533 --> 00:03:56,970 So called dispatch, said send police officers. 89 00:03:57,003 --> 00:03:58,638 * * 90 00:03:58,672 --> 00:04:02,475 If we'd have a dead body in this neighborhood, 91 00:04:02,509 --> 00:04:05,445 you kind of know something's up. 92 00:04:05,478 --> 00:04:06,846 [radio chatter] 93 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:09,816 The scene immediately got locked down. 94 00:04:09,849 --> 00:04:12,652 A police officer walked through the door and said, 95 00:04:12,686 --> 00:04:16,690 "That's Ted Binion, who runs the Binion's Horseshoe." 96 00:04:16,723 --> 00:04:19,793 * * 97 00:04:19,826 --> 00:04:22,896 - Ted Binion was known for Binion's Horseshoe. 98 00:04:22,929 --> 00:04:26,299 He was the brand ambassador at public events, 99 00:04:26,332 --> 00:04:28,134 well-known with politicians. 100 00:04:28,168 --> 00:04:29,769 - Ted was very well-liked. 101 00:04:29,803 --> 00:04:32,739 And so he was the face of the casino. 102 00:04:32,772 --> 00:04:36,609 It was Ted's job to run the world-famous poker tournament 103 00:04:36,643 --> 00:04:42,082 every year, and he was worth around $500 million. 104 00:04:42,082 --> 00:04:45,151 - He lived comfortably. He lived well. 105 00:04:45,185 --> 00:04:47,420 But he also spent his money on some of his vises. 106 00:04:47,454 --> 00:04:49,155 At the time, it was well known 107 00:04:49,189 --> 00:04:52,092 he enjoyed going to strip clubs. 108 00:04:52,092 --> 00:04:57,597 He also started into hardcore heroin use. 109 00:04:57,630 --> 00:05:02,869 - Ted and I became acquainted when I was probably 16 110 00:05:02,902 --> 00:05:06,539 here in Las Vegas, and I was aware of the fact 111 00:05:06,573 --> 00:05:09,843 that he took heroin for 20 years. 112 00:05:09,876 --> 00:05:13,646 But I was never around him and thought 113 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,516 that he was under the influence of a narcotic. 114 00:05:16,549 --> 00:05:19,919 I never saw signs of it. 115 00:05:19,953 --> 00:05:23,089 [camera snapping] 116 00:05:23,757 --> 00:05:25,925 - Looking at the body, there was, it looked like, 117 00:05:25,959 --> 00:05:27,861 remnants of some foam on his lips, 118 00:05:27,894 --> 00:05:31,197 which is indicative to us of an overdose. 119 00:05:31,231 --> 00:05:34,334 We saw some things that were in the adjacent bathroom. 120 00:05:34,367 --> 00:05:35,669 I think it was a little piece of balloon, 121 00:05:35,702 --> 00:05:37,070 a little piece of foil. 122 00:05:37,070 --> 00:05:39,739 That becomes significant because balloons 123 00:05:39,773 --> 00:05:41,875 are the transport mechanism for heroin 124 00:05:41,908 --> 00:05:44,811 and the foil is how you would use it. 125 00:05:45,812 --> 00:05:47,547 It starts to look like this is 126 00:05:47,580 --> 00:05:49,416 a pretty routine drug overdose. 127 00:05:49,449 --> 00:05:51,217 We still try to document as much as we can, 128 00:05:51,251 --> 00:05:52,419 interview who we can. 129 00:05:52,452 --> 00:05:55,755 So of course, Sandy was the person we needed to talk to. 130 00:05:55,789 --> 00:05:58,792 Ted Binion was 55 years old. 131 00:05:58,825 --> 00:06:01,461 Sandy Murphy was 26 years old 132 00:06:01,494 --> 00:06:04,731 and came from a different background than Ted. 133 00:06:04,764 --> 00:06:08,234 Sandy worked in the adult entertainment industry 134 00:06:08,268 --> 00:06:09,769 in Las Vegas. 135 00:06:09,803 --> 00:06:11,938 - Investigators learned that Ted had met Sandy 136 00:06:12,038 --> 00:06:14,708 three years prior at Cheetah's Strip Club. 137 00:06:14,741 --> 00:06:17,544 She was his live-in girlfriend who often referred 138 00:06:17,577 --> 00:06:20,447 to herself as his wife. 139 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:22,048 She did say, "He was a drug addict. 140 00:06:22,082 --> 00:06:23,049 "He finally did it. 141 00:06:23,049 --> 00:06:25,051 I knew this was gonna happen," type thing. 142 00:06:25,051 --> 00:06:29,255 - Sandy was inconsolable and extremely upset. 143 00:06:29,289 --> 00:06:30,657 - Sandy was hyperventilating. 144 00:06:30,690 --> 00:06:32,692 They had to treat her. 145 00:06:32,726 --> 00:06:35,662 As they were wheeling her, TV cameras caught her. 146 00:06:35,695 --> 00:06:38,064 - She lost her emotions and had to be taken 147 00:06:38,098 --> 00:06:40,200 to the hospital. 148 00:06:40,867 --> 00:06:44,871 - I make telephone contact with Lieutenant Peterson. 149 00:06:44,904 --> 00:06:46,806 My working relationship with William Peterson 150 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:50,610 was probably one of the best working relationships 151 00:06:50,643 --> 00:06:53,279 with the lieutenants they had in homicide. 152 00:06:53,313 --> 00:06:56,616 - Normally, I would never get a call of a drug overdose death, 153 00:06:56,649 --> 00:06:59,285 but this was Ted Binion, so obviously, 154 00:06:59,319 --> 00:07:02,022 this is gonna make the news. 155 00:07:02,022 --> 00:07:05,692 - This may possibly be an ingestion error on drugs. 156 00:07:05,725 --> 00:07:08,461 We have not seen any signs of foul play. 157 00:07:08,495 --> 00:07:10,864 - It's not unusual, and we have encountered in the past 158 00:07:10,897 --> 00:07:13,800 where people, they over-medicate, 159 00:07:13,833 --> 00:07:17,504 and that falls into the sort of definition of a suicide. 160 00:07:17,537 --> 00:07:19,272 We have to wait for confirmation 161 00:07:19,305 --> 00:07:23,209 or additional information from the coroner's office. 162 00:07:23,243 --> 00:07:28,114 - I received a call and was told Ted had died. 163 00:07:28,148 --> 00:07:30,517 I was sobbing. 164 00:07:31,151 --> 00:07:34,654 It took me probably 45 minutes or an hour before I could 165 00:07:34,688 --> 00:07:37,057 actually leave the office. 166 00:07:38,591 --> 00:07:40,493 - As news of Ted Binion's death 167 00:07:40,527 --> 00:07:42,095 spread through Las Vegas, 168 00:07:42,128 --> 00:07:44,264 detectives knew their investigation 169 00:07:44,297 --> 00:07:46,066 could be heavily scrutinized 170 00:07:46,099 --> 00:07:48,702 due to Ted's high profile status. 171 00:07:48,735 --> 00:07:52,339 - Ted Binion was the son of Benny Binion. 172 00:07:52,372 --> 00:07:54,307 Benny opened the Horseshoe. 173 00:07:54,341 --> 00:07:58,078 Benny Binion had five children. Jack was the oldest. 174 00:07:58,078 --> 00:08:00,347 I think Teddy was second oldest, 175 00:08:00,380 --> 00:08:02,582 and they had three daughters, 176 00:08:02,615 --> 00:08:05,285 one of which was Becky Binion Behnen. 177 00:08:05,318 --> 00:08:08,888 - Becky, with Ted, ran Binion's Horseshoe. 178 00:08:08,922 --> 00:08:10,790 She was the one that was handling the nuts and bolts 179 00:08:10,824 --> 00:08:13,126 and keeping the company profitable 180 00:08:13,159 --> 00:08:15,128 and keeping the casino open. 181 00:08:15,161 --> 00:08:17,030 [soft music] 182 00:08:17,063 --> 00:08:20,700 - At 21 years old, Ted had taken over managing 183 00:08:20,734 --> 00:08:23,303 the Horseshoe Casino floor. 184 00:08:23,336 --> 00:08:26,506 - Later on, Ted met Doris. 185 00:08:26,539 --> 00:08:29,909 They went together probably 8-10 years, 186 00:08:29,943 --> 00:08:31,845 and then she got pregnant with Bonnie, 187 00:08:31,878 --> 00:08:34,614 and then they married. 188 00:08:34,647 --> 00:08:36,216 - Despite his family life 189 00:08:36,249 --> 00:08:38,318 with his wife Doris and daughter Bonnie, 190 00:08:38,351 --> 00:08:43,056 by 1994, Ted's drug use was at an all-time high, 191 00:08:43,089 --> 00:08:44,958 and his mistress, Sandy Murphy, 192 00:08:45,058 --> 00:08:47,560 had become a fixture in his life. 193 00:08:48,862 --> 00:08:51,064 - Ted's relationship with Sandy 194 00:08:51,097 --> 00:08:55,068 more or less prompted Doris to leave. 