TED BINION

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Motives For Murder

Sandy Murphy (POLICE)

Meanwhile, Buczek recalled that Sandy Murphy had been asking questions shortly after Binion's death regarding how to file a claim for a $1 million life insurance policy that she believed had been issued to Binion through the Horseshoe naming her as beneficiary. However, Buczek found that Ted Binion's policy had listed his nieces and nephews as beneficiaries.

Buczek reflected on how Sandy had called one of Binion's attorneys the morning after Binion's death, in which she had expressed concern about possibly not "getting the house," and how she had also phoned another of his attorneys that same morning announcing that she was the beneficiary of Binion's $1 million life insurance policy and wanting to know how she could file the claim. Murphy, it seemed, was beginning to seem more like a gold digger than a bereaved partner who had just lost her lover and companion. He decided to delve deeper into Rick Tabish's background.

As he prepared to probe deeper into Rick Tabish's background and his activities, Detective Buczek refreshed his memory about what he already knew about Tabish; his business known as MRT Transport, Incorporated, in which his wife, Mary Jo, was listed as the corporation's secretary/treasurer; his failed business ventures and need to quickly raise capital; his criminal history in the state of Montana, and how he had come to know Ted Binion. Buczek knew that lust for another man's woman, as well as greed and a desperate need to obtain money could be deadly ingredients. People had been killed for far lesser reasons.

Buczek subsequently learned that Tabish had formed a Nevada corporation under the name of MRT Transportation of Nevada, Incorporated, on October 6, 1997. Soon afterward, Tabish obtained checking accounts for the company at Bank West of Nevada, and by December 19, 1997, he had obtained a loan of $200,000.00 on a revolving line of credit that was secured by the assets of all of Tabish's businesses as well as by signed personal guarantees of both Tabish and his wife, Mary Jo. The loan's date of maturity was June 19, 1998.

As he delved into Tabish's finances, Buczek learned that Tabish had been unable to meet the loan's maturity date and it teetered on the brink of defaulting. However, Tabish managed to convince the bank to extend the loan's maturity date to September 19, 1998, which was two days after Ted Binion's death and the same day that Tabish, David Mattsen, and Michael Milot were arrested in Pahrump after removing Binion's silver. It now seemed more obvious than ever that Tabish's financial situation had been dire for some time, both before and leading up to the time of Ted Binion's demise.

Despite the fact that Rick Tabish had denied stealing Binion's silver in Pahrump less than two days following Binion's death after essentially being caught red-handed with it, not to mention all of the other facets of the case that had been covered so far, Buczek was still reluctant to call Ted Binion's death a homicide.