For many followers of the history of Las Vegas, especially poker players and fans, the name “Binion” is synonymous with poker tournaments, specifically the World Series of Poker. Benny Binion, the founder of Binion’s Horseshoe Casino in downtown Las Vegas, invited a few of his poker-playing friends over to decide who was truly the best poker player in the world, thus creating the World Series of Poker as we know it today.
However, the Binion name is also associated with one of the most colorful and bizarre murders in Las Vegas history. Benny’s son, Lonnie Theodore “Ted” Binion, managed the casino, which his father founded, along with his brother Jack. Ted also became involved in drug trafficking and associating with mobsters in the 1980s, which earned him the scrutiny of the powerful Nevada Gaming Commission, the body that regulates all casinos in the state.
In addition to his drug problems, his marriage also fell apart when he began living with Sandy Murphy, a former dancer at a Las Vegas strip club. Sandy, along with Ted’s business associate, Rick Tabish, would be implicated in his murder in 1998. At first, police were led to believe that Ted died of a drug overdose, as he had purchased heroin from a drug dealer a few days earlier.
The main motive for any attempt on Ted’s life could be found in the desert west of the city. Years earlier, Ted had commissioned that an underground vault be constructed. In that vault, Ted stored cash, rare coins, casino chips, and six tons of silver bullion. The total value of the items in the vault was well into the millions of dollars. Rick Tabish, one of the people who helped construct the vault, was arrested at the site attempting to recover the silver two days after Ted died.
In August 1999, Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish were convicted of murdering Ted Binion. Nearly four years later, the state supreme court overturned the convictions and ordered a new trial. In 2004, the two were acquitted of murder, although they were convicted on burglary and grand larceny charges. Rick Tabish went back to prison, but Sandy Murphy was released after the trial due to the time she served.
With elements of a Hollywood thriller, the Ted Binion murder story has been recreated in several different media. The most notable version of the story can be found in James McManus’ book, Positively Fifth Street, which also details the author’s run during the 2000 World Series of Poker Main Event. Other books and made-for-TV movies highlight the sensationalist aspects of the case. Only in Las Vegas could such a wild and crazy case come about.