195 00:08:55,068 --> 00:08:57,237 - Sandy quickly moved into Ted's home 196 00:08:57,270 --> 00:09:00,006 and started calling herself Mrs. Binion. 197 00:09:00,006 --> 00:09:04,010 - She was young, in her early 20s, when they met. 198 00:09:04,010 --> 00:09:06,012 - Certainly, Ted, with all his money, 199 00:09:06,012 --> 00:09:10,283 would be a real prize for Sandy Murphy. 200 00:09:10,316 --> 00:09:14,020 Ted had given her a Mercedes and gave her a credit card. 201 00:09:14,020 --> 00:09:17,857 - It was a continuous $10,000 line 202 00:09:17,891 --> 00:09:20,026 that he took care of every month. 203 00:09:20,026 --> 00:09:24,764 And it was a time that partying went on day and night, 204 00:09:24,798 --> 00:09:27,200 and he was still involved in heroin. 205 00:09:27,233 --> 00:09:29,769 [dramatic sting] 206 00:09:29,803 --> 00:09:32,238 - While investigators awaited Sandy's release 207 00:09:32,272 --> 00:09:34,040 from the hospital, they learned 208 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:36,042 that Ted had been suffering from depression 209 00:09:36,076 --> 00:09:38,111 over a recently lost appeal 210 00:09:38,144 --> 00:09:40,313 to the Nevada State gaming board. 211 00:09:40,347 --> 00:09:43,783 - In 1994, Ted lost his gaming license 212 00:09:43,817 --> 00:09:46,553 because there was allegations that his drug use 213 00:09:46,586 --> 00:09:48,655 had gotten worse. 214 00:09:49,489 --> 00:09:52,692 - Probably the saddest comment in that hearing, 215 00:09:52,726 --> 00:09:54,260 he said, "This is all I am." 216 00:09:54,294 --> 00:09:55,895 - I thought I'd come in here this year. 217 00:09:55,929 --> 00:09:59,099 It is my, like, my whole life, my whole job. 218 00:09:59,132 --> 00:10:02,135 - He was basically out of income 219 00:10:02,168 --> 00:10:05,071 with not having a gaming license. 220 00:10:05,105 --> 00:10:08,241 - Becky now has to ensure that her own brother 221 00:10:08,274 --> 00:10:13,013 can physically not come into a casino that he grew up in. 222 00:10:13,046 --> 00:10:16,016 - Ted was forced to remove all of his personal belongings 223 00:10:16,049 --> 00:10:18,752 from the casino, including a large collection 224 00:10:18,785 --> 00:10:20,587 of silver bars. 225 00:10:20,620 --> 00:10:23,823 - He had $8 million worth of silver in there. 226 00:10:23,857 --> 00:10:27,494 He felt a bank was just too expensive to hold it, 227 00:10:27,527 --> 00:10:30,063 and that's when he came up with the idea 228 00:10:30,096 --> 00:10:34,167 of building his own underground vault. 229 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:35,869 [tense music] 230 00:10:35,902 --> 00:10:38,772 - It took trucks-- not truck, trucks-- 231 00:10:38,805 --> 00:10:40,940 to move this silver, to move it out to Pahrump 232 00:10:40,974 --> 00:10:42,509 and bury it in the desert. 233 00:10:42,542 --> 00:10:44,511 * * 234 00:10:44,544 --> 00:10:48,014 - Ted still had a ton of money at the house, 235 00:10:48,048 --> 00:10:50,216 irrespective of the money in Pahrump. 236 00:10:50,250 --> 00:10:52,719 Everybody knew that he always had money at hand, 237 00:10:52,752 --> 00:10:55,388 always had a lot of money at hand. 238 00:10:55,422 --> 00:10:58,958 - The morning after Ted died, Ted's family and his lawyers 239 00:10:58,992 --> 00:11:02,328 conducted an inventory of Ted's home. 240 00:11:02,362 --> 00:11:04,130 - They had one of the safes drilled 241 00:11:04,164 --> 00:11:06,066 by locksmiths to get it open. 242 00:11:06,066 --> 00:11:08,802 And there should have been probably tens of thousands 243 00:11:08,835 --> 00:11:10,370 of dollars in there. 244 00:11:10,403 --> 00:11:13,873 And they found just one silver coin at the bottom. 245 00:11:13,907 --> 00:11:17,544 - There was a rubber bottom with indentations 246 00:11:17,577 --> 00:11:21,247 from the weight of money in the safe. 247 00:11:21,281 --> 00:11:25,285 We have no idea where the money went. 248 00:11:25,318 --> 00:11:28,088 - Whoever removed what was inside that safe 249 00:11:28,121 --> 00:11:31,091 did it before the police responded to the scene. 250 00:11:31,091 --> 00:11:33,560 - The revelation raised questions 251 00:11:33,593 --> 00:11:35,495 for Ted's sister Becky. 252 00:11:35,528 --> 00:11:38,865 - Becky Behnen was insistent that he was not the type 253 00:11:38,898 --> 00:11:41,401 to commit suicide, that he wasn't depressed, 254 00:11:41,434 --> 00:11:44,537 that he was looking forward to trying to get 255 00:11:44,571 --> 00:11:46,339 his gaming license back. 256 00:11:46,373 --> 00:11:49,442 - He would never have any kind of accidental overdose, 257 00:11:49,476 --> 00:11:50,810 and I know it wasn't suicide. 258 00:11:50,844 --> 00:11:53,813 - Becky told police and told the media 259 00:11:53,847 --> 00:11:56,416 he'd been taking drugs since his teenage years. 260 00:11:56,449 --> 00:11:59,953 So he couldn't possibly have OD'd because he knew better. 261 00:12:00,053 --> 00:12:01,421 He knew how to do it. 262 00:12:01,454 --> 00:12:04,324 - Would you please treat this as a homicide 263 00:12:04,357 --> 00:12:06,226 till proven otherwise? 264 00:12:06,259 --> 00:12:09,596 - Becky expressed her concerns that Sandy Murphy 265 00:12:09,629 --> 00:12:12,065 was involved in Ted's death. 266 00:12:13,233 --> 00:12:15,802 - His relationship with Sandy Murphy 267 00:12:15,835 --> 00:12:16,903 was falling apart. 268 00:12:16,936 --> 00:12:20,407 - He said, "If I'm dead, you'll know what happened." 269 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,376 - Why are there giant trucks out here 270 00:12:23,410 --> 00:12:24,911 digging into the ground? 271 00:12:24,944 --> 00:12:28,081 - The sergeant discovered silver coins falling out-- 272 00:12:28,114 --> 00:12:29,749 - You have all these little pieces that you build 273 00:12:36,389 --> 00:12:37,957 - The day after deceased Horseshoe casino owner 274 00:12:38,825 --> 00:12:41,461 Ted Binion's home safe was found empty, 275 00:12:41,494 --> 00:12:43,797 his sister, Becky, and his lawyers 276 00:12:43,830 --> 00:12:47,567 wanted investigators to consider his death a homicide. 277 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:48,835 [musical sting] 278 00:12:48,868 --> 00:12:52,205 [phone ringing] 279 00:12:53,106 --> 00:12:56,843 - Becky and two of Ted's attorneys came to my office 280 00:12:56,876 --> 00:13:00,146 after his death, Richard Wright and James Brown. 281 00:13:00,180 --> 00:13:03,416 They expressed their concerns. 282 00:13:03,450 --> 00:13:06,820 - After three years of dating, Sandy had asked Ted 283 00:13:06,853 --> 00:13:09,322 to include her in his will. 284 00:13:09,356 --> 00:13:13,226 - Ted had previously been married, 285 00:13:13,259 --> 00:13:16,363 and he had a daughter named Bonnie. 286 00:13:16,396 --> 00:13:20,567 Sandy started putting a guilt trip on him that, 287 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,604 "If you die, your family is gonna throw me in the street. 288 00:13:24,637 --> 00:13:26,740 I won't have any place to live." 289 00:13:26,773 --> 00:13:31,277 So he agreed to give her the house in the event he died. 290 00:13:31,311 --> 00:13:36,182 And he called me and had me put that in the will, 291 00:13:36,216 --> 00:13:39,819 give Sandy the house and $300,000, 292 00:13:39,853 --> 00:13:42,322 and the remainder goes to Bonnie. 293 00:13:42,355 --> 00:13:45,925 But the day before he died, he called me. 294 00:13:45,959 --> 00:13:49,596 He said, "Take Sandy out of the will 295 00:13:49,629 --> 00:13:52,265 "if she doesn't kill me. 296 00:13:52,298 --> 00:13:55,435 If I'm dead, you'll know what happened." 297 00:13:55,468 --> 00:13:59,606 It kind of sent chills in my spine. 298 00:13:59,639 --> 00:14:02,275 And I scratched out Sandy 299 00:14:02,308 --> 00:14:05,645 so that Sandy would get nothing. 300 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:08,148 Based upon what he told me, 301 00:14:08,181 --> 00:14:11,051 I thought it was virtually impossible 302 00:14:11,051 --> 00:14:13,653 that his death was an accident. 303 00:14:13,687 --> 00:14:17,057 - Binion's family believed that foul play was involved 304 00:14:17,090 --> 00:14:19,693 and that Sandy's desire to protect her inheritance 305 00:14:19,726 --> 00:14:22,562 of Ted's million dollar home and lay claim 306 00:14:22,595 --> 00:14:27,267 to the cash in his safe was surefire motive. 307 00:14:27,300 --> 00:14:30,870 - The only people that would have had access to that safe 308 00:14:30,904 --> 00:14:34,140 are Sandy Murphy and Ted Binion. 309 00:14:34,174 --> 00:14:37,811 Certainly, Becky Behnen had her suspicions 310 00:14:37,844 --> 00:14:40,480 about what had happened. 311 00:14:40,513 --> 00:14:42,549 - Because the relationship with Sandy Murphy 312 00:14:42,582 --> 00:14:46,152 was falling apart, Becky had been clued in 313 00:14:46,186 --> 00:14:48,355 to so many of their fights and the way things were going, 314 00:14:48,388 --> 00:14:50,890 she was definitely gunning for his girlfriend, 315 00:14:50,924 --> 00:14:52,359 without any question. 316 00:14:52,392 --> 00:14:53,993 [dramatic sting] 317 00:14:55,628 --> 00:14:59,632 - The day after he died, I had arranged to meet 318 00:14:59,666 --> 00:15:03,636 at the house to get pictures for the funeral. 319 00:15:03,670 --> 00:15:08,341 And I saw Sandy standing by the house. 320 00:15:08,375 --> 00:15:11,344 She has a lawyer there, Knudsen. 321 00:15:11,378 --> 00:15:13,513 And I said, "can I help you?" 322 00:15:13,546 --> 00:15:15,949 And he said, "She's going in the house." 323 00:15:16,049 --> 00:15:18,118 I said, "Wait a minute. 324 00:15:18,151 --> 00:15:20,286 "Ted called me yesterday, 325 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:22,422 "told me to take her out of the will. 326 00:15:22,455 --> 00:15:23,957 "It's his house. 327 00:15:24,057 --> 00:15:27,360 "There are millions of dollars of value 328 00:15:27,394 --> 00:15:30,864 "inside that house that's part of his estate 329 00:15:30,897 --> 00:15:32,899 that has to be protected." 330 00:15:32,932 --> 00:15:35,502 - Because Sandy had lived with Ted in his home, 331 00:15:35,535 --> 00:15:37,671 until Brown could obtain a court order 332 00:15:37,704 --> 00:15:41,741 to block Sandy's access, legally, his hands were tied. 333 00:15:41,775 --> 00:15:44,944 - Knudsen had a video camera. 334 00:15:44,978 --> 00:15:46,946 He says "We're gonna take a video 335 00:15:46,980 --> 00:15:48,381 of everything in the house." 336 00:15:48,415 --> 00:15:50,583 I said, "Fine, as long as I get a copy." 337 00:15:52,452 --> 00:15:55,321 - I'm gonna take my bar gift, and my Luther Gunter, 338 00:15:55,355 --> 00:15:58,958 and I've already taken my other piece of art that was in here. 339 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:03,530 - She was just opening every drawer saying, 340 00:16:03,563 --> 00:16:05,765 "This is mine. That's mine." 341 00:16:05,799 --> 00:16:08,768 She lifted up the piano, there was a pistol in there. 342 00:16:08,802 --> 00:16:11,538 She said, "I bet you didn't even know that was in there." 343 00:16:11,571 --> 00:16:13,640 - You can get a picture of the money missing. 344 00:16:13,673 --> 00:16:15,375 - There was money in there? 345 00:16:15,408 --> 00:16:17,711 - Well, there's $20,000 in the house, and it's not here now. 346 00:16:17,744 --> 00:16:19,312 - When she made reference, 347 00:16:19,346 --> 00:16:21,414 the money's gone from the safe, 348 00:16:21,448 --> 00:16:25,518 I felt something was amiss, without a doubt. 349 00:16:25,552 --> 00:16:28,188 [tense music] 350 00:16:28,221 --> 00:16:30,557 - In the video of Sandy going through the house, 351 00:16:30,590 --> 00:16:35,428 she did not seem to be grieving at all. 352 00:16:35,462 --> 00:16:38,064 The circumstances and the suspicions 353 00:16:38,098 --> 00:16:39,532 were starting to mount. 354 00:16:39,566 --> 00:16:40,967 [dramatic sting] 355 00:16:41,835 --> 00:16:45,305 It wasn't until they got the toxicology report back 356 00:16:45,338 --> 00:16:49,476 that we knew something was seriously wrong. 357 00:16:49,509 --> 00:16:52,379 - In the stomach contents, the levels of the Xanax 358 00:16:52,412 --> 00:16:53,813 was well into the lethal range. 359 00:16:53,847 --> 00:16:57,650 The level of morphine, which was a byproduct of heroin, 360 00:16:57,684 --> 00:16:59,452 was in the toxic range. 361 00:16:59,486 --> 00:17:02,322 And as the drug circulates through the blood 362 00:17:02,355 --> 00:17:04,357 of the stomach, it usually doesn't get trapped 363 00:17:04,391 --> 00:17:06,393 there at any very high levels. 364 00:17:06,426 --> 00:17:09,162 And the fact that he had high levels in his stomach 365 00:17:09,195 --> 00:17:12,532 would indicate that he had ingested it. 366 00:17:13,333 --> 00:17:16,836 - Somehow this lethal dose of Xanax and heroin 367 00:17:16,870 --> 00:17:19,139 got into Ted's stomach. 368 00:17:19,172 --> 00:17:21,141 For a heroin user, that would have 369 00:17:21,174 --> 00:17:22,776 been a waste of good heroin. 370 00:17:22,809 --> 00:17:25,578 Ted was known to smoke heroin. 371 00:17:25,612 --> 00:17:27,647 This concentration inside his stomach 372 00:17:27,681 --> 00:17:32,052 would never have happened by Ted just smoking heroin. 373 00:17:33,186 --> 00:17:34,454 - We conclude the manner of death 374 00:17:34,487 --> 00:17:36,623 was alprazolam and heroin intoxication 375 00:17:36,656 --> 00:17:39,893 and left the manner of death open and undetermined, 376 00:17:39,926 --> 00:17:41,728 pending police investigation. 377 00:17:41,761 --> 00:17:43,163 We needed more information 378 00:17:43,196 --> 00:17:45,065 before we could call it a homicide. 379 00:17:45,065 --> 00:17:46,366 [musical sting] 380 00:17:48,568 --> 00:17:51,071 [ominous music] 381 00:17:51,071 --> 00:17:53,239 - It was on a Friday night, 382 00:17:53,273 --> 00:17:56,643 and it was right before the Harvest Festival. 383 00:17:56,676 --> 00:18:01,381 We were putting out barricades for the festival parade. 384 00:18:01,414 --> 00:18:04,050 We all thought it was a little bit weird that there was 385 00:18:04,084 --> 00:18:06,286 somebody over in the field. 386 00:18:06,319 --> 00:18:08,088 We kept seeing lights out there. 387 00:18:08,121 --> 00:18:10,223 [vehicle beeping] 388 00:18:10,256 --> 00:18:12,292 - This is a quiet, little rural community 389 00:18:12,325 --> 00:18:15,161 where construction equipment running at 2:00 a.m. 390 00:18:15,195 --> 00:18:17,230 is going to attract some attention. 391 00:18:18,865 --> 00:18:22,402 - The Sergeant went over there and discovered silver coins 392 00:18:22,435 --> 00:18:24,938 falling out of the belly dump. 393 00:18:25,939 --> 00:18:29,242 - Nye County law enforcement are suddenly saying, 394 00:18:29,275 --> 00:18:31,411 "Why are there giant trucks out here, 395 00:18:31,444 --> 00:18:33,246 "digging into the ground, 396 00:18:39,451 --> 00:18:40,953 - Two days after Ted Binion's suspicious death, 397 00:18:41,854 --> 00:18:44,656 Sheriff's deputies in Pahrump, Nevada, 398 00:18:44,690 --> 00:18:46,959 discovered three men were digging up 399 00:18:47,059 --> 00:18:50,129 the former casino owner's buried silver collection 400 00:18:50,162 --> 00:18:52,765 worth $8 million. 401 00:18:52,798 --> 00:18:54,299 [dramatic sting] 402 00:18:55,801 --> 00:18:59,071 * * 403 00:18:59,071 --> 00:19:00,773 - One of the officers approached 404 00:19:00,806 --> 00:19:03,042 and talked to the people. 405 00:19:04,043 --> 00:19:07,546 - 33-year-old Rick Tabish explained he was a friend 406 00:19:07,579 --> 00:19:11,650 of the deceased multimillionaire Ted Binion. 407 00:19:11,684 --> 00:19:14,586 - And then as part of their explanation, 408 00:19:14,620 --> 00:19:17,122 they started name dropping, oh, well, 409 00:19:17,156 --> 00:19:20,092 the Nye County Sheriff knows about us, 410 00:19:20,125 --> 00:19:22,761 just all different stories. 411 00:19:22,795 --> 00:19:25,664 - There was a famous restaurant on the strip 412 00:19:25,698 --> 00:19:29,034 where all the movie stars go to, 413 00:19:29,034 --> 00:19:31,103 elite people from Vegas. 414 00:19:31,136 --> 00:19:35,074 And Ted met Rick in the restroom 415 00:19:35,107 --> 00:19:37,876 of that restaurant. 416 00:19:37,910 --> 00:19:41,880 Ted took a liking to him, and when Ted decided 417 00:19:41,914 --> 00:19:45,584 to build the vault, he called Rick to do it 418 00:19:45,617 --> 00:19:49,388 because Tabish was in the construction business. 419 00:19:49,421 --> 00:19:53,225 And only Tabish would know that it's even there. 420 00:19:53,258 --> 00:19:55,794 - Tabish's story to Nye County deputies 421 00:19:55,828 --> 00:20:00,032 was that Ted had instructed him to--if anything happened 422 00:20:00,065 --> 00:20:04,203 to Ted that Tabish was to go get the silver 423 00:20:04,236 --> 00:20:07,039 and make sure that it's safe so that it could be given 424 00:20:07,072 --> 00:20:09,241 to Ted's daughter. 425 00:20:09,274 --> 00:20:14,146 That's what he said in justifying why he was 426 00:20:14,179 --> 00:20:16,448 caught taking all that silver. 427 00:20:16,482 --> 00:20:19,585 - So ultimately, when the dust settled, 428 00:20:19,618 --> 00:20:21,920 they were arrested for grand larceny 429 00:20:21,954 --> 00:20:24,923 and booked into the Nye County Jail. 430 00:20:24,957 --> 00:20:27,626 - The Sheriff's deputies, they took the silver, 431 00:20:27,659 --> 00:20:29,395 and they had no place to put it. 432 00:20:29,428 --> 00:20:32,064 So they had guards just standing around, 433 00:20:32,097 --> 00:20:33,732 all night long guarding it. 434 00:20:33,766 --> 00:20:37,936 - We had that transported to a storage, 435 00:20:37,970 --> 00:20:42,241 where it remained until the estate sold. 436 00:20:42,274 --> 00:20:43,942 - With the arrest of Rick Tabish, 437 00:20:43,976 --> 00:20:47,513 yet another player joined Ted's family and Sandy Murphy 438 00:20:47,546 --> 00:20:49,915 in laying claim to millions. 439 00:20:49,948 --> 00:20:52,951 Two days later, an alliance became clear 440 00:20:52,985 --> 00:20:55,654 when Rick bonded out. 441 00:20:55,688 --> 00:20:57,790 - Sandy Murphy took all the money 442 00:20:57,823 --> 00:20:59,958 that she can grab very, very quickly, 443 00:21:00,059 --> 00:21:03,562 including her two-seat Mercedes that Ted had given her. 444 00:21:03,595 --> 00:21:07,199 She puts all of that up in order to bail out 445 00:21:07,232 --> 00:21:12,271 a friend of Ted's who was caught removing his silver. 446 00:21:12,304 --> 00:21:15,974 There's no way that you can take this and put it together 447 00:21:16,075 --> 00:21:18,811 in a way that looks favorable. 448 00:21:20,346 --> 00:21:22,214 [dramatic sting] 449 00:21:25,884 --> 00:21:30,189 - The Binion family wanted this case to go forward. 450 00:21:30,222 --> 00:21:35,094 - We hired Tom Dillard, who was a former Las Vegas 451 00:21:35,094 --> 00:21:37,396 Police Department Homicide detective 452 00:21:37,429 --> 00:21:40,566 and had a detective agency. 453 00:21:40,599 --> 00:21:44,603 Tom Dillard got on it immediately. 454 00:21:44,636 --> 00:21:48,674 Tom Dillard gave us an extra set of eyes and ears. 455 00:21:48,707 --> 00:21:51,143 We found that Sandy Murphy is living 456 00:21:51,176 --> 00:21:53,245 with Rick Tabish in Henderson. 457 00:21:53,278 --> 00:21:56,015 Before and after Teddy's death, 458 00:21:56,115 --> 00:21:59,651 it came to light that Sandy and Rick had actually gone 459 00:21:59,685 --> 00:22:04,456 to Beverly Hills and checked into a very upscale hotel 460 00:22:04,490 --> 00:22:07,393 under the name Mr. and Mrs. Tabish. 461 00:22:07,426 --> 00:22:08,927 [dramatic music] 462 00:22:08,961 --> 00:22:10,596 - It turned out they were having an affair 463 00:22:10,629 --> 00:22:13,766 for some time before this, so the plot thickened. 464 00:22:13,799 --> 00:22:15,968 - I just became good friends with the guy, 465 00:22:16,068 --> 00:22:17,436 and I'm real shocked. 466 00:22:17,469 --> 00:22:18,904 Really soft spoken, compassionate guy, 467 00:22:18,937 --> 00:22:19,905 and I'm real surprised. 468 00:22:19,938 --> 00:22:21,740 I know he was trying to do everything he could 469 00:22:21,774 --> 00:22:23,709 to straighten his life out and get back on track, 470 00:22:23,742 --> 00:22:25,744 and this is a real tragedy. 471 00:22:25,778 --> 00:22:27,579 - It was ultimately learned that Rick Tabish 472 00:22:27,613 --> 00:22:29,081 was outside the house that night 473 00:22:29,081 --> 00:22:30,582 that Ted was found dead. 474 00:22:30,616 --> 00:22:33,786 And we never had any contact with him. 475 00:22:34,820 --> 00:22:38,457 - Certainly, Rick Tabish was much younger than Ted Binion, 476 00:22:38,490 --> 00:22:40,626 was better looking than Ted Binion. 477 00:22:40,659 --> 00:22:43,395 So Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish 478 00:22:43,429 --> 00:22:46,098 to get together was no surprise. 479 00:22:46,098 --> 00:22:49,468 - The gardener, the maid, everybody is aware 480 00:22:49,501 --> 00:22:52,905 that something is going on with Rick Tabish and Sandy Murphy. 481 00:22:52,938 --> 00:22:56,108 And Ted came to know it as well. 482 00:22:56,108 --> 00:22:59,611 And that's when Ted said, "I'm writing her out of everything. 483 00:22:59,645 --> 00:23:02,414 I'm getting rid of everything." 484 00:23:02,448 --> 00:23:05,617 - Sandy reveled in the fact that she 485 00:23:05,651 --> 00:23:09,321 was in this upper echelon, 486 00:23:09,355 --> 00:23:12,624 money, associating with high society. 487 00:23:12,658 --> 00:23:15,127 I mean, she knew she was on her way out. 488 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:20,065 She wasn't about to take that loss lying down. 489 00:23:20,065 --> 00:23:24,403 I was certain that Sandy was involved, and Tabish probably. 490 00:23:24,436 --> 00:23:27,573 - Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish had motive, 491 00:23:27,606 --> 00:23:30,709 opportunity, and means. 492 00:23:30,743 --> 00:23:34,079 In December of 1998, we presented the case 493 00:23:34,113 --> 00:23:35,848 to the district attorney's office, 494 00:23:35,881 --> 00:23:38,650 and they were gonna take it to the grand jury. 495 00:23:39,885 --> 00:23:42,621 - As a prosecutor looking at this case, 496 00:23:42,654 --> 00:23:44,390 there were a number of red flags. 497 00:23:44,423 --> 00:23:48,093 The fact that the heroin that was found in Ted Binion's body 498 00:23:48,093 --> 00:23:51,130 had actually been ingested, rather than having been smoked, 499 00:23:51,163 --> 00:23:53,399 which was known to be his practice. 500 00:23:53,432 --> 00:23:56,101 You also have developing evidence relating 501 00:23:56,101 --> 00:23:58,737 to Sandy and Rick's relationship. 502 00:23:58,771 --> 00:24:00,939 And so you have all these little pieces of knowledge 503 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:03,142 to make the investigators case at this point look like, 504 00:24:03,175 --> 00:24:05,511 this is actually murder. 505 00:24:05,544 --> 00:24:08,847 - March 1999, the coroner called a news conference 506 00:24:08,881 --> 00:24:12,851 and announced that he was changing the manner of death 507 00:24:12,885 --> 00:24:16,055 from unknown to homicide. 508 00:24:16,055 --> 00:24:17,489 * * 509 00:24:17,523 --> 00:24:19,258 That made it stronger for us. 510 00:24:19,291 --> 00:24:22,094 The district attorney's office presented it 511 00:24:22,127 --> 00:24:23,829 to the grand jury. 512 00:24:23,862 --> 00:24:26,165 When the grand jury came back, they indicted Rick and Sandy, 513 00:24:26,198 --> 00:24:28,500 and we were able to get an arrest warrant. 514 00:24:28,534 --> 00:24:30,669 * * 515 00:24:30,703 --> 00:24:32,638 We were able to find Rick and Sandy 516 00:24:32,671 --> 00:24:35,674 at this grocery store in Henderson. 517 00:24:35,708 --> 00:24:38,344 Certainly, Rick and Sandy did not seem surprised. 518 00:24:38,377 --> 00:24:40,179 I think they knew it was coming. 519 00:24:49,155 --> 00:24:51,358 - By March 1999, Ted Binion's death was ruled a homicide, 520 00:24:52,459 --> 00:24:55,695 and three months later, Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish 521 00:24:55,729 --> 00:24:58,698 were arrested and charged with murder. 522 00:24:58,732 --> 00:25:00,433 [dramatic sting] 523 00:25:02,035 --> 00:25:05,672 - It was called at the time, "Vegas' trial of the century." 524 00:25:05,705 --> 00:25:09,776 Biggest media attention they'd ever seen. 525 00:25:09,809 --> 00:25:12,612 - I think the trial was considered sensational. 526 00:25:12,645 --> 00:25:13,813 It had everything. 527 00:25:13,847 --> 00:25:16,082 It had lover's triangle, money. 528 00:25:16,116 --> 00:25:19,419 It had all the makings of a good story. 529 00:25:19,452 --> 00:25:22,422 [ominous music] 530 00:25:22,455 --> 00:25:24,724 * * 531 00:25:24,758 --> 00:25:27,060 - It was a circumstantial case from the outset. 532 00:25:27,060 --> 00:25:31,064 You didn't have somebody saying, "I saw X shooting Y." 533 00:25:31,064 --> 00:25:33,099 The prosecution had to help the jury understand 534 00:25:33,133 --> 00:25:35,602 that these are the reasons, this is the evidence. 535 00:25:35,635 --> 00:25:38,805 And this is why it all points to these two individuals. 536 00:25:38,838 --> 00:25:41,641 - Prosecutors David Wohl and David Rogers 537 00:25:41,675 --> 00:25:43,343 delivered opening statements. 538 00:25:43,376 --> 00:25:46,146 - Ladies and gentlemen, the evidence will prove 539 00:25:46,179 --> 00:25:50,650 beyond a reasonable doubt that Ted Binion was murdered. 540 00:25:51,651 --> 00:25:56,923 He was murdered for lust, for greed. 541 00:25:56,956 --> 00:25:59,592 He was murdered by someone who he trusted 542 00:25:59,626 --> 00:26:01,761 and her new companion. 543 00:26:04,330 --> 00:26:07,033 - The prosecutors present to the jury 544 00:26:07,033 --> 00:26:09,302 Sandy's background as having worked at Cheetahs, 545 00:26:09,336 --> 00:26:12,839 and then she begins to date Ted and is introduced 546 00:26:12,872 --> 00:26:14,708 to a lifestyle that would have otherwise 547 00:26:14,741 --> 00:26:16,142 been well beyond her means. 548 00:26:16,176 --> 00:26:19,479 - Tabish ingratiated himself with Ted Binion. 549 00:26:19,512 --> 00:26:22,716 - After that, he got close to Sandy. 550 00:26:22,749 --> 00:26:25,518 - She was buying Rick Tabish lavish gifts, 551 00:26:25,552 --> 00:26:28,521 utilizing Ted's credit card, and showing that she'd actually 552 00:26:28,555 --> 00:26:30,290 flown Rick out to Los Angeles. 553 00:26:30,323 --> 00:26:33,393 They'd registered at a hotel together as husband and wife. 554 00:26:33,426 --> 00:26:36,162 - But what did the guest request? 555 00:26:36,196 --> 00:26:38,798 - It says upon arrival, guests should have in room 556 00:26:38,832 --> 00:26:43,069 a bottle of red wine, and that's a Barbaresco 706 557 00:26:43,069 --> 00:26:45,472 and two dozens of long stemmed roses, 558 00:26:45,505 --> 00:26:47,073 and this should be billed to the room, 559 00:26:47,073 --> 00:26:50,210 and it says it's a surprise to her husband. 560 00:26:50,243 --> 00:26:52,912 - They're telling the jury, look, this is someone who had 561 00:26:52,946 --> 00:26:54,848 this relationship going on. 562 00:26:54,881 --> 00:26:57,083 She's using Ted's money to further that relationship. 563 00:26:57,083 --> 00:26:57,851 - Thank you. 564 00:26:57,884 --> 00:26:59,386 That concludes direct examination. 565 00:26:59,419 --> 00:27:00,587 - Thank you, Mr. Roger. 566 00:27:00,620 --> 00:27:02,188 - The defense said that you could take 567 00:27:02,222 --> 00:27:06,459 the exact same facts, his relationship with Sandy Murphy 568 00:27:06,493 --> 00:27:10,663 falling apart and finding out about Rick Tabish, and say, 569 00:27:10,697 --> 00:27:13,733 that's not evidence of a homicide. 570 00:27:13,767 --> 00:27:17,904 It's evidence for why a man would commit suicide. 571 00:27:17,937 --> 00:27:20,540 - Anything else? - Nothing, Your Honor. 572 00:27:20,573 --> 00:27:23,109 - But prosecution presents evidence to the jury 573 00:27:23,143 --> 00:27:25,545 that Rick is up to his eyeballs in debt. 574 00:27:25,578 --> 00:27:28,048 He is bouncing checks all over town. 575 00:27:28,048 --> 00:27:32,752 - In fact, there was one check for $29,634.54 576 00:27:32,786 --> 00:27:35,622 returned on September 2, 1998. 577 00:27:35,655 --> 00:27:37,057 - Yes. 578 00:27:37,057 --> 00:27:41,461 - He has an IRS back payment due of $337,000. 579 00:27:41,494 --> 00:27:45,065 He has a $200,000 Nevada State Bank loan 580 00:27:45,065 --> 00:27:47,100 that's coming due in the next few days. 581 00:27:47,133 --> 00:27:50,270 His company in Montana has defaulted on a $75,000 loan. 582 00:27:50,303 --> 00:27:52,505 And then separately, his equipment company 583 00:27:52,539 --> 00:27:54,574 down here has also defaulted 584 00:27:54,607 --> 00:27:56,910 on $67,000 in equipment. 585 00:27:56,943 --> 00:27:59,579 - September 17, 1998, 586 00:27:59,612 --> 00:28:02,148 Mr. Tabish owed close to $300,000. 587 00:28:02,182 --> 00:28:03,350 - Yes. 588 00:28:03,383 --> 00:28:06,286 - And all of these debts are coming due at the same time. 589 00:28:06,319 --> 00:28:09,856 David Roger used that masterfully to show 590 00:28:09,889 --> 00:28:12,292 that Tabish was desperate. 591 00:28:12,325 --> 00:28:16,262 So that desperation calls for desperate measures. 592 00:28:18,898 --> 00:28:20,600 [dramatic music] 593 00:28:20,633 --> 00:28:22,102 - My name is Steven Kurt Gratzer. 594 00:28:22,135 --> 00:28:25,872 My last name is spelled G-R-A-T-Z-E-R. 595 00:28:25,905 --> 00:28:28,942 - The prosecution called a witness, Kurt Gratzer, 596 00:28:29,042 --> 00:28:30,944 who was Rick's friend from Montana. 597 00:28:31,044 --> 00:28:33,246 Kurt was also an ex Army Ranger. 598 00:28:33,279 --> 00:28:38,118 - Did you and Mr. Tabish discuss killing a man? 599 00:28:38,151 --> 00:28:39,486 - Yes. 600 00:28:39,519 --> 00:28:42,288 He told me that there was a former casino owner 601 00:28:42,322 --> 00:28:46,092 in Las Vegas he had some business arrangements with 602 00:28:46,126 --> 00:28:49,129 and owed him some money and wasn't paying it. 603 00:28:49,162 --> 00:28:51,931 And he wanted to utilize my services to help him 604 00:28:51,965 --> 00:28:54,134 in killing this man. 605 00:28:54,167 --> 00:28:56,836 * * 606 00:28:56,870 --> 00:28:59,739 - Kurt proposes to Rick that they 607 00:28:59,773 --> 00:29:02,342 force Ted to consume a lethal combination 608 00:29:02,375 --> 00:29:04,711 of heroin and Xanax. 609 00:29:04,744 --> 00:29:06,479 - There was discussion about it. 610 00:29:06,513 --> 00:29:10,850 And I really didn't know how to go about that. 611 00:29:10,884 --> 00:29:13,820 - Kurt calls a pharmacist friend of his in Montana 612 00:29:13,853 --> 00:29:16,790 and asks that friend how much Xanax is needed 613 00:29:16,823 --> 00:29:19,092 to deliver a lethal dose. 614 00:29:19,125 --> 00:29:21,127 The pharmacist in Montana confirms 615 00:29:21,161 --> 00:29:23,396 that, in fact, that conversation did take place. 616 00:29:23,430 --> 00:29:26,366 - And just days before his death, 617 00:29:26,399 --> 00:29:28,335 Sandy Murphy had told a manicurist 618 00:29:28,368 --> 00:29:30,837 at the Neiman Marcus salon that Ted 619 00:29:30,870 --> 00:29:33,039 had a serious drug problem. 620 00:29:33,039 --> 00:29:37,177 - She testified that she had told them that Sandy was 621 00:29:37,210 --> 00:29:40,380 expecting to receive Ted's $3 million home soon 622 00:29:40,413 --> 00:29:42,949 because she anticipated that he was going 623 00:29:43,049 --> 00:29:44,551 to die of a drug overdose. 624 00:29:44,584 --> 00:29:46,853 - What was her demeanor? 625 00:29:46,886 --> 00:29:50,223 - Just happy and joking around, but-- 626 00:29:50,256 --> 00:29:52,258 - Did you find it funny? - No. 627 00:29:52,292 --> 00:29:54,661 - The prosecution is establishing 628 00:29:54,694 --> 00:29:56,329 the premeditation of the crime. 629 00:29:56,363 --> 00:29:58,198 The fact that they are going to murder Ted 630 00:29:58,231 --> 00:30:01,034 and they've been planning it for a while. 631 00:30:02,402 --> 00:30:03,803 - Have a seat, sir. 632 00:30:03,837 --> 00:30:05,205 State your name and spell your last name. 633 00:30:05,238 --> 00:30:06,706 - James J. Brown. 634 00:30:06,740 --> 00:30:09,042 B-R-O-W-N. 635 00:30:09,075 --> 00:30:11,411 All I had was feelings of anger, 636 00:30:11,444 --> 00:30:16,416 but I was there to testify as to the facts and what I knew. 637 00:30:16,449 --> 00:30:21,154 I wrote down to the best that I could the conversation I had 638 00:30:21,187 --> 00:30:23,590 with him less than 24 hours after I found out 639 00:30:23,623 --> 00:30:25,158 that he was dead. 640 00:30:25,191 --> 00:30:27,193 - And tell us about the conversation. 641 00:30:27,227 --> 00:30:32,699 - He said, "Take Sandy out of the will 642 00:30:32,732 --> 00:30:35,402 "if she doesn't kill me tonight. 643 00:30:35,435 --> 00:30:37,904 If I'm dead, you'll know what happened." 644 00:30:37,937 --> 00:30:40,440 I said, "All right, Ted." 645 00:30:40,473 --> 00:30:42,075 - My name is Chris Sowell. 646 00:30:42,108 --> 00:30:45,812 I was juror number six in the Ted Binion trial. 647 00:30:45,845 --> 00:30:48,381 When James Brown made that comment 648 00:30:48,415 --> 00:30:50,116 based on his conversations with Ted Binion, 649 00:30:50,150 --> 00:30:51,951 you had to kind of stop and go, wow. 650 00:30:51,985 --> 00:30:53,086 You know, it's almost like having 651 00:30:53,119 --> 00:30:54,988 somebody speak from the grave. 652 00:30:55,021 --> 00:30:57,557 That's, like, a foreboding of one's demise. 653 00:31:05,731 --> 00:31:07,266 - You swear the testimony you are about to give 654 00:31:08,067 --> 00:31:09,068 in this action shall be the truth, 655 00:31:09,068 --> 00:31:10,402 the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, 656 00:31:10,436 --> 00:31:11,470 so help you God? 657 00:31:11,503 --> 00:31:14,139 - Tom Loveday, who was Ted Binion's gardener, 658 00:31:14,173 --> 00:31:16,208 plays an important role for the prosecution's case. 659 00:31:16,241 --> 00:31:19,878 - Had you ever seen those curtains closed before? 660 00:31:19,912 --> 00:31:21,413 - No. 661 00:31:21,447 --> 00:31:23,115 - Based on what you told us, was that around 10:00 now? 662 00:31:23,148 --> 00:31:24,917 - Pretty close, yes. 663 00:31:24,950 --> 00:31:26,385 - What'd you do after you mowed the front yard? 664 00:31:26,418 --> 00:31:27,953 - Well, I was wondering where Mary was. 665 00:31:27,986 --> 00:31:29,788 Mary is the maid for Binion. 666 00:31:29,822 --> 00:31:32,991 She's always there by 10:00. 667 00:31:33,092 --> 00:31:35,160 - In subsequent testimony by the maid, 668 00:31:35,194 --> 00:31:37,329 she talked about, oddly enough, on that morning, 669 00:31:37,363 --> 00:31:39,098 Sandy called her and said, you know, 670 00:31:39,098 --> 00:31:41,333 "Ted's not feeling well. He's sleeping. 671 00:31:41,367 --> 00:31:43,168 You know, don't bother coming in today." 672 00:31:43,202 --> 00:31:45,437 So there were definitely some irregularities 673 00:31:45,471 --> 00:31:48,140 that were transpiring in association with the day 674 00:31:48,173 --> 00:31:50,309 of Ted Binion's death. 675 00:31:50,342 --> 00:31:52,778 - The prosecution asserted the coroner believed 676 00:31:52,811 --> 00:31:56,448 that by noon, Ted was dead and Sandy was busy 677 00:31:56,482 --> 00:31:58,884 cleaning and staging the scene. 678 00:32:00,052 --> 00:32:01,620 - The prosecution also presented 679 00:32:01,653 --> 00:32:04,423 through the phone evidence that Rick actually 680 00:32:04,456 --> 00:32:07,226 calls Sandy at 3:47 p.m. 681 00:32:07,259 --> 00:32:09,862 And it's actually just seven minutes later that Sandy 682 00:32:09,895 --> 00:32:11,597 then makes the call to 911. 683 00:32:11,630 --> 00:32:13,866 - [sobbing] 684 00:32:13,899 --> 00:32:15,300 [phone line clicks] 685 00:32:18,971 --> 00:32:22,675 - With respect to their theory of how the murder went down, 686 00:32:22,708 --> 00:32:24,677 prosecutors presented to the jury 687 00:32:24,710 --> 00:32:29,481 Sandy had mixed up a cocktail of Xanax, Valium, and heroin. 688 00:32:29,515 --> 00:32:35,287 Sandy and Rick forced Ted to consume the cocktail. 689 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:37,189 - May I play this video? - Yes. 690 00:32:37,222 --> 00:32:39,491 You can play the videotape then to the jury. 691 00:32:39,525 --> 00:32:41,694 - When investigators first start really turning 692 00:32:41,727 --> 00:32:44,530 a critical eye to this case, one of the things 693 00:32:44,563 --> 00:32:47,499 that they noticed, ironically, Sandy gives to them. 694 00:32:47,533 --> 00:32:49,968 She had a walkthrough done with her attorney 695 00:32:50,002 --> 00:32:52,838 through the home that was recorded. 696 00:32:52,871 --> 00:32:55,474 - I'm gonna take my bar gift and my Luther Gunter, 697 00:32:55,507 --> 00:32:57,142 and I've already taken my other piece 698 00:32:57,176 --> 00:32:58,477 of art that was in here. 699 00:32:58,510 --> 00:33:01,380 - And it just happened, one of the problems that the defense 700 00:33:01,413 --> 00:33:04,817 faced was that when Sandy Murphy goes through the house, 701 00:33:04,850 --> 00:33:06,752 there's a wine glass with a little bit 702 00:33:06,785 --> 00:33:08,220 of liquid in the bottom of it, 703 00:33:08,253 --> 00:33:10,622 and she grabs it and hides it away. 704 00:33:12,157 --> 00:33:14,093 - And the glass, in fact, is never found. 705 00:33:14,126 --> 00:33:18,230 But to have video footage of Sandy taking a wineglass 706 00:33:18,263 --> 00:33:20,833 and putting it in her purse is gold, essentially, 707 00:33:20,866 --> 00:33:22,334 from a prosecutor perspective 708 00:33:22,368 --> 00:33:24,470 because you present that to the jury and say, look, 709 00:33:24,503 --> 00:33:27,106 she's hiding a specific glass in a home 710 00:33:27,139 --> 00:33:29,408 that, in theory, is hers. 711 00:33:29,441 --> 00:33:32,678 And why is this glass so important? 712 00:33:33,445 --> 00:33:37,082 Well, she used a wine glass to mix her cocktail of drugs 713 00:33:37,082 --> 00:33:39,084 that she forces Ted to take. 714 00:33:39,084 --> 00:33:40,919 [tense music] 715 00:33:40,953 --> 00:33:42,755 But prosecutors contended that what 716 00:33:42,788 --> 00:33:46,458 had really, ultimately, killed Ted Binion was suffocation. 717 00:33:46,492 --> 00:33:52,297 - My opinion is that he died from some obstruction 718 00:33:52,331 --> 00:33:53,966 to his nose and mouth, couldn't breathe in, 719 00:33:53,999 --> 00:33:56,201 and pressure on his chest. 720 00:33:56,235 --> 00:33:57,569 - Is there another name for that? 721 00:33:57,603 --> 00:34:00,305 - Yes, that's specifically called "burking." 722 00:34:00,339 --> 00:34:02,775 - Michael Baden has testified 723 00:34:02,808 --> 00:34:04,443 in a number of high profile cases, 724 00:34:04,476 --> 00:34:06,178 including the OJ Simpson trial. 725 00:34:06,211 --> 00:34:09,581 He testified that there was bruising on his chest 726 00:34:09,615 --> 00:34:12,584 in a circular form, consistent with the buttons on his shirt 727 00:34:12,618 --> 00:34:16,588 because while one person is pinching closed the nose 728 00:34:16,622 --> 00:34:19,124 and mouth, another person is actually 729 00:34:19,158 --> 00:34:21,593 sitting on the victim's chest. 730 00:34:21,627 --> 00:34:23,962 And together, they suffocate the victim. 731 00:34:24,063 --> 00:34:29,501 - The killers in this case are the two people he trusted, 732 00:34:29,535 --> 00:34:33,339 who stole everything Ted Binion had, including his life. 733 00:34:33,372 --> 00:34:35,607 That's Rick Tabish and Sandra Murphy. 734 00:34:35,641 --> 00:34:37,943 Thank you. 735 00:34:37,976 --> 00:34:40,813 - So the prosecution rests, and the defense begins 736 00:34:40,846 --> 00:34:42,314 to present their case. 737 00:34:42,348 --> 00:34:44,616 There was no crime committed by Sandy Murphy, 738 00:34:44,650 --> 00:34:48,320 and there was no crime committed by Rick Tabish. 739 00:34:48,354 --> 00:34:50,856 You want to fault them for a relationship, 740 00:34:50,889 --> 00:34:53,392 fault them for a relationship. 741 00:34:53,425 --> 00:34:56,528 - The defense argued that Ted Binion died of a drug overdose 742 00:34:56,562 --> 00:34:58,564 and there was no physical evidence 743 00:34:58,597 --> 00:35:02,201 to show that Ted had died through the crime of murder. 744 00:35:02,234 --> 00:35:05,237 The defense, of course, calls their own expert, Cyril Wecht, 745 00:35:05,270 --> 00:35:07,639 who testifies that, in fact, it's not suffocation 746 00:35:07,673 --> 00:35:10,175 because the congestion under the eyelids 747 00:35:10,209 --> 00:35:12,411 is linear and not circular, and therefore, 748 00:35:12,444 --> 00:35:14,646 that's not consistent with suffocation, 749 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:17,449 and that, similarly, the bruising on the chest 750 00:35:17,483 --> 00:35:21,286 was likely the result of the first responders trying 751 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,355 to resuscitate Ted Binion. 752 00:35:23,389 --> 00:35:25,157 - With that said, I would ask you 753 00:35:25,190 --> 00:35:27,393 to do what's just and equitable in this case, 754 00:35:27,426 --> 00:35:30,129 and that is find the defendants not guilty. 755 00:35:30,162 --> 00:35:31,296 Thank you. 756 00:35:31,330 --> 00:35:32,898 [dramatic sting] 757 00:35:32,931 --> 00:35:36,101 [ominous music] 758 00:35:36,135 --> 00:35:37,403 - Have you arrived at a verdict? 759 00:35:37,436 --> 00:35:38,837 - Yes, we have, Your Honor. 760 00:35:38,871 --> 00:35:40,806 - After two months of testimony, 761 00:35:40,839 --> 00:35:44,943 the 12-person jury had spent four days in deliberation. 762 00:35:44,977 --> 00:35:48,647 - Ms. Murphy and Mr. Tabish, will you please stand up? 763 00:35:48,681 --> 00:35:50,249 * * 764 00:35:50,282 --> 00:35:53,485 - All right, please hand the verdicts to the bailiff. 765 00:35:53,519 --> 00:35:55,854 - Judge Bonaventure kind of looked at it, 766 00:35:55,888 --> 00:35:59,692 and I wasn't sure if I caught him kind of go, Oh, OK. 767 00:35:59,725 --> 00:36:01,894 A little surprised. 768 00:36:01,927 --> 00:36:04,129 * * 769 00:36:04,163 --> 00:36:06,699 - All right. Hand that to the foreman. 770 00:36:06,732 --> 00:36:09,601 Mr. Foreman, would you read the verdicts aloud 771 00:36:09,635 --> 00:36:12,805 starting from the very top, on down? 772 00:36:13,739 --> 00:36:17,710 - State of Nevada versus Richard Bennett Tabish, 773 00:36:17,743 --> 00:36:20,312 the verdict, 774 00:36:20,346 --> 00:36:23,782 guilty of murder of the first degree. 775 00:36:25,751 --> 00:36:28,220 We the jury, in the above entitled case, 776 00:36:28,253 --> 00:36:31,357 find the defendant Sandra Renee Murphy as follows, 777 00:36:31,390 --> 00:36:34,593 guilty of murder of the first degree. 778 00:36:35,461 --> 00:36:38,297 - Of course, they went through each count, the robbery, 779 00:36:38,330 --> 00:36:39,698 all the way down. 780 00:36:39,732 --> 00:36:41,133 It literally-- it kind of sucks the air 781 00:36:41,166 --> 00:36:42,534 out of the courtroom. 782 00:36:42,568 --> 00:36:45,504 - It is guilty on all counts for both Sandy and Rick. 783 00:36:46,905 --> 00:36:48,874 - I was elated. 784 00:36:48,907 --> 00:36:52,077 I was elated that they were found guilty. 785 00:36:52,978 --> 00:36:55,347 - You watched Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish's legs 786 00:36:55,381 --> 00:36:57,983 kind of get a little bit weak underneath them. 787 00:36:58,083 --> 00:37:00,753 - Sandy is sentenced to 22 years to life, 788 00:37:00,786 --> 00:37:03,756 and Rick is sentenced to 25 years to life. 789 00:37:03,789 --> 00:37:06,025 * * 790 00:37:06,025 --> 00:37:07,526 [dramatic sting] 791 00:37:10,596 --> 00:37:13,666 - Rick Tabish and Sandy Murphy immediately began 792 00:37:13,699 --> 00:37:16,268 working on their appeals. 793 00:37:16,301 --> 00:37:18,370 Three years after their convictions, 794 00:37:18,404 --> 00:37:21,907 the Nevada Supreme Court issued a decision. 795 00:37:21,940 --> 00:37:23,642 - The Nevada Supreme Court determined 796 00:37:23,676 --> 00:37:26,111 this hearsay statement from Ted Binion 797 00:37:26,145 --> 00:37:28,280 to his lawyer, Jim Brown. 798 00:37:28,313 --> 00:37:30,482 - He said, "Take Sandy out of the will 799 00:37:30,516 --> 00:37:33,485 "if she doesn't kill me tonight. 800 00:37:33,519 --> 00:37:35,654 If I'm dead, you'll know what happened." 801 00:37:35,688 --> 00:37:38,123 - That statement was improperly admitted 802 00:37:38,157 --> 00:37:39,792 without a limiting instruction. 803 00:37:39,825 --> 00:37:41,794 Therefore, the Nevada Supreme Court 804 00:37:41,827 --> 00:37:43,696 actually overturned the verdicts. 805 00:37:43,729 --> 00:37:45,831 The trial needed to be redone. 806 00:37:45,864 --> 00:37:48,801 - In a shocking move, Sandy and Rick 807 00:37:48,834 --> 00:37:50,803 hired a brand-new defense team, 808 00:37:50,836 --> 00:37:53,706 Michael Chris Talley and Tony Serra. 809 00:37:53,739 --> 00:37:58,744 - I am an obsessive jury trial specialist. 810 00:37:58,777 --> 00:38:04,016 Although the evidence was somewhat overwhelming, 811 00:38:04,049 --> 00:38:07,019 I saw big reasonable doubt. 812 00:38:07,052 --> 00:38:08,687 That's why I took the case. 813 00:38:08,721 --> 00:38:11,290 This is a case I believed I could win. 814 00:38:20,032 --> 00:38:21,433 - The courtroom this morning is packed, 815 00:38:22,201 --> 00:38:24,036 filled with Binion family members, 816 00:38:24,036 --> 00:38:26,705 as well as the defendants' family members. 817 00:38:26,739 --> 00:38:29,508 Everyone is hanging on every last word of this trial. 818 00:38:29,541 --> 00:38:31,043 [dramatic sting] 819 00:38:31,076 --> 00:38:33,045 [tense music] 820 00:38:33,045 --> 00:38:34,513 - Going into that second trial, 821 00:38:34,546 --> 00:38:35,647 the prosecutors still believe 822 00:38:35,681 --> 00:38:38,384 they have a good case and that legal technicalities 823 00:38:38,417 --> 00:38:41,387 are what allowed Sandy and Rick to get 824 00:38:41,420 --> 00:38:42,721 out of that first verdict. 825 00:38:42,755 --> 00:38:44,123 - We worked for the Clark County 826 00:38:44,156 --> 00:38:45,491 District attorney's office. 827 00:38:45,524 --> 00:38:48,861 Beyond a reasonable doubt, this was a homicide. 828 00:38:48,894 --> 00:38:53,365 - In the first case, they didn't want to concede 829 00:38:53,399 --> 00:38:56,702 that he died of a drug overdose. 830 00:38:56,735 --> 00:39:01,040 That persisted in the second trial also. 831 00:39:01,073 --> 00:39:05,010 - But Tony Serra doubled down on Ted Binion's drug use, 832 00:39:05,010 --> 00:39:08,747 arguing the heroin, Xanax, and Valium found in his system 833 00:39:08,781 --> 00:39:11,083 was a lethal combination. 834 00:39:11,116 --> 00:39:15,187 - Michael Baden said, "This isn't the way it happened. 835 00:39:15,220 --> 00:39:16,922 He was burked." 836 00:39:17,022 --> 00:39:21,026 There was impression of a button that shows 837 00:39:21,026 --> 00:39:23,228 that someone was sitting on him. 838 00:39:23,262 --> 00:39:27,032 - The button has to be, in some way, against the skin. 839 00:39:27,066 --> 00:39:30,369 And if it's twisted over, I can take this button 840 00:39:30,402 --> 00:39:32,037 and just twist it against my skin 841 00:39:32,071 --> 00:39:35,207 and make it very nice mark, which I just did. 842 00:39:35,240 --> 00:39:40,579 - I showed the marks weren't the same distance apart 843 00:39:40,612 --> 00:39:43,649 as buttons on a shirt would have been. 844 00:39:43,682 --> 00:39:45,684 So it couldn't have been buttons. 845 00:39:45,718 --> 00:39:49,455 Your fantasy theory goes out the window, doesn't it? 846 00:39:49,488 --> 00:39:52,124 Your theory goes out the window, doesn't it? 847 00:39:52,157 --> 00:39:54,326 * * 848 00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:57,763 Ted had severe skin disease 849 00:39:57,796 --> 00:40:01,633 that could have accounted for marks that were on his chest. 850 00:40:01,667 --> 00:40:04,837 Baden's whole theory dissolved 851 00:40:04,870 --> 00:40:07,973 when it looked like those were 852 00:40:08,007 --> 00:40:11,844 not marks from any pressure applied, 853 00:40:11,877 --> 00:40:15,848 but marks that pre-existed his death. 854 00:40:17,182 --> 00:40:20,152 - Over several weeks, prosecutors continue 855 00:40:20,185 --> 00:40:23,522 to present their case, but without a key portion 856 00:40:23,555 --> 00:40:25,824 of James Brown's testimony. 857 00:40:25,858 --> 00:40:28,761 - The Judge allowed James Brown, 858 00:40:28,794 --> 00:40:33,565 who was Binion's estate lawyer, to say he was called 859 00:40:33,599 --> 00:40:36,035 to take Sandy out of the will. 860 00:40:36,068 --> 00:40:39,304 - He scratched out the bequest to Miss Murphy, is that true? 861 00:40:39,338 --> 00:40:41,440 - That's correct. 862 00:40:41,473 --> 00:40:43,876 - Not that, "She's gonna kill me tonight." 863 00:40:43,909 --> 00:40:46,011 * * 864 00:40:46,045 --> 00:40:49,581 - I was disappointed that Bonaventure 865 00:40:49,615 --> 00:40:53,052 didn't allow my statement, "If I'm dead, 866 00:40:53,085 --> 00:40:55,554 you'll know what happened." 867 00:40:55,587 --> 00:40:57,523 I believe it could have made a-- 868 00:40:57,556 --> 00:41:00,359 could have made a difference. 869 00:41:01,927 --> 00:41:04,096 [dramatic sting] 870 00:41:04,129 --> 00:41:06,498 - After deliberating for two days, 871 00:41:06,532 --> 00:41:08,634 the jury had reached a decision. 872 00:41:08,667 --> 00:41:11,303 - Sandy was scared to death that she was going 873 00:41:11,337 --> 00:41:14,306 to be convicted again because she was losing it. 874 00:41:14,340 --> 00:41:19,378 The second jury decided that Sandy and Rick 875 00:41:19,411 --> 00:41:21,680 were innocent of murder. 876 00:41:21,714 --> 00:41:24,183 You could just hear the awes. 877 00:41:24,216 --> 00:41:29,088 It was just unbelievable when it came back not guilty. 878 00:41:29,121 --> 00:41:32,091 - Any time you get an acquittal on murder, 879 00:41:32,124 --> 00:41:33,692 it's a good verdict. 880 00:41:33,726 --> 00:41:36,595 - Subsequent discussions with this second jury 881 00:41:36,628 --> 00:41:38,897 revealed that whereas, in the first trial, 882 00:41:38,931 --> 00:41:42,234 Dr. Baden's testimony had swayed the jury to convict. 883 00:41:42,267 --> 00:41:45,204 In the second trial, the jury was not at all compelled 884 00:41:45,237 --> 00:41:46,739 by Dr. Baden's testimony. 885 00:41:46,772 --> 00:41:49,675 - Burking, as a whole, I think everybody got. 886 00:41:49,708 --> 00:41:51,143 I think they understood that. 887 00:41:51,176 --> 00:41:52,244 But it's only a theory. 888 00:41:52,277 --> 00:41:57,716 Jurors have to have beyond a reasonable doubt. 889 00:41:57,750 --> 00:42:00,285 - Sandy and Rick are actually released 890 00:42:00,319 --> 00:42:02,454 the day that the trial ends 891 00:42:02,488 --> 00:42:03,655 with the not guilty on the murders 892 00:42:03,689 --> 00:42:05,524 with credit for time served. 893 00:42:07,192 --> 00:42:08,894 - I was upset. 894 00:42:08,927 --> 00:42:13,198 It didn't make any sense to me that they would reverse it. 895 00:42:13,232 --> 00:42:15,801 It's been 24 years. 896 00:42:15,834 --> 00:42:19,138 There are incidences where I still miss Ted. 897 00:42:19,171 --> 00:42:23,442 He was just a good guy. 898 00:42:23,475 --> 00:42:26,445 [soft music] 899 00:42:26,478 --> 00:42:28,247 * * 900 00:42:28,280 --> 00:42:31,583 - From what I know now, Sandy is living in Laguna Beach. 901 00:42:31,617 --> 00:42:36,221 She married an art dealer and is living the high life there. 902 00:42:36,255 --> 00:42:41,660 - After he was paroled, Rick saw a new fortune 903 00:42:41,694 --> 00:42:45,197 could be made crypto mining. 904 00:42:45,230 --> 00:42:50,002 And he did that in North Dakota and made a fortune. 905 00:42:50,102 --> 00:42:53,138 * * 906 00:42:53,172 --> 00:42:55,641 - This case is surprisingly polarizing 907 00:42:55,674 --> 00:42:57,309 because even on the police department, 908 00:42:57,343 --> 00:42:59,478 there are groups of detectives who think it wasn't a murder. 909 00:42:59,511 --> 00:43:01,714 There were other detectives who were convinced it was a murder, 910 00:43:01,747 --> 00:43:04,049 and they're both looking at the same information. 911 00:43:04,049 --> 00:43:06,485 And that carried over into the community. 912 00:43:06,518 --> 00:43:09,054 - Based on the first trial, most of Las Vegas 913 00:43:09,054 --> 00:43:11,657 that had watched the trial, saw it day to day, 914 00:43:11,690 --> 00:43:14,793 thought that they got away with murder. 915 00:43:14,827 --> 00:43:17,196 - The Binion family got the silver. 916 00:43:17,229 --> 00:43:19,932 Ted's daughter, Bonnie, ended up getting it. 917 00:43:19,965 --> 00:43:22,334 There's still supposed to be a ton of silver 918 00:43:22,368 --> 00:43:25,070 buried at his Pahrump ranch. 919 00:43:25,070 --> 00:43:29,174 - The unfortunate thing for the Binion family and friends 920 00:43:29,208 --> 00:43:31,643 is that, to this day, clarity as to what 921 00:43:31,677 --> 00:43:34,179 really happened to Ted Binion was not found in the courts. 922 00:43:34,213 --> 00:43:37,182 * *